11 Months

 As you can see, our John Hudson is quite the active little fellow!  Now that he can crawl (very quickly) anywhere he pleases, the last thing he wants to do is stay still for a picture with curious George! Come on, Mom! Oh well, at least his 11th month is documented and we'll have to find a new photo position for year 2, haha! 

John Hudson is turning into a little person right before our very eyes.  Very often Michael and I will look at each other and say, "He seems so big!"  My Mama's heart is beaming with joy and also wanting to cry at the same time! This month, JH has become a master at "winking" where he actually blinks both eyes very exaggeratedly.  It. is. adorable.  When asked, "What does the doggy say?" He excitedly responds Woof Woof!  We were so proud of this accomplishment and proudly showing off his new trick to everyone, when one night at dinner Michael asked him, "What does Mommy say?"  And JH responded Woof Woof! .....Uh oh.  "What does Daddy say?" Woof Woof! "What does Grammie say?" Woof Woof! So, we're not entirely sure whether he grasps the concept of what the dog actually says, but it is very cute nonetheless. He can also say DaDa, MaMa and Hi. And lots of other sounds that we cannot yet interpret.

Another big milestone this month was John Hudson's first official hair cut.  He has had two small trims before, but this was the real deal.  Michael did a great job and I tried not to be too sad.  John Hudson squirmed a lot, so there are some uneven spots here and there, but overall he looks quite handsome!  Well done, barber Daddy!

It has been so fun watching John Hudson's personality develop.  Each morning when he wakes up, he crawls straight into the living room and picks up the blocks on this wooden train.  He taps the blocks together a few times and then holds one in each hand as he crawls around the house.  He loves to crawl with one toy in each hand, making a clunking sound wherever he goes.  At least we don't have to wonder where he is!

He's beginning to get the idea of pretending.  Just the other day, he picked up a block and held it to his ear and said Hi! We were shocked! I guess he really is watching every.little.thing.we.do!  Another new game is crawling under his play table and pretending to be asleep.  We'll say, "Night night, John Hudson!" and he giggles and tries to be still for a moment before popping back up

A few weeks ago, we were able to take a day trip to North Georgia to go hiking.  The weather was beautiful and the scenery breathtaking.  We chose a 5 mile hike that follows along a rushing creek and culminates with a beautiful waterfall crashing between two huge boulders.  John Hudson rode in the Ergo on Michael's back the whole time and loved every second.  He was tuckered out by the time we started heading back and took a nice little nap!

The past few weeks have been beautiful in regards to sleep. John Hudson has been sleeping through the night pretty much every night for about three weeks now.  I'm trying not to "hold my breath"  but I am so very thankful for extra rest from the Lord.  Our nightly schedule is the same, but he's been sleeping from 8m-6am without waking! Some nights he wakes for just a moment but usually goes right back to sleep.  I nurse him at 6 and he usually sleeps until 7 or 7:30.  Praise God!

John Hudson's behavior overall has been great this month. He truly is a sweet boy with a calm countenance, Glory to God!  But there have been very trying moments when he gets angry (usually when he is told "no").  He arches his back and throws himself back into whatever is behind him...and sometimes it really hurts!  We are praying daily for wisdom as we navigate these training years.  I often have to repent and ask forgiveness for acting in anger and/or using a harsh tone of voice.  Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.  I pray that God will give me patience to think before I act and to always speak kindly and tenderly, even when I am discipling. We pray, also that God is shaping John Hudson's heart and pulling him towards the things of God.

It has been a wonderful month, indeed.  We look forward to many more, Lord Willing!

John Hudson has an Announcement to Make!

That's right!  God in His gracious mercy and infinite wisdom has chosen to give us another baby! We are overwhelmed, excited, nervous, and thankful.  The Lord has truly shown favor on us.  Here is my recollection of the night we found out the news.

I can't even believe it.  I was so shocked when I saw that second line forming on the pregnancy test.  My heart was pounding beneath my chest as I stood in awe. I slipped out of the bathroom and sat down beside Michael. I took his hand and put it over my trembling heart.  I whispered, "We're going to have another baby!" into his eager ear.  He giggled and responded with a little boyish "Reeeally?!" We both erupted into giddy giggles and excitement.  We hugged and sat in wonder for a while.  We calculated due dates and the space between our children.  Then Michael left to get ice cream from Coldstone Creamery (our baby tradition) while I stayed home and looked up prenatal vitamins and refreshed my memory on all things pregnancy (but it's crazy how much you remember when its only been nine months since you were pregnant!).  We jumped up and down in the kitchen when Michael returned--like small children on Christmas morning.  What a gift we have been given!

But as we sat on the couch and then laid on the bed that evening,  I began having feelings of overwhelming anxiety and worry.  

Really? You're excited?  Don't you realize how much more complicated your life just got?Your nine month old isn't even sleeping through the night! You can kiss sleep goodbye forever now! Don't you know how much work it will be to have two children under the age of two? People are going to think you've really lost it now! A honeymoon baby was bad enough, now another one nine months later? You are very irresponsible. Not to mention...how are you going to care for your current baby when your face is in the toilet every morning? Oh, and where will you put this baby? Every inch of your house is invaded with baby stuff already.  Well, good luck! This is what you get for trusting God with the timing of your children!

I crumpled with fear, sadness, and doubt. I felt as if I would choke.  I couldn't lay in bed any longer as my body tossed and turned beneath the covers.  The voice speaking to me was not the voice of my Father.  I know this because each thought left me feeling guilty and ashamed.  I know this because my Father loves children and He fashions them together in His perfect timing and His perfect way.  Not one, no not one, is ever a mistake. I know this because my Father names children a reward even when our culture names them a curse.  I know this because my Father has called me to live a life of faith and to joyfully trust him with every detail of my life, even and especially with the timing of our children.  I know this because His word says that we are to tell everyone of the reason for the hope that we have and we are to proclaim His faithfulness to the coming generations.  What better way to do that than to raise and disciple children here in our very home?  It is clear that the one speaking was not the voice of my Father.

No, this was a different voice.  An evil voice.  A voice that hates children.  It was a voice that breathes lies just as we breathe air.  It was a voice whose main goal is to steal, kill, and destroy.  It was a voice that seeks to tear apart families, a voice that loves to create orphans and keep them that way, a voice that loves to murder innocent children before they are even born.  It was a voice that seethes with anger when God's word is obeyed.  It was a voice that whispers words of discouragement, deception, and doubt...and finds great joy in doing so.  It was a voice that despises everything that God cherishes.  Including Godly offspring. Because every time a baby is conceived, life springs forth and the enemy is reminded that YAHWEH is on the throne and He will have the victory.  Satan hates life, therefore he hates children.

Now the question is, who will we listen to?

Jesus, forgive us.  Forgive us for every time we believe these lies maliciously thrown at us by the enemy of our souls. Forgive us for so badly wanting to please the world and gain approval in the eyes of men.  Forgive me for my strong desire to be "normal" and not to live radically.  Equip us to fight these flaming arrows with truth. Your Word is Truth.  God, you are our judge.  One day we will enter your rest permanently, but until then life will be hard.  May we live each day with our eyes fixed on eternity.  You are are greatest treasure.  May the humble words of Mary be the cry of our hearts, 

"Behold I am a servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your Word."

Luke 1:38 

Ten Months

Our little guy is ten months old! What a joy these last ten months have been!  We've seen lots of changes this month.  He started officially crawling (on hands and knees) and pulling up on the same day (December 29th).  Now that he's officially mobile, he follows us all over the apartment.  Even to the bathroom. He's always standing up in his crib when he politely calls for us in the wee hours of the morning.

As I mentioned in my last post, this month entailed lots of Christmas celebrations.  John Hudson did wonderfully as he was off schedule and around a lot of different faces.  His Oma and Opa gave him a fun airplane that he can ride and it makes fun noises. But his favorite part of the airplane?  The stick that extends a handle on the back so parents can push!  He is obsessed with his metal stick (probably not the safest toy), and even insists on eating dinner while holding it.

Speaking of eating, our little John Hudson is quite the eater.  He now enjoys many dishes including: ground beef, beef liver, chicken, chicken broth, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, blueberries (his new favorite!), bananas, kefir smoothies, tangerines, broccoli, zucchini, rutabaga,  squash, strawberries...and probably some more I've forgotten.  I'm convinced that he would eat blueberries all day every day if I would let him.  I'm thankful he's a good eater.  We still nurse about 5 times a day and usually once at night.

Nights are still a trial around here.  For the past few weeks he's been waking up at 2am to nurse and then again around 5.  At 5  we lay him down and tell him its still night night time.  He usually cries for a bit and then falls back to sleep until around 7:30.  I hope God will grant him peace to begin sleeping through the night soon, but until then we're surviving!

John Hudson and I started going to Mommy & Me again on January 7th.  It was so nice to have the whole month of December off, but we're enjoying seeing our friends again.  For the next few weeks (due to a pregnant and sicky mama), we'll only be going on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday which is such a sweet blessing.  John Hudson does a great job at M&M and plays nicely on the floor with the other kiddos.  Occasionally he cries when I leave the room, but normally he's fine.  He usually sleeps for about 30 minutes there and then takes a 2 hour nap in the afternoon.

Here's a rough schedule:

7:30 Wake up and Daddy dresses JH
8 Leave for Mommy & Me
10:15 Nap at M&M
12:45 Arrive home and eat lunch
2 Nap time! (sometimes he plays in his crib for up to an hour before falling asleep)
4 Wake up and eat small snack (banana or blueberries)
6 Supper
7 Bath time
7:30 Read, pray and sing
8-8:30- Night Night!

In addition to standing and crawling, John Hudson loves to play peek-a-boo with his beloved blue blanket.  It's so fun watching his little sense of humor develop.  He thinks he's a really funny guy, and we tend to agree.

As the months go on, it is getting harder and harder to capture his "month" picture.  Now he would rather chew on, sit on, or hug George instead of pose beside him for a photo!

John Hudson, you are the light of our days.  We love you so very much!