Isaac's newest adventure

So...I was switching laundry over and needed a quick place for Isaac to go since he had been in my arms...



He loved it and enjoyed peeking out at me. Later in the afternoon I put him in the basket again, and he laughed with glee! A new playplace!

This week's updates and thoughts...

This week, Isaac seems to have taken another huge developmental step! Along with starting to cut his third tooth (in the upper gums), he has also started doing a few things he's never done before: pushing up on his hands and knees, wiggling around while pushed up on his hands and knees, and making ba-ba, ma-ma, da-da sounds. He has also started sleeping on his stomach, with his rear in the air. He is so cute to watch when we lay him down on his back. He just rolls right over on his belly and scrunches up his knees.

The pushing up motion just started on Tuesday, and his "talking" just started today. This evening, our family went to Great Clips for Steven to get a haircut, and then we went to Subway for a dinner out. While there, Isaac "talked" to Steven almost the whole time we ate. He was so proud of himself, and it is amazing to see how he's learned all of this so quickly. He is also still loving the swimming pool, and he loves "swimming" from one person to another by kicking his legs and moving his arms. He is our strong, sweet little boy!

Yesterday Isaac had another first - staying in the YMCA's Child Watch while I got a much-needed workout. I have been nervous about getting out too much with Isaac because I've wanted to make sure his schedule was not impacted by my "going" too much. After feeling a little cabin fever (although I do LOVE my home and enjoy being there!), I prayed about this and also had some conversations with my mom. Through these prayers and conversations, God showed me that I don't need to "worry" about Isaac's schedule so much. In fact, He has already told me through the Bible not to worry about anything. That's where trust comes in. If I really do "trust in the Lord," then that must include my son and his schedule. I believe that consistency and balance are keywords that God has given me. Keep things as consistent as possible, but stay in balance overall. Sometimes that may mean that here and there, Isaac doesn't get in bed on time. Or a day or two a week, he gets a later nap due to Mommy needing to get some good quality exercise in. I realized that trusting God means that I have faith that God will take care of my son's well-being. He will ensure that Isaac is balanced and healthy when I trust in Him. Therefore, I have suddenly received a sense of freedom in my role as Isaac's Momma! I can take a trip to the Y every so often...Steven and I can keep Isaac out a little later than normal sometimes. I can go to Concord and purchase used boys clothes from a craigslist seller and stop at CVS on the way home without worrying about whether I can make the entire trip between Isaac's eating and his nap. In fact, I did that today, and Isaac took a great nap on the way home, and he did just fine. Maybe this seems like rambling to some, but it is what I've been learning this week... And it's exciting revelation for me as a new mom. "Betsy, it's gonna be okay. Just relax. Enjoy being a mom. The days pass way too quickly to worry..." those wise words come from none other than a fabulously great momma - mine.

Isaac is 7 months old!

Yesterday, Isaac turned 7 months old. We had a wonderful family day celebrating this special occasion. We rested and relaxed for the first half of the day, and then we made our journey up to Concord, NC for the Fresh Fire Ministries meeting. This series of meetings started Wednesday night and went through last night. We ventured up on Thursday night with my parents, Ray and Kati and our friend Ashley. Unfortunately we weren't able to get into the building due to an overwhelming number of people coming out to see the ministry that was taking place that night. On Friday and last night, Steven, Isaac and I went again, and we were able to get in. These meetings were such a blessing to our family, and God touched our lives in a special way through them. Before we got there last night, we had a delicious dinner at Boston Market, and then we stopped by CVS/pharmacy for a little trip where I showed Steven my tricks of the drugstore trade. I was able to use my CVS Extra Care Bucks in combination with coupons to get $45 worth of Oral B toothbrushes and three chapsticks for $2.19 out of pocket. It was pretty cool, and Steven was amazed at what I've learned to do in the money saving department over the past few months. YAY - brownie points for me! :)

Anyway, back to little man's 7 month birthday... These days, Isaac is doing a lot of laughing, squirming, rolling, babbling, and teething! He now has two teeth in on his bottom gums, and he just started having more teething pain last night, so we're thinking he's in the process of cutting a third one. I never knew quite what parents were talking about when they would mention teething pain, but now I sure do! It's difficult to watch our little one cry out in such pain and know that there's not a thing we can do to completely take it away. However, we do try to use a combination of infant's Tylenol, the fresh food feeder, a cold washcloth, and good ol' snuggling to help him as much as we can.

Isaac has not started crawling yet, but he has just started trying to scoot forward by pushing his rear into the air and moving his knees forward. He usually ends up rolling over to get to where he wants to go, but we know that crawling isn't too far away... As far as eating, he's added squash, green peas, apples, blueberries, and carrots to his list of acceptable foods. He's also tried chewing on a carrot stick, and really seemed to like that! At first, he was very interested in the spoon that we used to feed him and he would reach for it during his feedings, so we decided to let him chew on a special spoon before we serve him his meals. He gets a big smile on his face when we show him this spoon. It keeps him entertained for quite a while, too!

We've also determined that he is definitely ticklish on his belly! We love to give him "raspberries" on his tummy and listen to him squeal in delight. As far as playtime goes, he loves to play with his toys on the floor, but he also enjoys riding around our kitchen in his walker. I'll often put him in the walker while I'm preparing dinner, and he loves riding around watching what I'm doing. I asked his doctor if putting him in a walker was alright, especially with so much negative information out there about walkers. She said that it was just fine, especially since he isn't in it all day long and he's getting plenty of floor play time. She said it wouldn't help him learn to walk any faster, but if that wasn't my reason for using it, it would be a fine addition to his play time activities. She also said that a lot of the accidents with walkers happen when babies are riding in them on the second floor of a home and they fall down the stairs. Since we only use the walker in our kitchen/dining area, which is downstairs, I feel confident with Isaac playing in it. And boy does he love it! He always seems to have a look of accomplishment on his face once he's "walked" himself across the room.

What a joy he is! Here are a few pictures we took this weekend:

Our 7 month comparison picture:



Sitting on the couch:



Enjoying a nice meal of peas and squash, which don't look too good when the're mixed together!



Boys are God's way of telling you that your house is too neat!-- Author Unknown

Our little sound guy!

This past Sunday, Isaac helped out a little at church...


"But Jesus called the children to him and said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.'"
Luke 18:16

What a great Dad's Day!

We had a wonderful Father's Day. Of course, our weekend included a dinner Saturday night with Betsy's dad and grandfather, thanks to Mom Gurley. On Sunday, we celebrated Steven's first Father's Day as a dad himself. Isaac and I each gave him a special card, and we made chocolate chip pancakes for his breakfast (he loves these)! After a day of family time, we packed up the truck and headed for some wonderful time with our church family singing, learning from the Bible, and having a good time with each other. On the way home, we grabbed some takeout Japanese which is our Sunday night staple.


Steven is truly a wonderful dad to Isaac! I love to watch him play with Isaac and show him love. I was listening to David Jeremiah on the radio this week, and he was encouraging dads to live their faith "out loud" as godly role models for their kids. He said that oftentimes dads see faith as more effeminate and they shy away from leading their family to know God and walk with Him. While I was listening, all I could think about was how Steven is just the opposite of this. Steven's love for his Savior is obvious, and he shows that love in everything he does, including being a dad. I was overwhelmed with gratefulness for such a godly husband who is unwavering in his faith and bold in his witness of God's power in his life. David Jeremiah finished his message by saying that dads who boldly lead their family in their walk of faith will have sons and daughters who grow up knowing the awesome love of God. As a result, they will also walk with boldness and strong faith. That is what I want for Isaac, and it's awesome to know that Steven is already leading him with a beautiful real life example. Thank you, Steven, for everything you do to take care of our family so well, be a loving husband to me, and father Isaac with an incredible tenderness and unconditional love. Thank you, God, for Steven. What a blessing he is to everyone who knows him.


"The LORD will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers..."
Malachi 4:6

Whoa what a crowded picture!

Gramps is behind the camera having fun with Steven, Buddy the dog, Betsy, Isaac, Ray and Kati:


We had a great Father's Day Eve dinner at my (Betsy) parents' house. We spent time with Granny and Pawpaw, Aunt Sylvia, Uncle Leon, Kati and Ray, and of course Gramps and Granni. Isaac sat in their new high chair, so he was able to enjoy dinner with the family. However, instead of pork chops, squash casserole, mac and cheese, etc, he enjoyed a nice mixture of rice cereal and carrots. YUM! So even though we're the ones who are sleep deprived, we as parents definitely have the upper hand on food options.

A tribute...

Isaac is so sweet! I just have to blog about how much I love our little boy! Of course, Steven feels the same way! He is such a blessing in our lives and a true treasure in our home. Every day he brings me so much joy. I know he is a gift straight from our God. And in His goodness He knew that we needed little Isaac right at this very time in our lives. After performing a healing miracle in my body so that I could become pregnant, God added to our family a little bundle of preciousness who lights up our hearts every time we even think of him. I am blessed to be able to spend most all of my days with this little man, and he's quickly become my second best buddy! (Note: Steven will always be my first BFF - best friend forever - and my soulmate, kindred spirit, homie-G, boo, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera... OK - honey, that was for you... now back to little man.) We laugh and babble together throughout the day, and he makes me feel like I'm the coolest person in the world even when my hair hasn't been washed in three days, my mascara is beading up under my eyes 'cause I'm sweating, and I'm wearing PJ's that have spitup, carrots, and rice cereal on them. But to Isaac I'm his hip, fun, cool, and funny Mama. How's that for a self-esteem booster! He is just the sweetest little thing and totally worth the HUGE change that parenthood has brought into our lives. I admit it's been an adjustment for me, but this post is a testament to the power of God that overwhelms you when you begin to reap the joy and fulfillment that comes from that adjustment. Thank you God, for our very special gift from You! We love him!

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you."
Philippians 1:3

Play time for all our kids!

As you can see, the cats are becoming more and more fond of Isaac. During his floor time yesterday, they were excited to play with his toys and chew on his play blanket. I caught them all three in one shot and thought y'all would enjoy seeing it.

Hot fun in the summertime...well almost summertime!

Our family has quickly learned that the neighborhood pool is a wonderful place to have some fun and get some exercise during these steamy, hot, hundred degree days! Isaac loves the water and he enjoys splashing around with Daddy and Mommy and anyone else who happens to join us! So far, we've had pool visits from Aunt Kati, Ray, Ray's sister and brother-in-law, and Gramps (Betsy's dad).

On Saturday, we took a trip to Target to get a float for Isaac. We don't have any pictures yet, but we plan to take some soon and post them. Until then, you can go here and see what it looks like. We couldn't find a blue one like you see in the picture, so we ended up getting a green one. When we got home and started blowing it up, we noticed a big pink flower on the center of the float. At that point was when I suddenly heard "Nooooooo!!!" being screamed from Steven's side of the room... I said, "Well honey, God made flowers. They don't really have to be a symbol of feminism. In fact, I don't know where that came from... They make men's clothes with flowers on them. Ray has swim trunks with flowers on them. My dad has Hawaiian shirts with flowers on them. That should make you feel better." Then the conversation went something like this:

Steven: But it's PINK!
Me: Do you want us to take it back??!
Steven: It's PINK!!
Me: Nobody will notice.
Steven: Ha! Yeah right! It's a HUGE PINK flower on our little boy's float!
Me: OK, you're right. Do you want us to take it back??!

Steven, being the gracious, wonderful man he is, said we could keep the float and that the flower would probably grow on him (no pun intended!). However, I think he still wishes we'd been able to find the blue float. Or at least a green one with maybe a yellow flower, or a red flower, or anything but a pink flower. Oh well. (For the record, I love the float! And I'm thinking you will, too, when you see the pictures! It's truly very cute. But keep in mind that I happen to have an affinity for pink flowers.)

Pictures to come of our lovely float. :) Until then, here are some we caught at our trip to the pool Sunday:

Isaac sports his cool new red (and very boyish!) sunglasses and safari hat:

Always laughing at Daddy!

Chillin' in the pool!

"Most of us, swimming against the tides of trouble the world knows nothing about, need only a bit of praise or encouragement - and we will make the goal."
Jerome Fleishman

One thing I love...

Since Isaac joined our family, I have a new perspective on some things. OK, I know you're thinking "Obviously! Becoming a parent definitely gives you a new perspective on almost everything." Yes, I agree. However, today I just want to write about one of those things. Drive-thru windows. I love them. I just love them! The reason I love them is that I can simply drive through and complete my transaction without getting the baby, carseat, and stroller out of the car and hooked up. I don't mind the carseat and stroller when we're going someplace where we'll be staying for at least 5 minutes. But to run into the grocery store to pick up a prescription or return the Redbox movie? Those things take maybe two minutes at the most, and when it takes at least that long to set up the stroller and carseat, it's in those moments when I really appreciate drive-thru windows. I love the drive-thru dry cleaners near our house. I love the *almost* drive-thru movie drop-off at Blockbuster. I love the thought of drive-thru pharmacies even though I haven't tried one yet. And I really love any drive-thru window where they give you food or ice cream. The only thing I don't love is when your driver's side window won't roll down because the motor is broken and it'll cost $250 to fix it, and you keep forgetting this when it's your turn in the drive-thru line...

Six month stats...

Isaac had his six month well visit today. He had a blast with his nurse, J-Lynn and his doctor, Dr Colyer at Southlake Pediatrics. I mentioned this in an earlier post, but Dr Colyer is our neighbor! She, her husband and their two daughters live in our neighborhood. Dr Colyer and I talked about the fact that we'll probably see each other at the neighborhood pool over the summer. She said I am free to ask her questions or discuss any concerns whenever we see each other. Isn't that the coolest thing? Our doctor lives in our neighborhood and doesn't mind if we ask for her expertise while our kids are splashing together in the pool!

Anyway, Isaac loves his doctor and nurse already, and he put on a show of grins, smiles, and laughs for them today. He also had to get his six month shots. Those weren't fun, but, as always, he was a trooper! We've got the routine down - Tylenol beforehand, nursing afterwards, and smiles and laughs on the way out. He was even "talking" with the registrar as we left!

Here are his numbers and percentiles:
Weight: 18 lbs (55th percentile)
Height: 27 3/4 in (90th percentile)
Head: 43 1/4 cm (45th percentile)

According to Dr Colyer, Isaac is growing very well, for which we are most grateful. It's amazing how you think you love your little one as much as you can possibly love someone, and then the next day, your love-o-meter grows and, BAM, you love them even more! Wow!

New links added...

You may have noticed that I've recently added a couple of button links to our blog. They are both related to saving money and becoming financially stable. I have been doing a lot of studying on these subjects for, well, my whole life (I have very frugal parents who educated me in the ways of thriftiness long ago...) But recently I have been learning more about how to save even more on groceries, entertainment, and eating out. Since I am not working outside the home now, it is important that Steven and I stick to our budget to be the best stewards of the money that he earns. My part of that has been learning about how to shop as frugally as possible by researching sales, using coupons, and sticking to a predetermined grocery budget (we've always had a grocery budget, but sticking to it is another story!)

In the midst of learning great strategies for saving money and spending it frugally, Steven and I have also heard the Spirit of God showing us a few things... It is God who is the true provider for our family. He is the one who meets every need that His children have. Therefore, we don't need to stress about money. We simply need to know that it is all from Him and it is ultimately still His. So, our goal should be to steward it wisely in a way that honors and brings glory to Him.

Now about the links...The first one, the link to Money Saving Mom's website is on the left hand side of the page, under our blog archive. I am providing a link to this website because it has quickly become one of my favorites for getting good info on how to save money. The lady who owns this blog searches out great deals at local and nationwide stores to post for her readers to take advantage of. She also posts her thoughts on how to save money and stay out of debt and all the while keeping life simple. The second link is at the bottom of our blog and it's a calculator that will show you how financially secure your future is compared to the recommendations from Dave Ramsey, my favorite national money-minded talk show host. You can hear his radio show on The Light 106.9 FM (in Charlotte and western NC) or watch his TV show at 8 EDT each night on the Fox Business channel.

I'd love to hear your comments on how you are saving money and learning about frugality! (or on the flip side, if you've recently splurged on a yacht, a 10 carat diamond ring, or a night at the Waldorf-Astoria, I'd love to hear about that too!)

Some updates on our sweet one...

It's here! Isaac's first tooth came in last week! After several days of fussiness and chewing nonstop we were able to see it more clearly. Of course, it is still very tiny, so I don't have a picture of it yet. We're lucky if he'll even let us get a short glimpse of it under his tongue. Taking a picture would be pointless right now! However, as soon as I am able to catch him with his mouth open and the tooth exposed, I'll be sure to post the pictures here.

Also, as an update for you on the solid food journey... We are feeding Isaac solids three times each day now. My lactation consultant assured me that this would not threaten my milk supply, and she said it's now time for him to be eating that much solid food. (Interesting note from what she shared: babies lose their iron stores from their time in the womb by the age of 4-6 months; that's why they need iron-fortified food (rice cereal, in our case) at that point - to replenish the much-needed iron in their bodies.) So far, Isaac's menus include: rice cereal, bananas, avocados, applesauce, and sweet potatoes. We just introduced the sweet potatoes yesterday, and he liked them! I have been planning to do carrots for the past couple weeks, but I wanted to try making them from scratch and freezing the puree in ice cube trays. However...since we have an automatic ice-maker, we don't have ice cube trays, and I've forgotten to get them for the past three weeks during my grocery shopping trips. I even write "ice cube trays" down on my list every time, but there's something in my brain keeping me from actually picking them up and putting them in my cart... maybe it's "mom-brain" again! You may be thinking "why does she need the ice cube trays to feed Isaac carrots...can't she just puree a small amount the first time?" And the answer is yes I can, but I'd much rather have the "system" in place before I get started - call me high-strung but that's just the way I think. :) Anyway, maybe next week I'll tie a string to my finger... or maybe I'll just break out the Beech Nut jar.