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.

Daddy's Little Helper

Here is Isaiah "helping" D. fold the laundry. He does a pretty good job, doesn't he?

He's got skills...

So D. went to get Isaiah up from a nap the other day and this is what he looked like. How? We really have no idea how he did this.

Just like my Dad

Wearing Daddy's hat... hopefully I can keep him from becoming overly attached to one particular hat like Daddy.

Love Story

Today is our fourth wedding anniversary, and we are still crazy about each other. In some ways, it seems like we've only been married a short time, but in some ways it seems like it's been forever! We are so blessed to have been given the gift of a shared passion and heart for so many things, and for the way we help each other grow closer to Jesus. We are grateful!

Cousins

I am so behind posting this, but we had so much fun when we went to visit my mom and dad a few weeks ago. I think the best part of the trip was the great time Isaiah and Anna had together. They just played and played and had a blast, making us all wish they could play together more often. Anna is now 3 and a half, and she is such a big girl. It is really amazing how much she has changed in the last few months. Even her voice is deeper!

One of the most fun things we did was take the kids to a local swimming pool, which has a zero-depth entry area. It gets deeper as you go, which Isaiah just loved. It gave him time to get comfortable in the water. Soon he was trying to put his face in!

Maybe the least fun thing we did was that D. accidentally hit my brother's car... while driving my dad's car. Oh my. We both felt terrible about it, but it is all taken care of now, thank goodness!

Excitement

We are going to have a nephew! We are so excited for my brother and sister-in-law who are adopting a baby boy from Ethiopia!

Okay that is really all I have to say, but did I mention that we are very excited?

More vocab

Isaiah keeps saying new words. He says a new one just about every day. His most recent word is "more." He has a few new favorite foods:
Mashed Sweet Potatoes (They have lots of great spices, including curry)
Strawberry Applesauce
Macaroni and Cheese (I've been making the Annie's kind from a box)

When he finishes these foods, he is adamant about wanting "more." It is the cutest thing, because he can't quite get the word out yet.

Another new word is "stay." When it is so hot outside, Rigby needs to come inside sometimes. After her obedience training, she is great about laying down and staying when we let her inside. D. has a motion he uses and he says "Stay!" Isaiah has been saying it all the time now. Anytime he sees Rigby he says it, but he also tells D. and I to stay sometimes too. :)

Splash!

Like I said, the first day Isaiah was not all about going in the water. But as each day passed, he got more and more into it! He has this sweet new thing he does when he wants an adult with him. He'll just take your hand and pull you along wherever he wants you to go. This series of photos demonstrates how hard that little hand is to resist!

I LOVE the beach!

Yum!

So if you know me, you know that I love recipes and that I have recently become into eating more healthy foods. That does not mean that my sweet tooth has disappeared, but I am working on replacing a lot of sweets with healthier options. I do still eat a cupcake every now and then...

Okay, so I have this amazing friend who is so healthy and knows so much about eating well. She shared this recipe with me. We made it last night and it was SO good that I just had to post it here. Note: We omitted the walnuts because of D.'s allergy.

Multigrain Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
½ cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
¾ cup natural brown sugar or turbinado
½ cup organic peanut butter
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup + 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
¼ cup wheat germ
½ cup chocolate chips
½ cup walnuts

Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease cookie sheets.
2. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda then set aside.
3. In a large bowl beat sugars with softened butter for 3 minutes. Beat in eggs and peanut butter. Add oats and beat at reduced speed until combined. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
4. Stir in wheat germ, chocolate chips, and nuts. Scoop dough into balls on parchment paper, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
5. Allow cookies to cool for 3 minutes before removing them from the baking sheet.

Notes:
• Yields about 25 cookies. You can scoop the dough into balls and freeze them on a cookie sheet.
• Once frozen, transfer them to a zip-lock freezer bag and they will keep for weeks and bake up as well as when fresh. You will need to add 2 minutes to baking time.
• If doubling this recipe use three eggs.

Sandy... I think I'll call him Sandy

Our first day at the beach, Isaiah was a little tentative about the water. Who wouldn't be? The ocean is really big in case you haven't noticed.

He wasn't tentative about getting into the sand, as you can see. He dug right in and built, and stuck his hands in it, and laid in it, and chased a few seagulls.

And why not? A bath takes care of it all.

Kindred Spirits

A few weeks ago, our friend Ashlee came to visit. She is a friend from seminary, and now she's a Campus Pastor in Kansas. We miss having her close by so much. Ashlee is one of my best friends in the entire world. She and D. are good friends too, which makes it really fun that she was able to come visit.

Things we did while she was here:
We ate at Bottletree and enjoyed Strawberry Brioche...yum!
We went to Square Books, Off Square Books, and Square Books, Jr.
We took her on a tour of the Wesley House (woo hoo!) and the Ole Miss Campus. D. was tour guide. :)
We went to Holli's Sweet Tooth.
We went to Rowan Oak.
We ate at Taylor Grocery, although she did not get catfish. What was she thinking?
We talked and talked and talked... and talked.

What a gift!

Where have we been?

We've been everywhere!

A wonderful, kindred-spirit friend from Kansas came to visit, and we explored Oxford together.

We went to the beach in NC with D.'s family.

We drove over to Mocksville, NC to visit my family.

We'll be posting some pictures and stories soon!