Momma's little helper!

As I was taking a pizza out of the oven last week, Isaac looked at my oven mit and signed "more". This is often his way of asking for something. I grabbed one of my Nana's old oven mits and let him give it a try. He liked it!

Pregnancy Update: 15 1/2 Weeks

I am 15 and a half weeks along now in my pregnancy with Baby #2. Not much has changed since my last update except that my nausea has almost completely subsided! Thankfully, I am feeling wonderful these days! Sometimes I even forget that I'm pregnant. Of course, that's until I jump up quickly to chase after Isaac and I feel a "catch" in my abdomen area. It takes my breath, and I remember that I do have a little one in my womb and I must move a bit slower than I'd thought.

I am also feeling a renewed energy like I haven't had in several months! It feels strange to be able to do more than one thing around the house each day! Or to do some things around the house and then still have enough energy to take a walk. Thank you Lord!

I did have an OB appointment last week, and I was able to meet one of the midwives who delivers with the clinic. I had a great conversation with her, and I'm hoping she'll be able to be the one who delivers this baby. I will go for another appointment on May 19th for our midpoint ultrasound. I am hoping we'll find out the sex of the baby during this ultrasound!!!

Please continue to keep this little one in your prayers, along with me as I am carrying him/her!

Isaac is 17 months old!

Wow - another month has passed (well, two have passed since I've done a monthly update here...) and our little boy keeps growing up!

Isaac is SO much fun to be around these days! We are seeing more and more of his little personality in everything he does.

He's a great eater, so mealtime is always an exciting time. Isaac loves to eat most anything that we give him with the exception of some green veggies (I knew this would happen sooner or later...) He's still into green beans, and I try to sneak in some spinach under the cheese when I make pizza for him. I guess that helps because he is growing steadily and is very, very strong! Sometimes he even reminds me of Popeye! Back to mealtimes... Lately, he has developed the habit of putting his cheerios or banana pieces on the spoon with his yogurt. It seems like he doesn't want to eat the yogurt alone - he needs another textured food. I like to add granola to my yogurt, so maybe his tastes are taking after mine... We'll see!

Isaac also loves to play with ordinary household objects, especially housekeeping supplies. His favorite "toys" right now are the mop, the broom, his little toy vacuum (a Dirt Devil one that I got for 4 bucks from craigslist!), pans, and my feather duster. Seriously. He could play for hours "dusting", "vacuuming", "sweeping", and "mopping" our house. Hmmmm... wonder if it's because he's seen such a shining example of a housekeeper in me. Nope, that's just wishful thinking!! :) In addition to those "toys", Isaac loves anything he can push, such as a stroller or a truck or a train. He also enjoys putting blocks together. He's learning to play independently while I'm cooking or doing things around the house, and he does very well! I think he knows he'll need to entertain himself somewhat when the new baby arrives, so he's getting his practice now!

Isaac also loves to go outside and fusses when I pick him up and try to bring him inside. He would walk around our yard (or neighborhood for that matter!) all afternoon if he could! He loves to ride in his stroller when we take walks, and before we head outside, we ask him if he wants to take a walk, and he responds, "A Wall! A Wall!"

He is also becoming more vocal these days. His vocabulary is increasing quickly, and he is also using more of his own babbling language to communicate with us. In the mornings, he'll babble a little bit from his crib, and Steven will respond with babbling from outside Isaac's room. They can carry on this type of conversation for quite a while! It's so fun to listen!

Isaac loves his family and is becoming quite attached to us all. He LOVES to say "Da-deee" when referring to Steven, and we talk about "Da-deee" throughout the day. When it's almost time for Steven to get home from work, I ask Isaac "Who is coming home soon?" and he always replies "Da-deee!!!" Isaac also enjoys spending time each week with his Gramps and Granni. He is working hard to say "Gramps", but right now it comes out as "Baa". Granni sounds sort of like "Te-tee", but it's always hard to make out when he says it! He pronounces "Ma-ma" very well and says it all the time, too! Sometimes he screams it out for fun because Steven taught him to say my name loudly when he's upstairs and I'm downstairs. However, sometimes he just says it very loudly even when I'm right beside him! In a restaurant. But I love it, and it's super-sweet!!! (and I know one day I'll be begging for him to be that enthusiastic about me again, so I want to enjoy it for now!)

It is so true that seasons in a child's life go so very quickly. Within the past week, Isaac has weaned from breastfeeding and is not nursing at all. This seems to be a decision his body made on it's own, so I am at peace with this season ending for us both. It was a blessing to be able to nurse Isaac for 17 months, and I know his body reaped the health benefits of the most incredible milk on earth! He has very rarely been sick since birth and he only had his first fever a couple weeks ago! I pray for continued good health as he grows.

In addition to the big step of weaning, Isaac took another big step this past week. He went with me to visit a playschool! We are planning to enroll Isaac in a playschool for a couple days a week, starting in the fall. He'll be there from 9-12 in the mornings, and this will give him a chance to interact with other children and have lots of fun playing with them! We are excited about this opportunity for Isaac and think he will enjoy going! I'll be sure and post more about that when the time comes, but for now, we are just in the registration process. Even that, though, is a big step (maybe a bigger one for me than for Isaac!!)

Isaac is a loving boy, and he often gives us kisses or hugs. Every night when we put him in his crib, he leans to Steven and to me and kisses us. Then he waves "bye-bye". Nothing quite compares to that time in our day - so special!!

Every day I look at that little boy and thank God for giving him to us. I love him with a love I never knew I had. That definitely sounds like a cliche, but it is completely true. I could never understand this love until I lived this moment in my life.

Thank you Lord for Isaac. We love him and pray that we honor you as we seek to raise him for your glory!

It's singing time!

Isaac and Steven, singing together...


...and a glimpse of the mini-recording studio in our living room. Ahhh...the adventures in decorating that come with being married to a musician! ;)

Our visit to the Lazy 5 Ranch!

Yesterday, our family went to the Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville. This was the first time that Steven, Isaac or I had been there, and we absolutely loved it! We went with some of our church family and had a wonderfully restful day at the park. Here are some pictures from our time there.

The entrance to the Lazy 5 Ranch:


A deer and her baby:


Isaac and me at the petting zoo portion of the Ranch (we were looking at the camels):


Here's one of the camels we saw at the petting zoo:


Isaac chilling on Steven's lap as we rode the horse-drawn carriage through the Ranch:


Steven's comment at this point was, "This makes me want to go to that Western Steer restaurant":


This confrontation seemed like it might get scary, but after a few seconds, they gave up and came back to us to eat the food that we were giving away:


A giraffe family! Isaac has recently learned the word "giraffe", so he was glad to be able to identify these animals. (He was a little scared of them at first, but he warmed up!)


Isaac and me on the carriage:



We'll definitely be going back to this great place!

In the big bathtub!

Isaac enjoyed a few of his baths this week in our garden tub. He loved it! However, some of my little tealight candles are now unusable since he thought they were water toys! :) Right now, his favorite thing to do at bathtime is to fill up his rinsing cup with the running water. He is fascinated by the water coming out of the faucet, and he even seems a little sad when we turn it off.

Isaac's first Power Wheels!!!

Thanks to Isaac's Granni and Gramps, he now has a Power Wheels Little Quad mini four-wheeler! He's learning to ride it inside before we venture onto the driveway. Right now, he's working on keeping his feet on the footrests and also using his thumb to press the power button instead of his pointer finger. Our next goal is to work on steering... What fun! Thanks Granni and Gramps!!!

Family trip to the airport overlook!

This past Saturday, we took Isaac to the airport overlook at the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport. Our house is in the arrival path for many flights coming to Charlotte, so whenever we see an airplane, we point it out to Isaac. However, we thought he'd enjoy seeing some planes up close. We were right, and he loved it! It was a great family adventure that cost us absolutely nothing! We'll definitely be going back again several times this spring and summer. Here are some pictures of Isaac and Steven watching the planes take off:

Jesus is ALIVE!

As the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen! Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again." Luke 24: 5-7

...if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." Romans 10: 9-13

Homemade chicken gravy - a first for me!

Yesterday, Steven was off work for Good Friday, so I decided to cook a hot breakfast for us. I tried making biscuits and gravy. The biscuits were canned (Grands by Pillsbury) but the gravy was from scratch! I'd never made chicken gravy before, but I decided to try the recipe here. (My grandparents make the absolute best chicken gravy, but since this was a spur of the moment decision, I didn't have time to get their recipe. Granny and Pawpaw, you bet I'll be trying your recipe out soon!)

I did tweak the recipe a little - I didn't have chicken stock, so I made some with water and Penzy's chicken soup base. Also, I didn't add any of the poultry seasoning that the recipe calls for because I didn't have it... :) I did add some canned white meat chicken and black pepper, though. It turned out great! It was a hit with Steven and Isaac, so that made my day!

Here's a couple pictures of the gravy and biscuits:




Yummy!

Enjoying the gorgeous spring weather with some family time!

Last weekend, when it was so beautiful outside here in Charlotte, our family spent some quality time together outdoors. Sunday lunch was spaghetti, eaten on our deck. This was our first time eating on the deck with Isaac! (We just brought his high chair out with us!)

Our lunch was followed by running around in our backyard together! What a fun time!

Here are some pictures from that time:

Isaac's first fever

For the past couple days, Isaac has been fighting a fever. He woke up in the middle of the night on Sunday crying out in pain. He had a temp of 101 degrees, so we gave him ibuprofen and some juice, and we used a wet washcloth to help cool him down. We rocked him for about a half hour or so, and he finally calmed down enough to fall asleep in my arms. Once he got back in his crib, he whimpered for the rest of the night. The next day his fever went from 100 degrees to 102.7. He was very clingy and fussy. He was obviously uncomfortable and would seem most content crying in my lap.

Last night after a dose of ibuprofen and a cool bath, Isaac's temperature finally dropped to normal. He slept through the night and seemed much better this morning. He has continued to be a little fussier than normal, so whatever caused the fever may still be lingering in his little body. Hopefully he'll be completely well within the next day or so, just in time for a long holiday weekend!!!

Thank you God for touching Isaac and helping his body to return to normal!

Another milestone... crawling into the high chair!

Isaac has recently learned to crawl up into his high chair! This is something he started doing last week, and now he wants to get up in the chair own his own at all mealtimes! After getting up there, he gives us a big smile as if to say, "Look at what I did!"

Feeling good enough to bake! YAY!

For the first time in about two months, I baked homemade bread!!! This week I baked our usual whole wheat yeast bread for sandwiches, etc. and I also tried a new recipe for a quick banana oat bread. It was a hit! Isaac loves it and I feel great about giving it to him for a snack or as part of his breakfast. Here's the recipe I used.

Like I've mentioned in my pregnancy posts, I haven't felt up to making dinner (or any meal, for that matter) for the past 6-7 weeks. I am almost 13 weeks along now, though, and am feeling SO much better in regards to the nausea, aversions, and exhaustion. I am praying that the worst is behind me!!! I plan to try and enjoy every moment of my second trimester!

Thank you Lord for my renewed energy and ability to spend time in the kitchen again! :)

Here's to cooking and baking for my family again!!!

Isaac and his truck!

Isaac's Gramps and Granni (my parents) have a truck at their house that he loves to play with! When Granni came over this weekend, she brought the truck to leave at our house for a couple weeks. Isaac has really enjoyed learning to climb on the truck and push it forward with his legs. Here are some pictures of him enjoying the truck. Thanks Gramps and Granni!