Sweet Boy

Quotes of the Day (already)

It is 7:30 am, and we already have several notable quotations from Isaiah today: 

1) Me: "Do you know what today is? It's Valentine's Day!" 

Isaiah: "Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you..." (sung, of course) 

2) Isaiah: "I wanna cuddle" (My favorite) 

3) D.: "Isaiah, no jumping on the bed!" 

Isaiah: "I wanna hold you." 

That boy can be tricky. 

Happy DTR Anniversary

Our wedding day--July 24, 2004

8 years ago today D. Merricks and I had what all good Asbury College students know (or knew) as the DTR. Maybe they don't call it that any more. 

Our first wedding anniversary--July 24, 2005

DTR stands for "Define the Relationship." D. and I took the time to discuss the status of our relationship on February 13, 2001. On that day we went from the ambiguous friends who hang out ALL the time to boyfriend and girlfriend, and we have been falling in love more and more every day since then. 

September, 2005--our first 5K together 

(yes, my race number was 666)

We like to celebrate February the 13th as our own special day instead of celebrating on Valentine's Day. You might think it's very romantic that we chose this day to begin our relationship. You might think that D. is a very romantic kind of guy. This is not the case. For our first Valentine's Day as a couple, he got me a bunch of bananas. No roses or chocolates. No poetry or love songs. You'll have to ask him to tell the story of why. He is learning to be more romantic as time passes. Maybe I'm weird, but I don't think there is anything more romantic than a man who almost always washes the dishes, who spends hours playing with our children, who holds my hand while I am in labor, and who makes me laugh every day. I don't need chocolates. (I do like flowers, though.) 

October, 2006--pregnant with Isaiah

The past 8 years have been such a blessing. I am grateful for D. and his love and friendship. He helps me grow, he encourages me, and I am so blessed to share my life with him.

I also have to add an extra thank you to John Morley for introducing us, to Gigi Bell, for helping me find out whether or not D. had a girlfriend, and to David Bush for telling D. that he better have a talk with me on that day 8 years ago.

2 weeks

We've been taking lots of very fun pictures of both boys... I promise! But the battery on our camera died yesterday, so I can't put them on the computer. You'll just have to wait. 

I wanted to update you on Ezra's 2-week checkup and Isaiah's 2-year checkup, which were on Monday. 

Ezra weighs 11 lbs, 6 oz. He is obviously getting plenty to eat! He is doing great and we are starting to figure out a little bit more of what his personality is like. So far, he seems to be more laid back than Isaiah was at his age. He mainly likes sleeping and eating. He lifts his head up a lot and is starting to make eye contact. I like that. 

Isaiah weighs 32 lbs and is 35 1/2 inches tall. He is in the 75th percentile for both height and weight. He continues to amaze us with his vocabulary, and he continues to adore his baby brother. He also has a few tantrums here and there, but we are working it out. He is learning about time-outs and how they work.  

I think Ezra kind of looks like I did as a newborn. Of course, I was also 10 1/2 lbs and had black hair that my mom says fell out. Here are a few pictures for you to compare until we get our new battery: 

My boys

Quote of the Day

"I love you baby brober." 

My Birth Story

Or the story of how I had a 10 lb, 7 oz baby with just 2 pushes...

(it's kind of long, but it has a good ending)

Over the weekend I had a few bouts of contractions, but they kept going away.  Sunday night / Monday morning, I woke up in the night and had contractions from 1:30 am to 2:30 am, but I fell asleep again... 

Monday morning we had a doctor's appointment at 9:30 am. We got out of the door early enough to drop off Isaiah at his babysitter's house and even to stop by Starbucks on the way. The doctor checked me and said I was a "loose" 4 cm and 70% effaced. I was excited that at least those weekend contractions had done a little bit of work. 

After our doctor's appointment, I suggested to D. that we go for a little walk. Since it's January, we went to the Tupelo mall. We talked for a while, walked a lot, and enjoyed each other's company, then we decided to go to lunch together. We went to

Olive Garden for soup, salad, and breadsticks, which I had been craving. 

While we were eating, I started to have a few contractions. They were consistent throughout lunch at about 7-10 minutes apart. I did not get too excited at this point because I'd been having contractions on and off for about a week. But since I was 70% and 4 cm, I didn't think we should drive back to Oxford either. 

As we walked, it became apparent that this might be the day. I knew for sure when I had a contraction that made me cry a little bit. D. called everyone on the list--his sister, our moms, and our families. We decided to go to The Orchard, a church in Tupelo where several of our friends work, so we could have a place to lay down and rest while we waited for the contractions to get stronger. 

We walked around the church some (it's huge) and we watched a few shows on the internet although I don't remember a lot of what happened. I do remember that it's not a good idea to watch 30 Rock while in labor because laughing and contractions don't go so well together. 

When the contractions started getting stronger, we left for the hospital. We could have stayed a lot longer and it would have been fine, but I was afraid it was going to go very quickly, so we went ahead. 

When we arrived at the hospital, I was 5-6 cm and 90% effaced. After the first exam, we went back to the labor and delivery room. Our friend and doula, Corinne, brought our bags over from Oxford, and our big exercise ball. At this point, the contractions were very manageable. 

I appreciated the hospital policies and the staff at the Tupleo hospital very much. They did not give me an IV at first, and they held the monitor up to get the baby's heart beat every 30 minutes. This made it possible for me to walk around the room as I needed to, and to go to the bathroom when I needed it. They were very cooperative and understanding of what I wanted for my labor. 

As the contractions became more intense, I really liked sitting on the ball. D. played some music on his iphone, and it helped to have something else to focus on. He helped me breathe and had me look into his eyes while Corinne massaged my back. D. kept reminding me to "be under it" which was very helpful. It helped me to let the pain wash over me and not try to fight it. Fighting it, which is my first instinct, just makes it worse. 

As the contractions got stronger, Corinne did the work of helping me be in good labor positions while D. continued to help me focus on relaxing through the pain. After I had been sitting through a few contractions, Corinne would ask me to stand through a few. I am so glad she was there, because it gave D. the freedom to simply be there for me. The contractions became much stronger and closer together when I stood, so I wasn't always happy with her for asking me to stand. D. was always on her side, too! She also made sure I went to the bathroom once every hour, and that I was drinking enough water. 

I think it was between 7 and 7:30 pm when the contractions became so strong that I began to ask myself why I was into this natural childbirth thing. :) It's easy to forget how painful labor is. But I knew that by this time there was no turning back. I was really too far along for an epidural to do any good. This was not a time when I could verbalize any of my thoughts, of course. D. was such a help to me, especially during this time. I could not have done it without him. 

After about an hour of very intense contractions, Corinne told me that I should go to the bathroom. I told her that this was not an option since walking made them even stronger than just standing. Finally, I did it. As soon as I sat on the toilet, I felt my water break. Immediately, I felt very strong pressure and the urge to push. I knew that the baby's head was crowning, so I tried to get to the bed as fast as I could. I was screaming, "I have to push! I have to push!" trying to make it clear to D. and Corinne that the baby was crowning. Those were the only words I could find to let them know what was going on. 

When I finally made it to the bed, Corinne and the nurse were telling me not to push yet. I could not help myself. With one little push, D. shouted out "he's here!" and I knew the head was out. I remember giving one more push a few seconds later, and then the rest of him was out. In a few more seconds, I was holding a big, beautiful, screaming baby in my arms. I tried to nurse him, and he latched on immediately. I thought he was over 10 pounds just from looking at him, but it was about an hour before the official statistics confirmed my suspicion. 

I had to have a few stitches and it took me a long time to stop shaking, but I was so relieved when it was all over and I could hold my beautiful baby again. We didn't have time to talk about a name at first because so many nurses and doctors were coming in and out of the room. 

I am so grateful for my labor experience from start to finish. It was very painful, and very intense, but I think it is so amazing to learn what my body can do. The freedom to stand and walk around made a huge difference, and I think it's part of the reason I could have a 10 pound, 7 ounce baby with 2 pushes.

We are so blessed!  

I am so grateful.

A rose by any other name...

It is 2 a.m. and I am blogging. I bet you can guess why. 

So I was thinking that you might like to know why and how we chose the name Ezra Miles for our beautiful boy. 

I'll start with the middle name. We like family names, and we love the idea of honoring someone who is important to us by naming our children after them. Miles is my brother, and he is the best big brother anyone could ask for. We are only 20 months apart in age, and we have always been very close. He is also a great brother-in-law to D. They are both ministers, computer geeks, coffee addicts, and just generally get along very well. 

Miles means "merciful, generous." It was number 189 on the popularity chart in 2007, and according to nameberry, "Jazz great Miles Davis applied a permanent veneer of cool to this confident and polished name; it has been appreciated in particular by celebrity babynamers." I mean, if celebrities like it, we must have good taste. 

As far as first names go, we like Bible names, especially for boys. I don't really know why. We had a long list to start with, and I originally wanted to add Ezra to the list. D. liked it... and it just stuck. We like the sound of it; the vowel sounds are strong, and the letter "z" adds some punch. So we read a little about the story of Ezra. He was a priest who led his people out of captivity from Babylon to Jerusalem. It's a powerful story, and it's very important in the history of the Old Testament. Ezra means "help," and it is #342 on the popularity chart. 

We had three names at the end, and D. was the one to make the final choice. We had to see our baby and get to know him a little before choosing a name, but this one just seems right. So there you go! 

Meet Ezra

Ezra Miles was born last night at about 8:25 pm. See D.'s blog for photos. 

Did you order your T-shirt yet?

Click on the t-shirt to the right to do so. 

Remember: half of the proceeds go towards our little nephew's adoption. We need you! 

Also, Isaiah can say "Ethiopia" now. Okay, so he says "Opia" but we think he's pretty smart and gifted. We have a world map in his room and we pray for his new cousin every night. He says "The World," "Mississippi," and "Opia." This is all because his dad, my husband, is awesome and worked hard to teach him these things. 

Quote of the Day

"I want more salad!" 

I love it when he says that. Even if I have to remind him to say please. 

Quote of the Day

"Traaactor..... Where ARE you???" 

Maybe some people don't like it when the city does construction work in their neighborhood... 

I love it. 

A smiling, waving man has been driving a front-loader like this one back and forth in front of our house for the last 30 minutes.

What awesome entertainment for a 2-year-old boy. 

By the way, I have no idea what they are doing. I think it's something about the sewer lines. 

Almost there...

We went to the doctor on Monday and everything is going just fine. I am already between 3 and 4 cm and so the day is coming soon. 

I cannot wait because my body is very VERY tired of being pregnant. I cannot sleep so well, and I am oddly shaped. Of course, I know that I will not be sleeping so well for a while, but I am ready to not be sleeping because there is a sweet baby who needs me. I am ready to look at that sweet baby and hold him and get to know him. 

So pray for us and please DO NOT call us and ask if I am in labor or if we have any news... I cannot take it. :) We promise we will let you know when the time is right. 

Quote of the Day

Today we had a break from many days of cold weather and staying inside the house. Hooray! 

Me: "We're going to the park!"

Isaiah: "And throw rocks in the water? They splash!" 

Me: "Yes, we're going to the park to throw rocks in the water." 

Isaiah: "It'll be fun?" 

I only wish I could share with you the intonation he used as he pronounced the last phrase. It was kind of like asking a question, kind of like making a statement, and it sounded a lot like something I might say. 

Now is the time to beware! Be careful what you say around this boy because he repeats everything he hears! 

Support Adoption

About 4.3 million orphans live in the country of Ethiopia. We are so excited to be welcoming one of these children into our family very soon. My brother and his wife are currently in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. We can't wait to meet our nephew! 

The cost of International Adoption can be high, so I would like to ask you to support my nephew's adoption by buying one of these t-shirts. Wearing the shirt can be an opportunity for you to share with others your heart for the world and for adoption, and it's cute too! 

Please go to this site and check it out.

Quote of the Day

Isaiah picks up D.'s keys and says 

"I wanna go to Wal-Mart." 

Full Term

 I asked D. to take a picture of my belly because I want to remember how big it was... 

and Isaiah wanted a picture of his belly too. 

Quote of the Day

"You're naked!" 

Isaiah said this to D. after walking into the bathroom following D.'s shower. 

Happy Birthday to Isaiah...

Isaiah turned 2 today. 

I can hardly believe how fast these 2 years have flown by. I am so grateful for the way Isaiah helps my perspective shift and for the things he teaches me. He is the greatest gift I could ever have received. 

Fun facts about our 2-year-old: 

*He enjoys singing Happy Birthday to himself. 

*He is passionate about tractors, big trucks, and farm animals. 

*He also has a tender side: he loves stuffed animals and babies. 

*He loves yogurt. A lot. 

*He asked to sit on the potty for the first time 2 weeks ago. (Rejoice! Even though he didn't actually DO anything on the potty.) 

*Every night when we pray together, he lists the people he's seen that day. Shelby is always listed, whether he's seen her or not.

*He likes to read about Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. 

*He likes alligators. 

*He is a born leader: "Do that, Daddy!" "C'mon Mama!" 

Isaiah, we are so grateful that God has given you to us. We are so glad you were born. 

Our boy is 2!

Here's a look at Isaiah's second year...

I Believe

I wanted to share with you something that got me thinking more about liturgy in the first place. 

One of our favorite singer/songwriters is Andrew Peterson. His songs are so insightful, so beautiful, and they connect with me on many levels. A few months ago, D. went to see AP in concert and picked up his newest CD to bring home to me. This CD is entitled "Resurrection Letters: Volume II." I love it. Oh, I love it so much. I have listened to it over and over during these last few months. I have also been listening to AP's Christmas album, "Behold the Lamb of God" a lot lately. 

My favorite song is the last one on the CD. It's called "The Good Confession (I Believe)." Go buy it on iTunes. Right now. 

It is a reflection on the artist's baptism, which took place when he was 9 years old. Part of his baptism liturgy was reciting the following phrase: "I believe he is the Christ, the Son of the living God." Since his dad was a pastor, he heard this phrase over and over again throughout his childhood.  The song is a reflection on the power of these words. Here is my favorite line: "I drank so deep from the shallow well only to thirst again... till I heard a song that took my hand and led me home. And I believe he is the Christ, Son of the Living God." The words that are important to our faith do something amazing in our hearts; they come to life and they change us. I love the image of a song that led him home. 

The song ends this way: "So when my body's weak and the day is long, when I feel my faith is all but gone, I'll remember when I sing this song that I believe." 

I wrote a few days ago about the ways we want to include more liturgy in the life of our family, but I also want to include more in my personal time with Jesus. Something I'm practicing is reciting this simple phrase throughout the day. It helps that it's part of a song that I love. 

A few days ago, I was singing to myself while making lunch for Isaiah. As I began to sing, "I believe," he finished the phrase with "he is the Christ." When I said "son of the," he finished the second phrase: "living God." I cried a little bit. Sure, maybe he doesn't understand the gravity of what he said, but that's kind of the point of liturgy, right? Hopefully he'll understand its importance later. By the way, we've added this phrase to our bedtime prayers. 

I believe he is the Christ, the son of the living God. 

Quote of the Day

Picture this: 

Isaiah is making D. follow him around the room and do things like hop and jump. As D. stands on a pillow and then jumps off, Isaiah says 

"Atta boy!" 

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.