"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them." Psalm 127:3-5
September 14, 2009
September 3, 2009
Some Pictures from Summer
Our baby turns one on Saturday. Can you even believe it? Expect lots of pictures from that! I'll give you more of a "what is Elliott doing" update later. But for now, here are some pictures from summer.
We had a fun, insanely busy summer, part of which included me losing our camera for 2 months. Bummer! Thankfully, my mom is gracious and took lots of pictures (and let me take even more) whenever she was around so that we don't have a huge gap in our (hypothetical) picture albums. She even prints them off for me and spares me a BIG expense! Thanks, Mom! So I have pictures from those 2 months but they are hard copies, making it hard for me to put them online for you all to see! But, my very generous parents felt that we needed a camera and surprised us with an awesome one (our old camera was a little slow and stone-aged like!) We LOVE our new camera, especially how it takes the picture immediately. Fabulous! Much more enjoyable to capture pictures when I don't have to keep recreating the moment... So these are with our new wonderful camera (thanks again Mom & Dad!) Enjoy!
Elliott hiding under a basket. Check out the ball in the other hand. This boy has a major interest in playing ball and will play a rousing game of catch. He made up his own sign for ball but it's sort of hard to describe so you'll have to come visit him to see it :)
Here's the E-man showing you his greatest tricks. He is a climber! He'll go all the way up any slide, turn around at the top (scare me half to death) and then go down. Elliott screeches in delight when he sees a park because he thinks we get to go. This kid LOVES the park and has absolutely no fear. If you ever see moms at parks sitting on a bench while their children play nicely on the play set, that will never be me. Not in this season. No sir!
We had a fun, insanely busy summer, part of which included me losing our camera for 2 months. Bummer! Thankfully, my mom is gracious and took lots of pictures (and let me take even more) whenever she was around so that we don't have a huge gap in our (hypothetical) picture albums. She even prints them off for me and spares me a BIG expense! Thanks, Mom! So I have pictures from those 2 months but they are hard copies, making it hard for me to put them online for you all to see! But, my very generous parents felt that we needed a camera and surprised us with an awesome one (our old camera was a little slow and stone-aged like!) We LOVE our new camera, especially how it takes the picture immediately. Fabulous! Much more enjoyable to capture pictures when I don't have to keep recreating the moment... So these are with our new wonderful camera (thanks again Mom & Dad!) Enjoy!
I just like this one because he looks JUST like me at this age. I wish I had my baby book so I could scan in the picture. His eyes aren't brown even though they look a bit like they are in this blurry picture. They are more greenish, bluish, hazelish, swirly. Caleb looks like me and acts more like Ben (thoughtful, contemplative). Elliott is a spitting image of Ben but acts more like me (hyper, flighty!).
Caleb doing some tricks on the swing set. One of his favorite phrases is "Did ya hee that?" (hee=see...still no "s" at the beginning of words)
Elliott hiding under a basket. Check out the ball in the other hand. This boy has a major interest in playing ball and will play a rousing game of catch. He made up his own sign for ball but it's sort of hard to describe so you'll have to come visit him to see it :)
Caleb usually doesn't venture off the swings. He is obsessed. But occasionally he will play on the slide as well. A few times this summer we stuck our little baby pool at the bottom, filled it with water, and let the kids slide down the slide into the pool. They loved it! Caleb thought we were at "a water park." He's easy to please, don't you think?
Here's the E-man showing you his greatest tricks. He is a climber! He'll go all the way up any slide, turn around at the top (scare me half to death) and then go down. Elliott screeches in delight when he sees a park because he thinks we get to go. This kid LOVES the park and has absolutely no fear. If you ever see moms at parks sitting on a bench while their children play nicely on the play set, that will never be me. Not in this season. No sir!
Caleb lives for the hour a day when Ben comes home from work and they get to wrestle. I don't prefer that aggressive side of my sweet big boy when it's just he, Elliott and myself. So the first thing he says when Ben gets home is, "Can we tackle?" Elliott makes a similar sound when the big guys start wrestling as he does when he sees the park and then dives right in. He doesn't want to miss a thing. Watch out--he's a hair puller!
Elliott with Grandpa Kenny. We got a surprise visit from them one Saturday when they zipped over to our house to go house hunting with us. The boys enjoyed getting to spend a few hours with them that afternoon. I'm not sure who loved it more though...
Caleb and Lulu being adorable at a park near our house. Caleb absolutely positively loves our neighbors. We could not be more blessed. If he hears them outside he literally shakes with excitement and is out the door. All day long I hear, "When are Abby & Hee-tan (Ethan) going to come outside? Where is Luly?" They have made some fun memories together.
Caleb and Lulu being adorable at a park near our house. Caleb absolutely positively loves our neighbors. We could not be more blessed. If he hears them outside he literally shakes with excitement and is out the door. All day long I hear, "When are Abby & Hee-tan (Ethan) going to come outside? Where is Luly?" They have made some fun memories together.
July 15, 2009
Signs We Live In The City....
Photo from flickr.com
Ok, well, maybe just one sign....
"Mom will you please tell me a story." (This was the 248,397th time he asked that today. And the 120,230,098th time he asked this week. We tell a lot of stories around here so I dig up memories like it's my job...)
"Sure, Caleb. This is one I've never told you before. Once upon a time, when I was in middle school, I went over to my friends house to work on a project for science class. When we were finished we went outside to play. We decided to ride my friends real, live horse and--"
"Mom, did it have a button?"
"No Caleb, it was alive."
"Mom, how did you turn it on?"
"Caleb, we didn't have to turn it on. It was alive. It was a real horse. It says neigh."
"Mom, was it a farm animal? Were you on a farm?"
"Yes, Caleb."
"Oh. But why did it not have a button?"
Mad Libs
Are you ready? We're going to play a little game. Remember those old word games we used to play called Mad Libs where you insert some words and it makes a funny story? Do they even make those anymore?
Ready? Here we go.
#1 _____________
name of small animal
#2 _____________
preposition
#3_____________
noun
#4_____________
preposition
#5_____________
noun
#6_____________
same small animal as above
Now fill your words into the paragraph below:
Once upon a time there was a young boy. This boy was rather small in stature, so small that his dad would come home from work, look at him and say, "Why is our (#1)_____________ standing on his back legs playing with toys? Oh wait, that's Elliott." This boy, of small stature, liked to rapidly move around the house seeking adventures. On one particular Wednesday morning (not much different than any of the others) in a matter of minutes Elliott could be found (#2)____________ a (#3)_____________ or (#4)_____________ the (#5)______________. Meanwhile, his mother offered up prayers of supplication to a faithful God for protection for her (#6)_____________, I mean boy. The end. (Well, hopefully not!)
So, I wanted to provide you with a correct list of words for the above scenario that is in fact (constantly) true. Ben has referred to Elliott as a cat before, saying that guests will come into our home and ask while looking at Elliott that very question, "Why does your cat stand on its back legs?" You can mix and match the following prepositions and nouns to describe places Elliott has gotten himself recently (no help needed). Trust me, it will most likely apply :)
Ready? Here we go.
#1 _____________
name of small animal
#2 _____________
preposition
#3_____________
noun
#4_____________
preposition
#5_____________
noun
#6_____________
same small animal as above
Now fill your words into the paragraph below:
Once upon a time there was a young boy. This boy was rather small in stature, so small that his dad would come home from work, look at him and say, "Why is our (#1)_____________ standing on his back legs playing with toys? Oh wait, that's Elliott." This boy, of small stature, liked to rapidly move around the house seeking adventures. On one particular Wednesday morning (not much different than any of the others) in a matter of minutes Elliott could be found (#2)____________ a (#3)_____________ or (#4)_____________ the (#5)______________. Meanwhile, his mother offered up prayers of supplication to a faithful God for protection for her (#6)_____________, I mean boy. The end. (Well, hopefully not!)
So, I wanted to provide you with a correct list of words for the above scenario that is in fact (constantly) true. Ben has referred to Elliott as a cat before, saying that guests will come into our home and ask while looking at Elliott that very question, "Why does your cat stand on its back legs?" You can mix and match the following prepositions and nouns to describe places Elliott has gotten himself recently (no help needed). Trust me, it will most likely apply :)
- on top of a toy tool bench
- under the crib
- over the recliner
- inside the washing machine (ALMOST...I caught him mid-dive)
- within a small box
- behind two shoe racks in the corner of our closet
- beside the toilet
- beneath the toilet
- below the computer desk next to the paper shredder inside the garbage can (all at the same time!)
- through the spokes that run horizontally on our chairs at the kitchen table
- on the seat of a kid's bike (standing up, not sitting mind you)
- up a full flight of stairs (while mom was wiping the breakfast table--we're talking 10 seconds tops!)
June 8, 2009
So Big, So Little!
Caleb and I like to work on signing with Elliott during lunch. Caleb remembers most of the signs we taught him as a baby and likes to carefully show Elliott how to do them. Sometimes when we're working on one Elliott will start banging his hand on the high chair tray and while I sternly tell him "No." Caleb instead will say, "Elliott, that's not more (or whatever sign we're doing) that's patty-cake!" When we were showing Elliott "so big" with arms above your head Caleb kept insisting, "Elliott is not so big. Elliott is so wittle." Though E-man has been doing this "so big" thing for quite a while, Caleb almost always still comments that Elliott is not big but is, in fact, little. There is some truth to that....
Saturday Doctor's Appointment Stats (like promised):
9 Months
16 lbs 12 oz (around 5th percentile)
27.5 inches (around 25th percentile)
There is some concern because our little guy hasn't gained any weight in at least 6 weeks and has dropped down in percentiles. The doctor, though, is not concerned because this has occurred at the same time as Elliott became mobile. He's using more energy during the day without a big increase in food intake. She is insisting that he is perfectly healthy and that children until they are 2 jump all over the percentile scale until they settle into their genetic disposition. Of course we are not being wise or fair to compare Elliott's size to Caleb's, they are literally opposite ends of the size spectrum, but it's hard not to.
At this point we've been instructed to put aside the food guide pyramid for little Elliott and give him whatever it is that he'll eat, even if that means he only eats 2-3 oz of vegetables and then has 10 crackers, rice chex, and part of a muffin. We're hoping to introduce some milk products back into my diet soon and see if he is bothered. We may even just try a little yogurt for him so that we'll know for sure if his tummy can handle them. If he does well digesting them, Lord please make that happen, we will definitely start giving him more fatty things like yogurt and cottage cheese.
We are praying that Elliott will continue to grow, that he will continue to thrive (he's doing awesome at meeting the milestones so far), and that we will have wisdom in how best to feed him. This little boy is so sweet, so cute, and so loveable. The Lord was definitely sovereign over having us choose his name, Elliott Paul--remember that Paul means small? Like Caleb says, "Elliott is not so big. Elliott is so wittle." But we love every little bit of him!
Saturday Doctor's Appointment Stats (like promised):
9 Months
16 lbs 12 oz (around 5th percentile)
27.5 inches (around 25th percentile)
There is some concern because our little guy hasn't gained any weight in at least 6 weeks and has dropped down in percentiles. The doctor, though, is not concerned because this has occurred at the same time as Elliott became mobile. He's using more energy during the day without a big increase in food intake. She is insisting that he is perfectly healthy and that children until they are 2 jump all over the percentile scale until they settle into their genetic disposition. Of course we are not being wise or fair to compare Elliott's size to Caleb's, they are literally opposite ends of the size spectrum, but it's hard not to.
At this point we've been instructed to put aside the food guide pyramid for little Elliott and give him whatever it is that he'll eat, even if that means he only eats 2-3 oz of vegetables and then has 10 crackers, rice chex, and part of a muffin. We're hoping to introduce some milk products back into my diet soon and see if he is bothered. We may even just try a little yogurt for him so that we'll know for sure if his tummy can handle them. If he does well digesting them, Lord please make that happen, we will definitely start giving him more fatty things like yogurt and cottage cheese.
We are praying that Elliott will continue to grow, that he will continue to thrive (he's doing awesome at meeting the milestones so far), and that we will have wisdom in how best to feed him. This little boy is so sweet, so cute, and so loveable. The Lord was definitely sovereign over having us choose his name, Elliott Paul--remember that Paul means small? Like Caleb says, "Elliott is not so big. Elliott is so wittle." But we love every little bit of him!
June 2, 2009
Update (minus photos because I can't get my camera to upload on the computer...)
I wrote this post like 5 days ago and have been waiting to post it until I added pictures. Well, I've tried to upload all the recent pictures from our camera like 43 times today and it's not working so you're getting a post without pictures. Sorry! I'll post some when I can get the camera to work.
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Where has the time gone? I did not mean to abandon this blog for over 2 months but apparently I did. Life has been full for the Krueger's. Though I'm pretty sure it's full for everyone.
We are doing so well, praise God! He continues to faithfully shower us with kindnesses. Though our time together as a family is more limited now than ever due to Ben's work, we continue to thank Him for providing a job for Ben here so we could move out here and be a part of our church. Through the faithful care of many that we now call "friends" we have seen God refine us and sanctify us more than ever. We are humbled that He called us to this area to be recipients of such wonderful care, good counsel, and faithful friendships. Because of the work He continues to do in us we are experiencing a more loving marriage, more compassionate & consistent parenting, and an increased desire to see the Gospel go out and transform others. We wouldn't trade what God's been doing in us (even though it meant LOTS of hard, not fun trials) for the world. With that said, we still miss our Iowa friends and family, small towns, big yards, and ice cream shops that you can ride your bike to in 10 minutes instead of drive to (aka sit in traffic) in 15 :)
Now what you've all been waiting for--an update on the boys!
Caleb is 2 1/2 now. He is tall, I have no idea how tall, but he towers over all of his similar aged friends by 3 inches at least. He weighs around 37 pounds. Wears 3T's and 4T's depending on what it is and has a size 8 shoe. He is BUSY! He loves outside more than anything and will frequently pray to ask God to make it stop raining when it is raining. He could swing in his swing all day if you'd let him. But if you won't, he's just as happy to play in his sandbox. While in the sandbox you will find him pretending to be on a building site with his trucks OR making pizza or some other food with various sand toys that we have in there. His love for all things equipment continues as well as his obsession with lawn mowers. He can tell you all of the parts of a lawn mower and I seriously think he can hear people 3 miles away when they start their lawn mower.
Caleb's love for books continues. He will stop everything to read. He especially loves it when we read from one of his Bible story books. We are praying that this love, especially for God's word, will continue all of his life. He has a keen ability to make connections between texts that astounds me every time. This has been true all his life. At 10 months old during play pen time he had a stack of books in there and when I came back he had 3 of the books opened and sitting there--they were all opened up to a page with an owl on them. It freaked me out then but it excites me now. I am teaching him signs that we used when I taught to show me (or more politely interrupt!) that he has a connection. It's fun.
Caleb is still good with a scissors but not so awesome with crayons or pencils. We're STILL working on trying to draw circles but that's been a tough one for him. He knows most of his letter sounds and names. Numbers not so much. He can count to 20 but usually needs help with one of the teens, usually 15 or 17. And he spell his name like this "C-A-E-B". Close. We're still working. He has troubles with some sounds and gets frustrated when we try to practice them (unless he's swinging--the neighbors probably think we're crazy having speech lessons in the swing outside EVERYTIME!) He struggles with /j/ /l/ /r/ /s/ /v/ /y/ /z/, especially when they come at the beginning of words.
During the day, Caleb will most likely be found pretending that an object is something else and that we are somebody else. His imagination is awesome. However, it sometimes plays itself out at rotten times. For example at lunch, "Mom, this plate is a pancake. This fork if a fwipper. I'm going to fwip it over now. Don't touch it; it's hot." We're working on that, too!
Did I tell you that he is potty trained. I mean, did I tell you that he was potty trained. I mean, did I tell you that he is currently potty training again :) At the beginning of March he totally trained himself in like 3 days. He always told us, never had accidents, and even would stay dry all day and night. It was a blessing handed to us straight from the Lord. We couldn't believe it. After a bout with a horrible flu that took out the entire male population in our house, we sort of back tracked. Anyway, long story short, he was potty trained, experienced a brief regression (that made his mother crazy!) and is now back on his way to independence again. Praise the Lord!
Now for Elliott! Elliott is just shy of 9 months. I have no idea how long he is either but will update you after our next appointment (Saturday). The last time he was at the doctor, probably a month ago, he weighed 16.5 pounds. He wears mostly 6-9 month clothes (probably because that's what size Caleb's clothes were for this season) but still fits into most of his 3-6 month stuff. He wears size 2 diapers. He is full of new tricks everyday. He started crawling in April and man is he fast. He gets where he wants to go and he gets there quickly. Shortly after he started crawling he started pulling himself up on everything. Last night as I was cleaning the kitchen and he was playing in the toy room, the big guys ventured upstairs. I heard a pitter patter and decided to go check and he was up 2 stairs on his own. Uh oh! Gotta keep 2 eyes on him all the time now! And just today he stood in the middle of the room by himself for like 10 seconds. I thought I was going to fall over in shock, but then he did ;)
Elliott is still hit or miss with eating and sleeping, much to our dismay. He is against all things green and for all things orange. Unfortunately he spits up a lot when he eats peaches so we avoid those and he projectile vomits bananas even though he loves them. So he basically eats the same thing everyday. Breakfast--oatmeal and applesauce. Lunch--carrots & barley. Supper--sweet potatoes & prunes or pears. I still offer a multitude of other fruits and vegetables but usually end up dumping them down the drain since he refuses to eat them. He is quite skillful at feeding himself and prefers sweet potato puffs (he could take or leave any other kind of puff you give him), cheerios, kix, watermelon, and crackers. He would eat an entire sleeve of crackers if you let him I think. Today he ate a rice cake and you would have thought I'd given him a chocolate cupcake or something the way his eyes lit up when I gave him more. He may or may not have tasted popsicles at this point and he may or may not LOVE them so much that he'll bolt across the room and pull on your pants until you pick him up so he can snag a lick. At this point I am still avoiding milk in my diet for Elliott's tummy's sake but with much urging from Ben, I will be starting to add it back in and see if he can handle it.
As far as sleep goes, we had some ROUGH nights a few months ago trying to get him to sleep through the night. The training paid off and he started to sleep much better. Though he still has some nights of crying, he more frequently sleeps peacefully all night! He typically goes from 8pm-6am and wakes up. I feed him and he goes back to sleep until 8 or 8:30. Then he takes a 1.5-2 hour morning nap and a similar afternoon nap. On the nights he wakes up in the middle of the night, he will usually just wake up once and cry for what seems like forever. Sigh. Someday, right?
Elliott's favorite toys are Caleb's. A ride-on choo choo train toy is his favorite. It has a lot of bells and whistles. He also prefers to chew on shoes as a past time. Don't worry, you don't have to take them off your feet. He doesn't mind just chewing on 'em right there while you're wearing them. He is infatuated with his pacifiers. Though we usually keep them in his bed, if he sees one while he's somewhere crawling around he will smile, laugh, grab it and then insert it into his mouth. Today he actually stole the neighbor girls out of her mouth and put it in his. He hyperventilates and shakes with excitement if you open ANY door in the house because he thinks he gets to go out. He, too, likes to swing but also loves to just crawl around in the grass or play with Caleb's outside toys. He thinks it's a blast to throw sand (and hasn't tried to eat it yet) and has eaten at least one dandelion. Apparently they're not poisonous. He's still alive.
Some of my favorite things Elliott does include tilting his head to the side and batting his eyes when you say, "Be sweet, Elliott!" At first I was horrified that he had a terrible tick or something because he started doing in ALL THE TIME when I was feeding him sweet potatoes. Then I realized it was because I kept saying sweet. Too funny! He also likes to wave "hi" and does it in 2 different ways--actually waving and also opening and shutting his fist. He is saying these sounds now: dada, nana, yaya, gaga and my personal favorite, eye yi yi! They don't mean anything at this point. We're working on signing more and he is pretty consistently doing it after being prompted. Othertimes he will continue to scream in anger or bang on his tray. We're never at a loss of things to work on here :)
For some reason my children are really affected by the whole stranger danger thing. Caleb went through the stage too. Because Elliott's personality is so different, I didn't think he would but he totally is. He has a bottom lip that an ostrich could perch on before he lets out a scream. Caleb was pretty much a momma's boy but not Elliott. His allegiance is to his daddy. He gets SO excited when he sees Ben. Will stop whatever he is doing, literally chuckle, and sprint crawl to Ben. If I am holding him and Daddy comes into sight, he throws himself out of my arms towards Ben. I can only imagine that this is a pleasant thing to come home to each night after a long day's work. Then, if Ben has the audacity to say, put him down so he could eat his supper, there are many tears.
And these boys that I've just blabbed about, well they love each other so much too! Caleb could drop kick Elliott and Elliott would laugh. Similarly, Caleb watches out for Elliott and includes him all the time. He is the first person he either says hello to in the morning or asks about if he's not with me. May they always be the best of friends!
We so enjoy these two little guys and praise God for them. They are SUCH a blessing. I cannot imagine life any different now. I take that back, I can imagine some visitors. Whose up for a visit to our house?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Where has the time gone? I did not mean to abandon this blog for over 2 months but apparently I did. Life has been full for the Krueger's. Though I'm pretty sure it's full for everyone.
We are doing so well, praise God! He continues to faithfully shower us with kindnesses. Though our time together as a family is more limited now than ever due to Ben's work, we continue to thank Him for providing a job for Ben here so we could move out here and be a part of our church. Through the faithful care of many that we now call "friends" we have seen God refine us and sanctify us more than ever. We are humbled that He called us to this area to be recipients of such wonderful care, good counsel, and faithful friendships. Because of the work He continues to do in us we are experiencing a more loving marriage, more compassionate & consistent parenting, and an increased desire to see the Gospel go out and transform others. We wouldn't trade what God's been doing in us (even though it meant LOTS of hard, not fun trials) for the world. With that said, we still miss our Iowa friends and family, small towns, big yards, and ice cream shops that you can ride your bike to in 10 minutes instead of drive to (aka sit in traffic) in 15 :)
Now what you've all been waiting for--an update on the boys!
Caleb is 2 1/2 now. He is tall, I have no idea how tall, but he towers over all of his similar aged friends by 3 inches at least. He weighs around 37 pounds. Wears 3T's and 4T's depending on what it is and has a size 8 shoe. He is BUSY! He loves outside more than anything and will frequently pray to ask God to make it stop raining when it is raining. He could swing in his swing all day if you'd let him. But if you won't, he's just as happy to play in his sandbox. While in the sandbox you will find him pretending to be on a building site with his trucks OR making pizza or some other food with various sand toys that we have in there. His love for all things equipment continues as well as his obsession with lawn mowers. He can tell you all of the parts of a lawn mower and I seriously think he can hear people 3 miles away when they start their lawn mower.
Caleb's love for books continues. He will stop everything to read. He especially loves it when we read from one of his Bible story books. We are praying that this love, especially for God's word, will continue all of his life. He has a keen ability to make connections between texts that astounds me every time. This has been true all his life. At 10 months old during play pen time he had a stack of books in there and when I came back he had 3 of the books opened and sitting there--they were all opened up to a page with an owl on them. It freaked me out then but it excites me now. I am teaching him signs that we used when I taught to show me (or more politely interrupt!) that he has a connection. It's fun.
Caleb is still good with a scissors but not so awesome with crayons or pencils. We're STILL working on trying to draw circles but that's been a tough one for him. He knows most of his letter sounds and names. Numbers not so much. He can count to 20 but usually needs help with one of the teens, usually 15 or 17. And he spell his name like this "C-A-E-B". Close. We're still working. He has troubles with some sounds and gets frustrated when we try to practice them (unless he's swinging--the neighbors probably think we're crazy having speech lessons in the swing outside EVERYTIME!) He struggles with /j/ /l/ /r/ /s/ /v/ /y/ /z/, especially when they come at the beginning of words.
During the day, Caleb will most likely be found pretending that an object is something else and that we are somebody else. His imagination is awesome. However, it sometimes plays itself out at rotten times. For example at lunch, "Mom, this plate is a pancake. This fork if a fwipper. I'm going to fwip it over now. Don't touch it; it's hot." We're working on that, too!
Did I tell you that he is potty trained. I mean, did I tell you that he was potty trained. I mean, did I tell you that he is currently potty training again :) At the beginning of March he totally trained himself in like 3 days. He always told us, never had accidents, and even would stay dry all day and night. It was a blessing handed to us straight from the Lord. We couldn't believe it. After a bout with a horrible flu that took out the entire male population in our house, we sort of back tracked. Anyway, long story short, he was potty trained, experienced a brief regression (that made his mother crazy!) and is now back on his way to independence again. Praise the Lord!
Now for Elliott! Elliott is just shy of 9 months. I have no idea how long he is either but will update you after our next appointment (Saturday). The last time he was at the doctor, probably a month ago, he weighed 16.5 pounds. He wears mostly 6-9 month clothes (probably because that's what size Caleb's clothes were for this season) but still fits into most of his 3-6 month stuff. He wears size 2 diapers. He is full of new tricks everyday. He started crawling in April and man is he fast. He gets where he wants to go and he gets there quickly. Shortly after he started crawling he started pulling himself up on everything. Last night as I was cleaning the kitchen and he was playing in the toy room, the big guys ventured upstairs. I heard a pitter patter and decided to go check and he was up 2 stairs on his own. Uh oh! Gotta keep 2 eyes on him all the time now! And just today he stood in the middle of the room by himself for like 10 seconds. I thought I was going to fall over in shock, but then he did ;)
Elliott is still hit or miss with eating and sleeping, much to our dismay. He is against all things green and for all things orange. Unfortunately he spits up a lot when he eats peaches so we avoid those and he projectile vomits bananas even though he loves them. So he basically eats the same thing everyday. Breakfast--oatmeal and applesauce. Lunch--carrots & barley. Supper--sweet potatoes & prunes or pears. I still offer a multitude of other fruits and vegetables but usually end up dumping them down the drain since he refuses to eat them. He is quite skillful at feeding himself and prefers sweet potato puffs (he could take or leave any other kind of puff you give him), cheerios, kix, watermelon, and crackers. He would eat an entire sleeve of crackers if you let him I think. Today he ate a rice cake and you would have thought I'd given him a chocolate cupcake or something the way his eyes lit up when I gave him more. He may or may not have tasted popsicles at this point and he may or may not LOVE them so much that he'll bolt across the room and pull on your pants until you pick him up so he can snag a lick. At this point I am still avoiding milk in my diet for Elliott's tummy's sake but with much urging from Ben, I will be starting to add it back in and see if he can handle it.
As far as sleep goes, we had some ROUGH nights a few months ago trying to get him to sleep through the night. The training paid off and he started to sleep much better. Though he still has some nights of crying, he more frequently sleeps peacefully all night! He typically goes from 8pm-6am and wakes up. I feed him and he goes back to sleep until 8 or 8:30. Then he takes a 1.5-2 hour morning nap and a similar afternoon nap. On the nights he wakes up in the middle of the night, he will usually just wake up once and cry for what seems like forever. Sigh. Someday, right?
Elliott's favorite toys are Caleb's. A ride-on choo choo train toy is his favorite. It has a lot of bells and whistles. He also prefers to chew on shoes as a past time. Don't worry, you don't have to take them off your feet. He doesn't mind just chewing on 'em right there while you're wearing them. He is infatuated with his pacifiers. Though we usually keep them in his bed, if he sees one while he's somewhere crawling around he will smile, laugh, grab it and then insert it into his mouth. Today he actually stole the neighbor girls out of her mouth and put it in his. He hyperventilates and shakes with excitement if you open ANY door in the house because he thinks he gets to go out. He, too, likes to swing but also loves to just crawl around in the grass or play with Caleb's outside toys. He thinks it's a blast to throw sand (and hasn't tried to eat it yet) and has eaten at least one dandelion. Apparently they're not poisonous. He's still alive.
Some of my favorite things Elliott does include tilting his head to the side and batting his eyes when you say, "Be sweet, Elliott!" At first I was horrified that he had a terrible tick or something because he started doing in ALL THE TIME when I was feeding him sweet potatoes. Then I realized it was because I kept saying sweet. Too funny! He also likes to wave "hi" and does it in 2 different ways--actually waving and also opening and shutting his fist. He is saying these sounds now: dada, nana, yaya, gaga and my personal favorite, eye yi yi! They don't mean anything at this point. We're working on signing more and he is pretty consistently doing it after being prompted. Othertimes he will continue to scream in anger or bang on his tray. We're never at a loss of things to work on here :)
For some reason my children are really affected by the whole stranger danger thing. Caleb went through the stage too. Because Elliott's personality is so different, I didn't think he would but he totally is. He has a bottom lip that an ostrich could perch on before he lets out a scream. Caleb was pretty much a momma's boy but not Elliott. His allegiance is to his daddy. He gets SO excited when he sees Ben. Will stop whatever he is doing, literally chuckle, and sprint crawl to Ben. If I am holding him and Daddy comes into sight, he throws himself out of my arms towards Ben. I can only imagine that this is a pleasant thing to come home to each night after a long day's work. Then, if Ben has the audacity to say, put him down so he could eat his supper, there are many tears.
And these boys that I've just blabbed about, well they love each other so much too! Caleb could drop kick Elliott and Elliott would laugh. Similarly, Caleb watches out for Elliott and includes him all the time. He is the first person he either says hello to in the morning or asks about if he's not with me. May they always be the best of friends!
We so enjoy these two little guys and praise God for them. They are SUCH a blessing. I cannot imagine life any different now. I take that back, I can imagine some visitors. Whose up for a visit to our house?
March 20, 2009
Interruption...
We interrupt this regularly scheduled broadcast to bring you a special bulletin. Your regularly scheduled cute little boy updates will resume shortly...
I just wanted to take a few moments to dote on my wonderful husband. What a privilege it is to be married to Ben and it is only getting sweeter. I have been blessed to witness God's amazing grace in His life and have seen LOTS of evidence of that grace since we moved. Though life circumstances have not been exactly what we would have planned and have been accompanied by lots of trials, Ben's love for the Lord grows; his passion for the local church--only stronger; his extreme desire for the advancement of the Gospel--unparalleled; his love for his wife--never clearer.
That last one is the one I'd like to spend some time on. A year ago at this time I would have never dreamed of writing something like this. March of 2008 stands out as a VERY HARD time for our marriage, both of us having expectations of each other that weren't being met; both of us pridefully refusing to repent; both of us failing to look at our own sin in light of Calvary and failing to help each other do the same. Praise God that He did not allow us to stay there but extended much grace and forgiveness.
You might be wondering just exactly what was tempting us to sin? Believe it or not, my birthday. I love my birthday. I always have. I count down in my head weeks before my birthday. I dream up little scenarios that I would love to have happen (surprises, parties, cakes, treasure hunts, etc.). I love my birthday! Birthdays were always a big deal for my family growing up. (To help paint an accurate picture of how big of a deal they were, let me just say that we FREQUENTLY even got a surprise half-birthday present...) Anyway, I am blessed when people put effort and take time to plan something in advance that they know would bless me. To me this demonstrates their love for me. It shows that they were thinking about me. Ben also likes his birthday but not in the crazy-insane-obsessive way that I do. Ben is blessed by having the opportunity to do nothing on his birthday. Birthdays were special in his family too, just not to the same extent. As you might have guessed, we've had a conflict or 40 over birthdays and holidays and how they should be "done" correctly. We're slowly figuring it out.
March 2009 was preceded by 12 months of SANCTIFICATION in Ben's and my own life. And let me just add that the last eight months have been intense. God is doing a good work in us. Praise Him! Though my expectations might not have changed for birthdays, God has taught me how to lovingly and selflessly communicate with my husband. Though I still desire certain things, God has helped me to set my hope on HIM. Though Ben's track record for past birthdays is pretty lousy (He is quoted as saying, "I'm 0 for our marriage on good birthdays"), God has helped me to judge Ben charitably and let love cover over a multitude of past sins. Praise Him. God changed me.
So what did March 2009 look like? I was still gaining excitement as my birthday drew closer. Ben shared in this excitement and added to it. It was delightful for me! I was somewhat timid to allow myself this excitement so as to not end up disappointed again but that was an unnecessary worry (what kind of worry is necessary?)
On the morning of my birthday, I woke up to Ben singing to me and telling me to check the email a lot and have my phone with me at all times. He left for work and the texts started. "Can you get me out a pair of socks?" was the first text. My first thought, "Seriously, how do you forget to wear socks to work?" I opened his drawer to find a talking card and Hot Tamales (my favorite!) Friends, you should have seen the smile on my face. This was starting out wonderfully. I was already blessed that he had taken time to think of me ahead of time and plan something. When the boys woke up, we headed downstairs. I found a birthday hat on the table that said "For mom" and a party blower that said "for Caleb...sing, Caleb, sing." So Caleb sang happy birthday to me and blew his party horn. Delightful!
I planned on going to my friend Katie's house for lunch as she'd called and invited me over earlier in the week. I was excited to spend time with her and her kiddos (and not be alone with just the two boys on my birthday.) When I got to her house I noticed lots of minivans on the street. You know what minivans all together means? Moms all together. The boys and I went inside to find some WONDERFUL ladies from church as well as my fabulous neighbor and all of their kids. Katie greeted me by saying, "Your hubby wanted to bless you with a party on your birthday. He's sorry he can't be here." What a blessing it was. We had a picnic (my favorite!) in her basement and the kids chaotically ran around all morning while I enjoyed the sweet (oft-interrupted) fellowship of some of my favorite new friends. During our picnic, they prayed for me and shared with me some encouragement on how they have seen God at work in my life. What a birthday gift to have people shed some light on how they've seen God work in you the past year of your life. Ben was so kind to think of this idea and humbly admits that Katie ran with his idea to make it the success it was. (Thanks, Katie, for helping Ben bless me!)
I came home from Katie's feeling SO LOVED by my husband. I was already more blessed than I could have imagined. But there was more....
We planned on going to Red Robin for supper that night since I had a free Birthday Burger coming :) When we got there our neighbors were there to join us--another surprise. Fun times! We have so much fun with our neighbors, our kids adore each other, and we laugh laugh laugh! My mom also met us there which made it even more fun (but I knew that was going to happen!) The boys hadn't seen my parents in like 6 weeks so they were ecstatic.
We came home stuffed to the gills and enjoyed opening a ton of presents from my parents. They continue to spoil me rotten! We were all too full for cake and it was late so we got the boys to bed and headed there ourselves. As for Ben's gift to me, remember how he said to have my phone with me all day and check the email. It ended up being a series of emails and texts that said, "Would you like to have a sculpted image for your birthday?" After I got all of the clues I was thinking, "Are you serious? He got me a statue? He knows I don't like things that sit around. Why did he get me a statue?" Just then I got an email that told me to look in his suit coat pocket because he thought he left something in there. Inside I found a certificate to the Sculpted Image Day spa for a 1 hour massage. HOORAY! I called him immediately and asked if I could redeem it right then or if he thought the boys were too young to take care of themselves ;) This husband of mine was thinking about me a lot--boy he sure was wanting to bless me (and it was working!)
I went to bed so happy, so blessed, so thankful for a husband who took time to think of me...to go over the top in blessing me...to make my birthday awesome. It was a selfless display of love!
But it doesn't stop there. Saturday morning Ben had a meeting with guys from church. When he came home he took Caleb and I to the bowling alley near our house for a couple games of bowling. We had so much fun teaching Caleb how to bowl. It was a sweet family fun time (even though Elliott stayed home with Grandma.) My goal in bowling is always to break 100--I only got 99 but it was still a great time. The rest of the afternoon we just chilled and relaxed. Ben called me upstairs mid afternoon and was all serious and said, "I know we've never had to cross this bridge in our marriage before...." My heart sank. I had no idea what was coming next.... "But I just don't want you to take off your birthday celebration mode yet. There's still more coming." Phew. That I can deal with. So what was next?
At 5:30 the doorbell rang and one of my favorite families from church stood there and shouted "Happy Birthday." Before long we had a house full with 20 guests (3 families that are very dear to us) and were on our way to having a BBQ. The weather was awesome. We grilled out brats (from Fareway--MY FAVORITE--what a treat since we don't ever get them anymore since nobody around here makes them quite the same), hotdogs for the kids, and gabbed while the kids played in the backyard. It was a blast.
If you didn't pick up the theme--Ben pulled surprise after surprise on me that included other people. I love being with people and he knew this would bless me. He worked so hard in advance to show me he loved me. Isn't he the best? I mean seriously, I had 4 birthday celebrations? FOUR! It was one of, no, the best birthday I can remember. It was perfect--the celebrations weren't extravagant, just filled with people I love. The people didn't lavish gifts on me--they just encouraged me with the Truth of God's word. My husband didn't need to prove his love to me--he just demonstrated it very effectively. I am not deserving of all these good things--yet God gives us ALL good gifts.
Thank you, Ben, for loving me. Thank you for selflessly seeking to bless me. Thank you for going over the top. You made all my "birthday dreams" come true! I'd say you've redeemed yourself as far as birthdays go. You're the best! I love you.
I just wanted to take a few moments to dote on my wonderful husband. What a privilege it is to be married to Ben and it is only getting sweeter. I have been blessed to witness God's amazing grace in His life and have seen LOTS of evidence of that grace since we moved. Though life circumstances have not been exactly what we would have planned and have been accompanied by lots of trials, Ben's love for the Lord grows; his passion for the local church--only stronger; his extreme desire for the advancement of the Gospel--unparalleled; his love for his wife--never clearer.
That last one is the one I'd like to spend some time on. A year ago at this time I would have never dreamed of writing something like this. March of 2008 stands out as a VERY HARD time for our marriage, both of us having expectations of each other that weren't being met; both of us pridefully refusing to repent; both of us failing to look at our own sin in light of Calvary and failing to help each other do the same. Praise God that He did not allow us to stay there but extended much grace and forgiveness.
You might be wondering just exactly what was tempting us to sin? Believe it or not, my birthday. I love my birthday. I always have. I count down in my head weeks before my birthday. I dream up little scenarios that I would love to have happen (surprises, parties, cakes, treasure hunts, etc.). I love my birthday! Birthdays were always a big deal for my family growing up. (To help paint an accurate picture of how big of a deal they were, let me just say that we FREQUENTLY even got a surprise half-birthday present...) Anyway, I am blessed when people put effort and take time to plan something in advance that they know would bless me. To me this demonstrates their love for me. It shows that they were thinking about me. Ben also likes his birthday but not in the crazy-insane-obsessive way that I do. Ben is blessed by having the opportunity to do nothing on his birthday. Birthdays were special in his family too, just not to the same extent. As you might have guessed, we've had a conflict or 40 over birthdays and holidays and how they should be "done" correctly. We're slowly figuring it out.
March 2009 was preceded by 12 months of SANCTIFICATION in Ben's and my own life. And let me just add that the last eight months have been intense. God is doing a good work in us. Praise Him! Though my expectations might not have changed for birthdays, God has taught me how to lovingly and selflessly communicate with my husband. Though I still desire certain things, God has helped me to set my hope on HIM. Though Ben's track record for past birthdays is pretty lousy (He is quoted as saying, "I'm 0 for our marriage on good birthdays"), God has helped me to judge Ben charitably and let love cover over a multitude of past sins. Praise Him. God changed me.
So what did March 2009 look like? I was still gaining excitement as my birthday drew closer. Ben shared in this excitement and added to it. It was delightful for me! I was somewhat timid to allow myself this excitement so as to not end up disappointed again but that was an unnecessary worry (what kind of worry is necessary?)
On the morning of my birthday, I woke up to Ben singing to me and telling me to check the email a lot and have my phone with me at all times. He left for work and the texts started. "Can you get me out a pair of socks?" was the first text. My first thought, "Seriously, how do you forget to wear socks to work?" I opened his drawer to find a talking card and Hot Tamales (my favorite!) Friends, you should have seen the smile on my face. This was starting out wonderfully. I was already blessed that he had taken time to think of me ahead of time and plan something. When the boys woke up, we headed downstairs. I found a birthday hat on the table that said "For mom" and a party blower that said "for Caleb...sing, Caleb, sing." So Caleb sang happy birthday to me and blew his party horn. Delightful!
I planned on going to my friend Katie's house for lunch as she'd called and invited me over earlier in the week. I was excited to spend time with her and her kiddos (and not be alone with just the two boys on my birthday.) When I got to her house I noticed lots of minivans on the street. You know what minivans all together means? Moms all together. The boys and I went inside to find some WONDERFUL ladies from church as well as my fabulous neighbor and all of their kids. Katie greeted me by saying, "Your hubby wanted to bless you with a party on your birthday. He's sorry he can't be here." What a blessing it was. We had a picnic (my favorite!) in her basement and the kids chaotically ran around all morning while I enjoyed the sweet (oft-interrupted) fellowship of some of my favorite new friends. During our picnic, they prayed for me and shared with me some encouragement on how they have seen God at work in my life. What a birthday gift to have people shed some light on how they've seen God work in you the past year of your life. Ben was so kind to think of this idea and humbly admits that Katie ran with his idea to make it the success it was. (Thanks, Katie, for helping Ben bless me!)
I came home from Katie's feeling SO LOVED by my husband. I was already more blessed than I could have imagined. But there was more....
We planned on going to Red Robin for supper that night since I had a free Birthday Burger coming :) When we got there our neighbors were there to join us--another surprise. Fun times! We have so much fun with our neighbors, our kids adore each other, and we laugh laugh laugh! My mom also met us there which made it even more fun (but I knew that was going to happen!) The boys hadn't seen my parents in like 6 weeks so they were ecstatic.
We came home stuffed to the gills and enjoyed opening a ton of presents from my parents. They continue to spoil me rotten! We were all too full for cake and it was late so we got the boys to bed and headed there ourselves. As for Ben's gift to me, remember how he said to have my phone with me all day and check the email. It ended up being a series of emails and texts that said, "Would you like to have a sculpted image for your birthday?" After I got all of the clues I was thinking, "Are you serious? He got me a statue? He knows I don't like things that sit around. Why did he get me a statue?" Just then I got an email that told me to look in his suit coat pocket because he thought he left something in there. Inside I found a certificate to the Sculpted Image Day spa for a 1 hour massage. HOORAY! I called him immediately and asked if I could redeem it right then or if he thought the boys were too young to take care of themselves ;) This husband of mine was thinking about me a lot--boy he sure was wanting to bless me (and it was working!)
I went to bed so happy, so blessed, so thankful for a husband who took time to think of me...to go over the top in blessing me...to make my birthday awesome. It was a selfless display of love!
But it doesn't stop there. Saturday morning Ben had a meeting with guys from church. When he came home he took Caleb and I to the bowling alley near our house for a couple games of bowling. We had so much fun teaching Caleb how to bowl. It was a sweet family fun time (even though Elliott stayed home with Grandma.) My goal in bowling is always to break 100--I only got 99 but it was still a great time. The rest of the afternoon we just chilled and relaxed. Ben called me upstairs mid afternoon and was all serious and said, "I know we've never had to cross this bridge in our marriage before...." My heart sank. I had no idea what was coming next.... "But I just don't want you to take off your birthday celebration mode yet. There's still more coming." Phew. That I can deal with. So what was next?
At 5:30 the doorbell rang and one of my favorite families from church stood there and shouted "Happy Birthday." Before long we had a house full with 20 guests (3 families that are very dear to us) and were on our way to having a BBQ. The weather was awesome. We grilled out brats (from Fareway--MY FAVORITE--what a treat since we don't ever get them anymore since nobody around here makes them quite the same), hotdogs for the kids, and gabbed while the kids played in the backyard. It was a blast.
If you didn't pick up the theme--Ben pulled surprise after surprise on me that included other people. I love being with people and he knew this would bless me. He worked so hard in advance to show me he loved me. Isn't he the best? I mean seriously, I had 4 birthday celebrations? FOUR! It was one of, no, the best birthday I can remember. It was perfect--the celebrations weren't extravagant, just filled with people I love. The people didn't lavish gifts on me--they just encouraged me with the Truth of God's word. My husband didn't need to prove his love to me--he just demonstrated it very effectively. I am not deserving of all these good things--yet God gives us ALL good gifts.
Thank you, Ben, for loving me. Thank you for selflessly seeking to bless me. Thank you for going over the top. You made all my "birthday dreams" come true! I'd say you've redeemed yourself as far as birthdays go. You're the best! I love you.
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