A New Year

 I'm all about the New Year's Resolutions. I like to stop and reflect at the end of each year and think about how I've changed and grown. I also like to be intentional about the upcoming year. A mentor of mine in college (my beloved RD, Koby) always talked to us about being intentional as we ministered to the women of Glide-Crawford. Being intentional is a life lesson that has stayed with me all these years since college. I think it's important to think about who I want to be and to take steps to get there. I don't want to turn around one day and wonder how I've become someone I never thought I'd be. 

Here is what I am not good at: giving stuff up. I have failed during many lents at the sacrifices I've told myself I would make. D. decided he would give up soft drinks for 2008, and he actually did it. I think he had a soft drink twice. Once, he had the stomach virus and he drank some Sprite. Once, he got a root beer float at Sonic without thinking. He is very disciplined. I am not so disciplined. 

So this year, I've decided that instead of giving something up, I want to add something to my life. I want to add more liturgy. That might sound a little strange, but it's something I've been thinking about for a while.  One of my favorite authors, Henri Nouwen, wrote these words: "It is not easy for us to truly believe... but every little gesture of trust will bring us closer to [the] truth" (Bread for the Journey). I think practicing liturgy is a way for us to make little gestures of trust. Sometimes the truths of scripture are hard for us to believe. We live in a world that sends us so many messages about who we are and about who God is that we are inundated from all sides. But when we speak the words of scripture or recite prayers that other believers have recited for hundred of years before us, we're making little steps toward allowing the truth to sink down deep into our hearts. 

So here are the practices we're going to engage in as a family: 

*Each day at breakfast and dinner, we are going to recite a scripture together. Something simple enough that Isaiah can remember it. We want to find a scripture that fits in with the part of the story the church is celebrating at this time. Right now, our scripture is "For unto us a child is born." Isaiah's got it. (Well, he says "a child is born.")

*I am making a book for Isaiah that talks about his belovedness in Christ. I am using the words to The Litany of the Person, which I will list below. I want Isaiah to know that he is deeply loved so very much. And the truth is, that when D. and I read this book to him, we can be reminded of our own belovedness as well. 

*Finally, and this was D.'s idea, we are choosing to sing a special song or hymn to Isaiah each night that fits in with the season of the church year. We sang "Silent Night" during advent, and now that we are celebrating Christmastide, we sing "Go Tell it on the Mountain." 

You get the idea. These steps are simple. They will take about 1 minute of my time each day, but the impact can be huge. 

A LITANY of the PERSON 

image of God

born of God's breath

vessel of divine Love

after his likeness

dwelling of God

capacity for the infinite

eternally known

chosen of God

home of Infinite Majesty

abiding in the Son

called from eternity

life in the Lord

temple of the Holy Spirit

branch of Christ

receptacle of the Most High

wellspring of Living Water

heir of the kingdom

the glory of God

abode of the trinity. 

God sings this litany 

eternally in His word. 

This is who you are. 

Quote of the Day

Me: "Isaiah, what do you want for your birthday?"

Isaiah: "I want cake!"

This will now be an occasional feature on our blog, and yes, he really said this with no prompting.

He is almost 2...

One of our gifts to ourselves and our families was to get professional portraits taken of Isaiah. We had to keep the pictures a secret, so this is their debut on our blog. They were taken at the beginning of November. 

Can you believe how handsome he looks? 

Can you believe how old he looks? 

34 Week Update

Yesterday we went to the doctor. All three of us went because we were scheduled to have an ultrasound. Isaiah wore his "big brother" t-shirt in the photo below. 

Baby brother weighs between 6 and 6.5 lbs, measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule. That means he'll probably be a big one, just like Isaiah. The pictures don't quite capture what we saw. We really got to see his face a few times, and he is quite handsome. Oh, and just in case you were feeling doubtful, he is definitely a boy! 

Going it alone

I am spoiled. I am married to the most wonderful man; he is an amazing father and husband. He is so involved with raising Isaiah, and there is no job that is too "womanly" for him. Okay, so he doesn't make the grocery list, but still. So what this means is that I often have someone to call upon when I need help with Isaiah. You know... when the 34-week pregnant woman can't get up off the floor... or she can't pick up her son and carry him around like she used to... she can ask her sweet husband to help. 

But what happens when her husband goes away for a few days? He was going to a conference that is appropriately titled "Refresh." It is a conference for United Methodist Campus Ministers. A lot of his good friends were going to be there. How could I complain? I was a little nervous, I must admit. Three days all by myself with our high-energy boy. 

I have to say that we have made it. We are going to pick D. up at the airport in the morning. I have had a wonderful time hanging out with Isaiah. We played, we baked blueberry muffins together, Ella and Addie came over to play, and Isaiah also happened to sleep until close to 8 every morning. Sometimes I worry so much about making it without D. that I wish for the time to fly by, but I am grateful for a few days for Isaiah and I to spend together. He is such a blessing. And when he wakes up at 5 am and says to me "I wanna hug," what else is a mom to do? I hugged him. He went back to sleep. And he slept until 8:10.

Now if we can only make it to the airport in the morning...

We are getting ready...

Sweet Smile

You might not be aware that I have been gifted with a little boy who has the sweetest smile. I would post a picture, but it is really impossible to capture on camera. This smile includes dimples, and two front teeth with a tiny gap in between. It is the most beautiful, and the most captivating thing I have ever experienced. It is especially captivating when accompanied by the phrase "hey mama." 

If you are lucky enough to receive one of these smiles, you might never be the same. It might be hard to make this guy go to bed, or to refrain from giving him a cookie. It might be harder for you than it is for me. 

So I am a little curious... what if baby brother has a smile that is just as sweet? What if it is even more captivating? (I am not sure that is possible.) I don't know what I'm going to do... 

An Advent Prayer

Lord Jesus, Master of both the light and the darkness, 

send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas. 

We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day. 

We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us. 

We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom. 

We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence. 

We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light. 

To you we say, "Come Lord Jesus!" 

--Henri Nouwen

"Baby Brober"

I need to update you on the life of baby brother. 

Isaiah often points to my belly and says "baby brober." We pray together for baby brother every night, and we talk about him a lot. We are getting very excited to meet him. 

I think you should know that this baby is getting BIG. He has not been the mover and shaker that Isaiah was when he was growing in my belly, but lately this boy has started to move. I feel like he must weigh 8 or 9 pounds already! It's not the same kind of crazy moving that Isaiah did... it's more like a lot of rolling. I like feeling him move a lot because it makes me excited to meet him. I can't wait to see what his personality is like and how it will be different from Isaiah's. 

We went to the doctor this week and everything is fine, and we will go again on December 18th. We are going to have our second ultrasound to measure the baby. Isaiah weighed 9 lbs, 8 oz, and the doctor is thinking this guy is going to be a big one too! 

As a side note, I washed and folded a lot of clothes this week. This baby does NOT need any more clothes. I can hardly fit them all in the dresser! We let a friend use Isaiah's clothes, and when they came back, I think there were some extras added in...

Vocab update

I have not updated you on Isaiah's ever expanding vocabulary lately... 

It is quite impressive. But really, do you know how much I talk? Do you know how much D. talks? Are you surprised that our child likes to talk too? 

Isaiah has been able to count to four for a while now... but today he counted to TEN! Okay, so he skips seven, but overall I think it's pretty impressive. 

A few weeks ago, Isaiah started saying his name. He says it like he's looking for himself when he's hiding... "i-AI-ah." It is quite possibly the cutest thing ever. 

We had such a wonderful time spending Thanksgiving with my family. They drove to meet us in Georgia, and we stayed at a cabin. Isaiah loves his cousin, who he calls "Naa-nah" (Anna) and he started saying "Ash-wey" (Ashley). He does not have Miles down, though. But of course, he says "Mema" and "Pop." 

Okay, I'll leave you with one last word: "ketchup." Yup. Loves it. I did tell him that cranberry sauce was ketchup over Thanksgiving, and he ate that right up too. I mean it's red and you dip in it, so it's close enough, right? 

Gratitude

I have fallen behind a little, but I have still been working to practice gratitude every day. 

Today I am writing a paper, and hoping to get a lot done so I will be able to relax a bit over the next few days. Blogging is not helping my paper... Now you know why I haven't blogged since last week! 

Today I am grateful for a little peace and quiet and for the way I love, yes really love, what I do. Even if it is writing a paper. I love working hard to get all the pieces to come together so I can create an argument of my very own. 

Just in case you're dying to know, here is my argument in 2 sentences: 

The narratives of Sojourner Truth and Harriet Wilson are unique in that they creatively appeal to a similar target audience, 19th century middle class mothers, in order to provide financially for the authors. This creativity required a resourceful reconstruction of self on behalf of each writer as well as an imaginative appropriation of contemporary discourse. 

BUMP!

I am currently taking a short break from researching and taking notes in order to share this story with my many devoted readers:

Yesterday I was working. I was working along diligently taking notes on Harriet Wilson's novel Our Nig while Isaiah was napping. He woke up sooner than I expected and sooner than I hoped he would. He wasn't crying; he was talking to himself and playing, so I thought I would leave him to play and talk for a while while I continued to do some homework.

Suddenly, I heard him begin to cry/whine and I prepared to go back to his room. Then I heard a very loud BUMP, followed by some serious crying, so I promptly threw my books aside and ran back to his room as fast as I could go. He was standing in the middle of his room crying. He was no longer in his crib. Of course, I picked him up and loved him and he is absolutely fine.

I am not sure that I am absolutely fine, however. Especially considering that he did the same thing at around 5 a.m. this morning.

What do the mom and dad do? We promptly get out our trusted copy of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and peruse the text for information about this very topic. It is in there... we're going to try it. Pray for us.

School and Stress

Things always get kind of stressful for me around the end of the semester. I have papers to grade and papers to write. Then there is also "normal" life including investing in the important relationships in my life, and to top it all off, at the end of the fall semester is Christmas! It's easy to get bogged down and to feel overwhelmed at times like this. I haven't started my papers. I have lots of ideas floating around in my brain, but I have to find the time to sit down and work those ideas out. Then there are the 30-something papers I have to grade by Friday... and the baby's room to get ready, and the gifts to prepare... craziness!

So I was thinking about all of this today after I visited the library with a stack of books to make my free copies, and the free copy machine was broken. What am I to do at a time like this? I remembered that gratitude is a practice. Sometimes we need to step out in faith, and the gratitude will come.

Today I am grateful for school. I am grateful for the chance to do something that I love and get paid for it (not much, but still!). I am grateful for the chance to live into my calling in this area of my life. I am grateful for the opportunity to stand in front of two classes of college freshmen--46 total--and hopefully invest in them a little bit. I'm not just talking about semicolons here! I am grateful for the chance to study and learn and grow as a scholar and as a teacher. I am also grateful for the number of things that I must keep in balance with school--most importantly my fabulous husband and son. They help me maintain perspective when life is stressful.

The truth is that I am infinitely blessed-- "immeasurably more than [I could] ask or imagine," in fact.

Baby Shower

I had a fabulous baby shower on Saturday. I am so thankful for sweet friends and family who are willing to celebrate this new little boy who will be added to our family very soon. He is getting bigger. I can tell because he is poking my ribs right now. D. can tell because when he lays next to me on the couch, he feels him roll and tumble.

We are excited to meet our new baby boy and get to know him day by day.

Wesley Girls

I have had the chance to lead a small group of girls from the Wesley Foundation this semester as we learn about God's heart for justice in the world. These girls are amazing. Each one of them is going to do great things as she follows Jesus. I am so proud of each of them, and I am so grateful to be able to watch them grow in their relationships with Jesus.

Orange Food

I am thankful for orange food. It may sound a little silly to you, but it's true.

I love the orange foods that make fall wonderful: Sweet Potatoes, Butternut Squash, and Pumpkin! They are so tasty and fallish, and of course they are full of great vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants.

If you happen to need any recipes including the above ingredients, let me know. I have about a million. D. says I'm a recipe fanatic, and he might be right.

So this week I made root vegetable lasagna and butternut squash soup. I'll have to make something with pumpkin before the week is out.

P.S. I don't like carrots as much as the above listed ingredients. Sorry.

My husband

Did you know that I am married to the most fabulous, most wonderful man in the entire universe? It's true. D. Merricks is the model husband, father, and best friend. I don't know what I would do without him.

I am thankful.

Being

One of my favorite authors, Henri Nouwen, writes a lot about the fact that "Being is more important than doing." You know the story--our culture teaches us that productivity is of the utmost importance. When we have accomplished something, we are valuable. This is a lie. The fact that we are created and loved by God means we are valuable. I work hard to let this truth sink into my life, but it is difficult. 

Today I am grateful for the way Isaiah slows me down. He eats slowly, talks slowly, and basically presents a major delay in my productivity.  But in the moments when he takes my hand and asks me to play, asks me to stop and look up at an airplane, or even shows me the treasure of a crunchy leaf, he gives me the chance to remember that being is more important than doing. My relationship with my son is much more valuable than any task I could accomplish.

Preparation

Only about 12 more weeks until our new baby arrives. Today we moved the guest bed from the new baby's room to our office. It fits. I am grateful for this great, big house that we are allowed to live in. We are abundantly blessed. 

"I love you"

Today, as D. and Isaiah walked out the door, I said "I love you" to Isaiah. 

He said "I love you" back. 

What a gift. 

Means of Grace

A few weeks ago, D. blogged about John Wesley's sermon on means of grace. Today I am grateful for a means of grace in the life of our family. Tonight we delivered meals to elderly people who live in a low-income housing development in our community. We are always so blessed by this opportunity to serve. Just like Jesus said, we see his face in the faces of the poor in our community. I am glad that all three of us have seen the face of Jesus today. 

The Times they are A'changin'

I am so grateful that we have come so far. Today, for the first time in U.S. History, we have elected our first African-American President, and a woman ran for vice-president on the opposing ticket! I am grateful that my children can grow up in a world where they can see that these things are possible. 

"side"

I missed yesterday! 

It was a beautiful day and we spent more than 2 hours outside or "side" as Isaiah likes to call it. I love to watch him load up his dump truck with pine cones and acorns and push it around the yard. 

Today

Today I am grateful for good friends and good conversation. We are so blessed to be part of a wonderful church and a small group of supportive friends that meets each week. 

And when we got home...

Trick-or-Treat!

Our first trick-or-treating experience was so much fun.

Isaiah was a rock star. More specifically, he was Bono, everyone's favorite humanitarian rock star. D. made him a guitar out of cardboard, although he would not carry it. He was very proud to carry his Halloween bag, however. He kept stopping to put leaves in it as we walked to our friends' house. On the way back, he got to put candy in it, which he thought was even better. We walked with our friends, Anna and Molly. Anna is 10, and Molly is 6. Their mom is my dissertation advisor. They are such sweet girls, and made sure to take good care of Isaiah. He ran behind the big kids the whole way, and since his legs are so short, he probably traveled much farther than the rest of us. He really enjoyed himself, and I think Halloween is a lot more fun as a mom than I did as a kid.

"puh-kin"

About a week ago, we told Isaiah we were going to get some pumpkins to decorate together. We all got in the car, and he talked about pumpkins all the way to the farmer's market. When we got there, he excitedly tried to pick up all the pumpkins and carry them around. We had some trouble getting him to leave after we selected 3 pumpkins to take home.

I am not as brave as some. Carving pumpkins with our boy "helping" sounded kind of scary to me. Painting pumpkins sounded even more scary, especially since we've been having trouble keeping up with the laundry lately. I am also not really gifted in the area of stain removal. My mom can get stains out of anything... I can not. When I saw these little pumpkin decorations at Wal-Mart, I knew they were meant for us.

Our house is looking pretty festive, isn't it? We still have some candy left if you want to come trick-or-treat us.

laughter

partnerships and neighbors

Today I am grateful for a wonderful husband who made a guitar to go with Isaiah's Halloween costume (even if Isaiah wouldn't carry it) and for sweet neighbors to trick-or-treat with. We had so much fun with our first trick-or-treating experience as a family!

Splashy Fun

We went to the park today, and for some reason there was a drainage problem on the new playground. Does that stop my boy from having fun? No way! He just splashed in all the puddles. Maybe there is a little more laundry to do, but I am grateful for simple fun and hand-me-down shoes that can be splashed without guilt!

Rest

After tossing and turning last night and a long day, I am grateful for time to rest here on our couch and for baby brother kicking and tumbling around inside my belly.


30 days of gratitude start today.

It's an obsession

If you didn't know it, D. and I are obsessed with the science of baby naming. It is really a fascinating topic.

How is it that someone would come up with the name "Madison" for their daughter, thinking to themselves that they were being very creative and original, only to discover that Madison is the fifth most popular name in the nation, and the most popular name in the state of Mississippi? What about "Aiden," for a boy? "I don't know anyone named Aiden," is what some might say. Now, what you might discover if you were to do a little research is that Aiden was the 27th most popular name in the United States in 2007. Not too bad, right? But look a little closer, and you'll find out that the Haden, Jaden, Caden, and even Zayden are all rising in popularity. Don't forget alternate spellings--Aden or Jayden... How crazy is that?

A great source for researching name popularity is the Social Security Administration website. Be sure to look closely. You can research popularity by year, name, or even state. What about both state and year? Yes. We've done it.

I always wonder what it is about a certain name that appeals to a person, and why it is that I decided that my son would be named "Christian" when I was twelve. Here's a hint: I was crazy about Christian Slater after he appeared in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves."

This is not a decision to be taken lightly. Well, yesterday, thanks to Riri, I found the naming website of my dreams. Nameberry boasts countless lists, popularity charts, and name meanings. Go and have fun. You might become obsessed too.

If you do, be sure to let us know, and we will happily introduce you to some of our other obsessions. IKEA, anyone?

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Happy 59th Birthday to my Dad, the best Dad a girl could ever ask for.

My Dad is the best for long, thoughtful conversations in the car, for his always practical advice, and for his great skills at being "Pop" to his 2 grandkids.

Seek Justice

Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.
Isaiah 1:17

During my senior year of college, some friends and I started having some conversations about poverty. I know--most college students spend their time conversing about more frivolous things. We had plenty of silly conversations too. But we began talking together and thinking together about what God was asking us to do about the needs we were learning about around the world. We read books about poverty and talked about them together. One that I will never forget is Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. Don't read that book unless you're ready to be shaken up a bit. As I think back, I think those days and those conversations were part of a growth process for me. I started to learn more about poverty around the world and ask myself--what can I do about it?

Incidentally, D. was a part of that group of friends. This is one reason why I fell in love with him.

I've grown and changed quite a bit in these last 7 or so years, but this passion has grown with me. One of the changes in my life during these years is that I've become a mom. I have to say that as I think about my sons and what I want for them, I want more than anything for them to grow up to be compassionate men. I want them to be men who seek justice and speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. I have asked myself how I can teach them this, even from a very young age. As I've thought and prayed about this, I have come to realize that the most important thing I can do for my sons is to model for them. If I am a person who seeks justice, hopefully they will learn do the same.

What can I do? Sometimes when I ask myself that question, I feel so hopeless. There is injustice all over the world, starting close to my own home. Sara Groves' song, "When the Saints" articulates this: "Lord, it's all that I can't carry and cannot leave behind/ it all can overwhelm me/ but when I think of all who've gone before me and lived a faithful life/ their courage compels me/ ...and when the Saints go marching in/ I want to be one of them." I like her choice of the word "compels." The more I grow in this passion, the less possible it becomes for me to ignore poverty. I cannot do a lot on behalf of the poor around the world, but I can do a little. I can make small moves.

I have begun to lead a small group of college women at the Wesley Foundation as we talk about God's heart for justice together.

I try to slow down and notice the poverty in my own small town. I try to look people in the eye when I might just want to pass by them as quickly as possible.

I try to make small changes in my habits that impact the environment because the first to be impacted by environmental issues are often the poor.

I try to spend less and give more. This one feels really hard sometimes.

We volunteer as a family to deliver meals in a low-income area in our community.

None of these actions is going to be earth-shattering, but I do know that I have been changed by the small actions of others who I admire. Maybe someone out there will be changed by my small moves as well. I hope with all my heart that my sons are the first to be changed.

By the way, it is no accident that our son's name is the same as the author of such an amazing call to action. If you are trying to guess the name of our second child, you might think of other prophets, priests, or teachers who spoke about God's heart for the poor.

Pumpkin Patch

Rockin'

As I was sweeping the floor, I thought it was strange that Isaiah hadn't come over and spread my dirt pile back out, or tried to take the broom and sweep the floor himself...

I stepped into the next room to find this! He found the ipod, turned it on, and put it into his ears by himself. He was rockin' it to some Enter the Worship Circle.

He is pretty smart, that boy of mine.

All I Want For Christmas...

In our house, we really believe in gender equality, but we do go with "areas of expertise" not based on gender so much, but on giftedness. This is why I am always the one to clean the toilet, while D. always washes the dishes. D. almost always sweeps, swiffers, and mops the floor, and I ALWAYS choose our menu for the week, make the grocery list and decide when we need to go shopping. Most of the time I enjoy this task, but sometimes, like right now when it is midterm, I have 46 papers to grade and I am pregnant and tired, this task can seem daunting.

Well, I saw this site on a blog today.
Wow, somebody came up with a great idea.
Each Thursday, they send an email with a list of meals. You choose five meals and how many people you would like to serve, and they email you a grocery list (appropriately grouped and itemized), a list of recipes, and a list of ingredients you probably already have. Wow. The meals are also healthy and creative, but include some choices for picky eaters. We have one of those in our house. Not me. Not Isaiah.

The sad thing is that this service is only free for a week. If you enter "freetrial" in the redeem a voucher box, you can try it for a week. BUT if you would like to do this for longer, it costs a little bit. That is why a subscription is all I want for Christmas. Unless it came with someone to go to the store, do the cooking, and wash all the dishes. That would be even better.

Reading For Fun

Lots of other people write about books they're reading on their blogs, including my wonderful husband and his charming sister. I read a lot, but I never blog about the books I'm reading. Here's why:
Gendered Agents: Women and Institutional Knowledge
"Edna Pontellier, Adele Ratignolle, and the Unnamed Nurse: a Triptych of Maternity in The Awakening"
Unruly Tongue: Identity and Voice in American Women’s Writing 1850-1930

These are three books that I am currently working on. Who wants to hear about that?
I don't normally talk about what I read or study because, with a few notable exceptions, the listener's eyes almost immediately glaze over as the listener drifts off into la-la land... until he or she can change the subject.

Now, if I am not reading the above books, I am often reading from the following titles:
Zoom, Zoom, Zoom... I'm Off to the Moon!
Go, Go Trucks
Rudolph's Christmas Party
Eco Babies Wear Green

These are just a few current favorites around our house.
If I am not reading these, then I am often reading from the following list:
The Vaccine Book
The BabyCenter Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child

You can see that my life is limited. All that to say, I have two books on my list that I am planning to read FOR FUN in the next weeks and months.

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson--I have heard about this for a while and I'm excited about diving into a novel!
The Voice New Testament--This is a re-telling of the New Testament in story form by various authors, including Brian McLaren who is one of my favorites. I am excited about this one too, but I'll be reading it a little more slowly.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Swinging at the park

We had a beautiful fall day yesterday, and today is even better. We went to the park yesterday afternoon, and I thought you would like to see what a big boy Isaiah is. He can swing on the big kid swings all by himself! He can even jump off. He has not learned not to walk behind when others are swinging... we hope he doesn't have to learn that the hard way.

He also slid down the big slides, but D.'s new phone is not fast enough to get a picture of that.

He gets it from me...

Everyone is always asking me where Isaiah gets his light hair. He gets it from me. Also, Uncle Miles. In fact, I have been thinking that Isaiah looks a lot like his Uncle Miles lately.

So fast...

Here is a picture of Isaiah from last week:

And here is a picture from one year ago:


He is quickly changing from a baby to a little boy. He has a mind of his own and he likes to be in charge. He is D.'s and my son, so how could we expect anything different?

He said his first sentence yesterday: "I want it." At least he's assertive. That will be a good quality later in life.

Happy Birthday, pardner!

Today is my mom's birthday! I love my mom, and if there's one thing I know I got from her besides my stubbornness, it's my sense of humor.

At least I hope so.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, D.!

We are so glad you were born 28 years ago. You bring so much richness, beauty, and FUN to our lives. You are a gift.

Mama's helper

Here is a picture of my little helper and I making a pizza. Isaiah likes knowing what's going on in the kitchen, and helping us makes him feel so proud. You may be able to get a view of my belly in this picture. It has really gotten bigger in these last few weeks.

So I thought I had missed out on the stomach virus, but I was wrong. I got it yesterday, and it was really not cool. In the past 48 hours, I have eaten 2 saltines, a piece of toast and half a container of applesauce. I am feeling better, though. Once I get some more food in my stomach, maybe I'll be able to function again!

Since I've been laying down a lot and being still, I have felt little brother move around quite a bit while I've been sick. That's been a fun thing. Also, don't worry about me being pregnant and being sick. He gets all the nutrients he needs because they're stored up down there. :)

Sickness and Happiness

On Friday, Isaiah got a stomach virus. Yuck. But it was really not so bad. He was still pretty happy and playful for most of the day. On Monday, D. got the stomach virus. It was much worse. The poor guy was in bed all day and today he is still not himself. I have not yet gotten sick, and I hope it stays that way. But you can still feel bad for me if you want to because I had to take care of two people. D. is the worst one by far, but I still love him.

In other news, I cannot even begin to keep you up to date on Isaiah's vocabulary. He says so many new things every day. He has started saying "Corrie" all the time now. He talks to me on the phone, or he talks about me. It is really cute. A few new words from the last week or so include "yogurt," "mail," and "cantelope." I'm not lying.

D. and I have been working to follow the suggestion by our doctor and by the American Association of Pediatrics to not allow Isaiah to watch ANY TV until the age of 2. We did this for many reasons, including the fact that habits start early and we want our kids to be in the habit of exploring and learning actively. Watching TV is a very passive activity. We have done a pretty good job of it, if I do say so myself. :) All that to say, we decided recently that maybe he was ready to watch a little here and there with our permission. Today we watched about 10 minutes of a show I've never seen before--Word World. It is a really neat show and Isaiah liked it a lot. Each character is computer animated, and their body is the word that spells what they are--the dog's body is actually the word DOG. Anyway, Isaiah liked it a lot and even did a little dance. It's weird to see how grown up he is, and it's exciting to see him processing so many new things.

Finally, baby brother is moving around like crazy and doing lots of little dances for us! The doctor said he thinks he'll be another big baby since he was measuring big already, but he also said I can probably have an 11 pound baby with no problem considering Isaiah's size. I hope that is true.

Reflections

So everyone has been asking me if I'm disappointed that we're not having a girl. Here is the truth: no. I really did think it was a girl and I don't know why, but I always told D. I had about a 50% chance of being right. :)

I grew up in a house with 2 kids, one brother and me. We had a lot of fun and there was a lot of craziness going on, and we have always been and still are very close friends. I love my big brother. But I have always thought the bonds between brothers must be very different. Whenever I've seen two brothers who are close in age, I've always thought it must be a unique bond. So I am excited to see that happen between our two boys.

Our one issue is that we have 3 absolutely perfect and fabulous GIRL names picked out, and boy names are a little harder for us. This is not a plea for suggestions, but just a comment. We are sure that we'll find the perfect and fabulous name for our second boy that fits him just as well as Isaiah's fits. We have twenty more weeks to choose, and that is a long time. Yes, we still like to keep our names secret because surprises are good for everyone and because we don't need any negative comments.

We would love to have a girl one day, and we are not planning on stopping with two kids, so we may have the opportunity to use one of those girl names in the future. Besides, how fun would it be to have 2 big brothers? I loved just having one (most of the time).

It's a BOY!

Here are a few pictures of our new baby. We are so excited for Isaiah to have a baby brother! The first picture is the baby's profile, and the second picture is for the skeptics out there.

I Voted! Did you?

I'm pretty sure there are more than 18 people who read our blog.

Just a reminder for all you blog readers that there are only 2 days left to express your opinion about whether you think our baby will be a boy or a girl. Like many votes that are cast, this one won't change the outcome at all, but it will give bragging  rights to those who guess correctly.

Exciting Developments

Here are a few new words Isaiah has learned lately:

Cookie--we're not really sure about where he picked this one up. Maybe at the baby-sitter's house? He says it pretty often, and he knows what it means. There is no tricking this kid with cereal.

Choo-Choo--this is what a train says, just in case you didn't know.

Elmo--again, not really sure about this one either. We went to Square Books, Jr. today and he picked up the Elmo doll and said "Elmo."

Roll--this is strategic on our part as it replaces the action of throwing. As in "let's roll the ball, not throw it."

Pizza--we made our own pizza for dinner on Sunday and he's been talking about it ever since. Now that's some good pizza.

Pull--this is for pulling the chain on the light in his closet. He loves to hide in the closet. He also loves to ask his dad to hide in there too.

Puppy--as in "puuuupy" like he's calling for puppy. This is his special "lovey" toy. He'll just randomly call to it, like when we're driving in the car, for instance.

In case you didn't notice, we've got some nouns in here... a few verbs... we're mixing it up with the parts of speech. This gets pretty exciting! We may move on to adjectives next. I think adverbs will follow soon after.

A few more exciting things going on around here:
1. A box came today with two items that we are pretty pumped about. A potty chair! Yes, although it is really just for looking at and maybe contemplating for a while. A Diaper Shower! I may have mentioned that we have been cloth diapering a lot lately. We went hard-core over the summer, and now we do it when we're home, but we don't send them to the baby-sitter's house. Well, toddler diapers can get... icky. This thing is going to be so helpful. It's just a little nozzle for washing off those icky ones.

2. Even more exciting, if you can believe it.... D. felt our new baby move tonight! I'll be honest, we had some cookies and ice cream. I think the new baby liked them. He or she was doing some serious wiggling, and D. was able to feel it!

Pregnancy Update--18 weeks

I know... I know. Three posts in one day! We have started back our semester and have had a busy few weeks. It has been fun too, though. We had a great First Wesley on Wednesday, AND yesterday Wesley made over $300 on parking at the football game. All the money goes toward the Spring Break Missions Trip, so that is very exciting!

As far as the pregnancy goes, everything is going very well. We are now at eighteen weeks, and I can sometimes feel the baby moving around. I don't feel it consistently yet, and D. can't feel it at all, but we know it's growing and wiggling around down there! We are going for our ultrasound at twenty weeks, so you'll have to take a guess as to whether you think the baby is a boy or girl and vote on the poll to the right. Our appointment is on September 11th. That is coming up so fast.

Here is a picture of me at eighteen weeks, but I look so tired here! I'm thinking you won't see as many pictures as you did last time because I am looking a lot more tired this time around. :) Isaiah does make us tired, but he is so much fun.

It was inevitable

This was not Isaiah's first injury. It was his most prominently visible injury, however. It looked pretty gross for a while, as you can see here. This is what happens when you run at full speed pretty much everywhere you go. No worries, though. It has healed nicely and maybe next time I say, "If you do that, you're going to fall," he'll listen. Probably not. There are too many exciting things in this world to run after, aren't there?









PS If you're curious, the answer is yes. He is eating salad. He loves it. He talks about it. He calls it "side." We think it is mainly the salad dressing he likes so much (Newman's Own Light Honey Mustard) but we'll take what we can get.

Good Morning To You

Wouldn't you love to see this smiling face every morning? How could you not be a morning person with this guy around?

Summer Milestones

Here are a few examples of some milestones Isaiah has reached this summer:

Items placed on the counter are no longer out of his reach.


He started building with blocks instead of just knocking down what mom and dad built.


He can tell Rigby "DOWN" and "STAY." And oh my goodness, he loves to tell her.


He can give kisses. He hasn't quite gotten that kisses on the lips are for mommy and daddy, and kisses on the cheek are for little boys, but we're thinking he'll get that before he turns 12.


This isn't so much a milestone, but I love it when he sits in my lap like this.

Abundance

There are some things that help me to remember how very abundantly I have been blessed.

This morning, Isaiah and I had the chance to have an impromptu dance party while listening to "Enter the Worship Circle." (One of my favorite groups of musicians.) Isaiah is quite a dancer. He loves to move to music, no matter what kind. This morning we laughed and played and spun around, resulting in some dizziness, and had a wonderful time.

Sometimes little moments like this help me put everything in perspective. Sometimes I complain, I get frustrated, and I think things are hard. Sometimes things in my life are hard. But I have been given so many beautiful gifts, and a little dance party with Isaiah is one of those.

I am the mother of the most wonderful little boy. I am married to the best guy. We are expecting our second baby, and we are all healthy. We live in a great house, in a wonderful little small town, and I get to be a mom and go to school--two things that I really love.

I am thankful for the abundant blessings in my life.

Fun Days

Less than two weeks before classes start... soon we will be so busy and maybe a little stressed! We are enjoying the last fun days of the summer. During the last few weeks we have enjoyed visits from both sets of grandparents, some rainy days, a few cool days, and even a trip to Bottletree as a family. We have also experienced a little sickness, but I think we are all on the mend. Please pray for us as we begin the semester. We are starting our third year here and it is hard to believe!

PS The first two pictures are because I was practicing with Manual Focus on our camera. The third is a sweet picture of Isaiah wearing his Poppa's boots.