Thankful Thursday (a few days late)

~A whimpering baby in the night--a reminder that there is life in the next room
~ Breathless giggles
~Steady breaths beside me in the bed
~Anticipated "hellos" after separation
~Parmesan cheese melty on top makes any meal better
~Old friends picking up as if nothing ever changed
~Giddy excitement for a fall wedding
~Family reunions on the river
~A sleeping baby beside river rapids
~Blue eyes gazing at me from the bend in my arm
~An afternoon nap with my little one as thunder rolls outside
~"You are my Sunshine" from a little voice so sweet
~The warmth of summer nights
~Walks hand in hand
~An after-bath clean baby
~The aroma of baked oatmeal and coffee--friends and fellowship awaiting

Old friends picking up as if nothing ever changed

A sleeping baby beside river rapids

An after-nap clean baby

 

 

 

A family reunion on the River

 Give thanks in all circumstances...

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Thankful Thursday

I'm currently reading 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  It has been a refreshment to my heart and has prompted me to focus in on the every day gifts that surround me.  In an effort to be more intentional about recognizing those gifts and offering up a prayer of thanksgiving to our Father, I am going to record the week's gift list every Thursday.  Truly, the simple things deserve just as much praise as the big.  My prayer is that God will transform my heart to practice a lifestyle of thanksgiving.

Flowers wet from a summer rain

Freshly washed cloth diapers

A rocking chair still swaying after night time snuggles

Summer toes resting on the porch railing

Fresh flowers given by dear friends

New play buddies

That proud smile after learning a new trick

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;  for His steadfast love endures forever. 

 Psalm 107:1

John Hudson is Four Months Old!

Our sweet boy is four months old today! 

This month, John Hudson began sleeping in his crib!  Much to Mommy's dismay, he simply out-grew his bassinet.  JH is definitely a "scooter" when it comes to sleeping! His head would be crammed into the top of the bassinet by morning, making for a most uncomfortable night.  However, on the first morning of sleeping in his crib, I found him again crammed at the top of the crib (with his blanket left behind). I guess he'll scoot wherever he has the room...Now if only he could learn to scoot backwards.

 

Overall, sleeping in the crib has been a good thing.  I didn't sleep well for the first week, but now I'm used to him being out of our room and I'll admit, it is nice to have some privacy again :)  But my video monitor sits beside my bed all night and Michael and I both sneak peaks from time to time. 

John Hudson is still sleeping well for the most part. Every few weeks, he has a few nights where he is waking every 3-4 hours.  I'm guessing maybe this is caused by growth spurts because after a few nights he is usually back to normal.  Normal for us means sleeping one stretch of 6-8 hours, waking to eat,  and then sleeping another stretch of 3-4 hours. We try to put him to bed by 9pm and he is up for morning between 8-9am. 

We've been able to spend time with sweet friends this month.  We are blessed to have many friends in similar life stages as us, and all of them have baby boys!  John is making new friends and we pray that these little guys will grow to be mighty warriors in the Lord! (sadly we didn't get any photos with Stephen!)

John Hudson and Irfahn

JH and Joseph on their way to the Farmer's Market

 

 

 

John Hudson is such a happy little guy.  Michael and I have often prayed that he would know the joy of the LORD, even as a baby.  I can certainly see God answering this prayer in John's countenance.  If he's not hungry, he's usually smiling. 

Another big milestone this month is that we have officially switched to cloth diapers! I know, I know...crazy, right?  But actually it has been a very pleasant experience! Not to mention the fact that cloth diapers are just so stinkin' cute! I never want to put clothes on him anymore because he looks so adorable in his puffy diaper! Right now, JH goes through about 8 diapers a day.  I wash the diapers every other day, which gives us some wiggle room.  Because breast milk poo is water-soluable, we don't even have to rinse them out (yet).  Just throw them into the diaper pail (aka 5 gallon bucket with a lid) and then toss in the wash.  It really hasn't been a big deal.at.all.  Plus,  knowing that we're not spending money on diapers...bliss.  And there's just something about having a basket full of freshly washed, dried, stuffed diapers beside the changing table that is just so...satisfying. (The below picture is John's first time in a cloth diaper...he clearly isn't sure about this new experiment...but he has warmed up to the idea!)

John Hudson can now sit up in his bumbo seat.  Last month he was still too wobbly, but now that he's gaining more head and back control, its the perfect play-time sport.  He gets the biggest grin on his face when I put him in...so proud of himself! 

He still enjoys his floor play may and swing.  He tolerates tummy time for short increments, but he's not a fan of all that hard work! Michael and I have only caught him rolling over one.single.time.  Other than that, he likes to roll over in private, thankyouverymuch.  I often find him on his back when I get him up in the mornings.  He loves to surprise me that way.  JH has decided that its really fun to put blankets over his face (much to Mommy's dislike).  I often look over to find him like this:

Needless to say, he is not allowed to have blankets of any kind without supervision :)

Every day with our precious boy is an absolute gift (I think JH thinks his name is actually "Precious Boy").  We couldn't imagine our lives without his sweet presence.  Yahweh was so gracious to entrust him to our care and we pray to always offer him back to the Father.  We tell John Hudson often that God has a very special plan for him.  Indeed, He does.

Rest and Refreshment

We were able to take a much needed vacation down to St. Simons Island for the 4th of July. The last few months of adjustment and job searching have left a weary imprint upon our souls.  The Lord was gracious to allow Michael to come to a wonderful "stopping point" on his project at work so he could totally relax and enjoy his vacation.  We spent time with family, played games, watched movies, rode bikes, tried out my home made sunscreen at the beach, ate ice cream, grilled out, and watched fireworks of course.  Sweet contentment filled the air as we trickled into the kitchen each morning to find fresh coffee and a big bowl of fruit awaiting. The wind chimes blowing on the front porch called our names as our Bibles and journals waited to be pored over.  Baby giggles filled the air as Grammie, Dado, and Grandmama gooed and gahed to their hearts' content.

We praise the Lord for this time of rest and refreshment.  Michael and I both felt sorrow in our souls as we drove home and awoke to a normal Monday morning routine the next day. In a phase of much unknown, the "knowns" of vacation are very satisfying.  But we thank God for the time to refuel and we look forward to a day when refueling will not be needed and all will be well as we sit before the throne of our Almighty, completely refreshed forevermore.

Sharing Blessings

Being a mommy is my dream come true. I'm not exaggerating when I say that.  Since I was three years old, maybe even before, I've wanted to be a mom.  Just the other day, I was walking back to our apartment from the mailbox (JH was at home with Daddy) and I overheard a little girl tell her friend, "That girl has a baby".  I just smiled.  I've always wanted to be the girl with a baby.

Being a mom has come pretty naturally for me. Part of that might be because God planted this desire in my heart as a young child.  Part of it might be the hours upon hours I spent caring for my baby dolls.  Part might be my natural inclination toward being a care taker.  But I think the biggest reason mothering has come so naturally is because of the precious families in my life who have generously shared their children with me. When I think back over my pre-teen and teenage years, my mind is flooded with faces of countless children who I have had the opportunity to love on and learn from.  These families trusted me enough to share their precious little ones with me.  While at the time it may have seemed (to me) like I was helping them out while also doing something I loved to do.  In hindsight, I realize that they were helping me.  They were training me, pruning me, and preparing me for the calling God had in store for me--motherhood.

When I was eleven years old, Johnny and Wendy moved to our town to serve as the youth pastor at our church.  I was tickled beyond belief to find out that they were expecting their first child.  I hoped, oh  I hoped, that one day I would be able to babysit their baby.  My mom recognized this great longing in my heart and when Andrew was just six weeks old, she offered for her and I to watch him for a few hours one afternoon.  That was the beginning of the sweetest relationship I could have imagined.  Over the next seven years, Johnny and Wendy graciously shared their precious baby boy (and soon their other son and daughter as well) with me.  Since I was homeschooled at the time, Andrew would come to my house one day a week and I would get to "practice" all day.  We spent hours playing, giggling, napping, and snuggling.  I learned how to feed, soothe, bathe, and entertain a little one.  We grew together, actually.  I watched Wendy love Andrew so well. I learned from her example.  I rejoiced (and cried) when he went to preschool and on to kindergarten.  I praised him when he learned to read.  I spoke seriously when he disobeyed.  I laughed when he was silly.  I was at the hospital when he was hurt.  I was in the audience when he had his first elementary school performance .  I even took him on his first date.  All the while, I was learning. 

I learned how to be a mommy because this precious family took me into their hearts and shared their most prized possession with me.  Their generosity has blessed not only me, but my son as well.  I pray that God will give me the same heart of generosity with my John Hudson.  I have a selfish tendency to cling to him and save every special moment for myself.  But what if God has a special person for John Hudson to minister to, even as a baby boy?  What if He has a special person who is watching my example as a mom?  What if this whole motherhood thing is way bigger than I ever imagined, stretching across miles and generations? What if, by loving Jesus above all, I can be free to love my family extravagantly and share them without fear or hesitation-- because I realize they were never mine to cling to?  Because of Jesus, I can entrust my little one to His care so that I can be free to share him with others.  I might never realize the gift I could give someone by sharing my chilren with them.  I'm so thankful someone shared with me. 

 

 

 

 

When we took John Hudson to my hometown for the first time, I was able to get a photo of Andrew holding John.  In this picture, John Hudson is the same age that Andrew was when I first started caring for him. Priceless  I will always treasure that photo and this sweet family.  Thank you for sharing your blessing.

And so train the young women to love their husbands and children...

Titus 2:4