Judah's Baptism

In honor of Judah's baptism yesterday, I want to say a prayer for him.

Dear God,
Thank you so much for the wonderful blessing you have given us in Judah Samuel.  We praise you for the miracle of his life.  We pray that you would give us the knowledge and wisdom that we need to raise him.  Show us how to lead him down the path that you have prepared for him.  Give us the strength to instill in him the characteristics of a man after your own heart. 

Give Judah a heart for you.  Draw him close to you so that he asks you to be the ruler of his life at an early age.  Give him a burning passion for you, a desire to be close to you.  And give him a heart for your people.  Help him grow up to be a man who loves you and your people.  Someone who others can count on, who is trustworthy and has integrity.  Let him be a man of prayer, to know that he can turn to you in all circumstances.  Let him be someone that brings others before you in prayer, someone who people know they can count on to life them up when they need you most. 

Make Judah an honorable man.  Prepare him for what you have planned for him.  And show me and Brad how best to raise him.  How to love him and support him in the way that he needs.  Put other people in his life, too, who will show him what it means to love and serve you.  Give him people that he can turn to to life him up when he is weak or needs support, encouragement, or guidance.

Again, we praise you, Lord, for the wonderful blessing you gave us.  Thank you for entrusting him to us.

Amen

Reflections of a Stay at Home Mom

I just finished reading a book my mom gave me a couple of weeks ago.  The book, Beyond Bath Time, is about a woman's call to be a mom.  The book talks about how honorable we think it is when someone feels called to be a pastor or a missionary.  We praise their work efforts, their heart, their sacrifice.  But when a woman says she feels called to be a mom society questions her.  We make her feel like she's making a bad choice.  She's giving up too much.  The benefits don't outweigh the sacrifices.  Children are not seen as a blessing anymore.  They're seen as something that gets in the way.  Little people who stop you from having a career.  Noisy things that make it difficult for you to enjoy a bubble bath, a quiet dinner, or a good book.  Obstacles that require you to tote them around all day, forgetting about what you want to do.

But the truth is that's not how God sees children.  In Mark 10, parents were bringing their children to be blessed by Jesus, but the disciples saw the children as annoyances and tried to keep them away from him.  Jesus saw what they were doing and stopped them.  He said, "Let the little children come to me."  Children are important to Jesus.  They matter to him.  Not only did he want to spend time with the children, but he explained to the disciples that they are very important in God's kingdom.  He even said the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like children!  If children are so important to Jesus, then shouldn't those who care for children really have the most important job?  Shouldn't we see that as just as much of a calling as being a pastor or a missionary?

When I resigned from my teaching position everyone asked me what I was going to do.  At first we didn't know I was pregnant so I figured I would have to look for another job.  But as soon as we found out I was pregnant, the job search was over.  People questioned me all the time.  I'd only been teaching for three years, didn't I want to continue?  I had also just finished my masters degree.  People thought I was wasting my education by not continuing to teach.  They wanted to know how I justify the money spent on my education when I wasn't going to "use" it.  None of that mattered to me, though, because I knew even then that I was leaving my job as a teacher to focus on the most important job I will ever have: mom.  I have always seen my "job" as a mom as a calling.  I have only a small understanding of how great an impact I have on my children, but I do know.  I know that my children already look to me.  Micah mimics so much of what I do.  He counts on me to teach him right from wrong, to start him off with good habits so that they're like second nature to him, not work. 

I have a calling, too.  My calling might not be to teach hundreds of children in Africa.  But I am teaching two little boys who matter just as much to God as any of those children in Africa.  My calling might not be to write wonderful sermons for thousands of people to hear.  But every day I have the chance to give life lessons to my boys.  I can help my 19-month-old make connections with the Bible.  I can teach him to pray about everything.  My calling might not be to lead people in worship, but I can worship with my little boy while we're making dinner together.  My calling is just as important, and I believe that.  Every day I have to live like that.  I have to remember the importance of my calling, even if society doesn't find it very important.  I know the truth.  And all that matters is that I do make a difference in the lives of those two little boys.  Because that is what I've been entrusted with.

My calling.

Super Dad

Father's Day has come and gone, but this is the first opportunity I've had to blog and I really didn't want to miss a chance to brag about the wonderful dad that Micah and Judah have.

Seriously, Brad is a natural.  He is so good with both of our boys.  Brad loves playing with Micah.  For months, Brad had been talking about wanting Micah to do swim lessons.  I just didn't think it was going to work out, though--how could I get in the pool with Micah while I have a newborn baby?  And Brad's work schedule changes all the time, there's no way he could commit to any kind of regular activity.  Then, the week Judah was born, Brad was offered a regular position.  This means a regular schedule.  One of the first things he did once he found out his new schedule was look up swim lessons.  He told me that the one thing he really wanted to do this summer was take Micah to swim lessons.  And that's what he did.  This week and next he and Micah are taking swim lessons together.  Brad wakes up excited every morning, eager to get Micah in his swim suit and head out to the pool.  And they come home, and he wants to tell me all about what they did.

That's just one example of how much Brad enjoys spending time with our boys.  He truly wants to.  It's hard for him to leave for work every day because it means having to say goodbye.  Brad is like another one of the kids sometimes.  He loves teaching Micah new things.  Things only a dad can teach a son.  Like how to jump in mud puddles, that it is absolutely necessary to carry a stick when you go on a walk, how to pick up bugs, how to wrestle, how to make all kinds of different noises, and the list goes on.  He has so much fun just being a boy with Micah.

He's so good with Judah, too.  He loves to just hold him and look at him.  He sits on the couch with Judah in his lap and talks to him all the time.  He's so good at getting him to laugh.  Just like with Micah, he has no problem getting up with Judah.  He'll change his diaper and bring him in to me.  If Judah doesn't go right to sleep, Brad will walk with him for a little while, cuddling him.  I love watching Brad with his sons.  He's so loving.

But, most importantly, Brad is teaching them how to be men of God.  In the mornings, when Brad and Micah have breakfast together Brad talks to Micah about God.  They pray together and Brad tries to make a connection between God and Micah's day (i.e. "we're going to cousin Joey's birthday party today...what a blessing God gave us in cousin Joey).  When Brad puts Micah to bed, they read the Bible together.  He is setting an example because he knows that even at 1 year old these habits are important and Micah is watching him and mimicing him all the time.  Brad leads by example when he treats me with respect and shows Micah how to do the same.  But it's not just in front of the boys that Brad is doing this.  Brad prays for the boys, too.  He knows that he cannot be a good father without guidance from God.  He knows that he needs God's strength daily and he asks for it.  He truly is a father who seeks God's heart and wants to guide his sons to do the same.  I am so thankful that he is my husband and the father of our children.

Strawberry Picking

Part of being a June Cleaver wannabe (see this post) is wanting to make homemade jelly.  I love the idea of picking fresh fruit and turning it into yummy food.  Even though I don't like jelly I want to make for the boys.  So, last week we went strawberry picking. 

When I was little, my mom used to take us and then we made jelly.  So, I invited my mom to come with us this time.  We found a place not far from home and had lots of fun picking.  Micah was a great help.  He got right down there and knew what to do.  Of course, he didn't know not to pick the green ones, but he still did a great job.  Sometimes I would turn around and find the box gone.  Micah would pick it up and walk a little further down the aisle so that he could pick the strawberries down there.  It was the cutest thing.  When we were done, we didn't have enough to make jelly so I just froze a bunch and saved some for us for right now.  The strawberries were delicious in a smoothie!

I think we're going to try to go back and pick raspberries and blueberries this summer, too.  Plus, my parents have a small strawberry patch in their backyard so I'm hoping we'll be able to freeze some more strawberries for the winter.  Even though we weren't able to make jelly, we had a blast picking.  And I still feel like June Cleaver. :)

1 Month

 I cannot believe that Judah is 1 month already! Time really does fly. He's not a newborn anymore, he's a little baby. He looks so different from when he was born. Milestones are a little harder to see at this age, but there are still a lot!
*Judah's one month check-up isn't for another 2 weeks so it's been a while since he was weighed/measured, but at his last appointment he was 8lbs. 2oz. and 20 3/4in.
*He is getting really strong and starting to hold his head up for longer periods of time.                   *He has slept through the night twice already. Typically he only wakes up once a night, sometime between 3 and 4am. We're very thankful for that!
*Judah has his first trip to the beach this past weekend. He was pretty oblivious to it all.           *Judah also took his first trip to the zoo yesterday. Brad and I took turns wearing him in the carrier. He was really good the whole time we were there--slept almost the entire time!                            *He's such a good sleeper, but we're starting to get one good awake period during the day, typically 2-3 hours.
 *He's a great eater, too, loves Mommy's milk! :)
 And now I will leave you with some pictures from Judah's first month: Going for his first walk in the double stroller. Judah's first bath. In the swing. Judah seems to really like it! First bath in the big tub!

 First trip to the zoo.

Playing Outside

Micah loves to be outside. I mean, the kid is obsessed with being outside! Sometimes when we get him up in the morning, the first thing he says is "shoes." The week that Judah was born Brad was home from work so he spent a lot of time with Micah. They had a little routine. After breakfast in the morning they had some relaxing time then they headed outside to play. Micah totally knew it was time to go outside and he would get so excited! They spent a lot of time walking around the yard going in and out of the garage pulling out all of Micah's toys, playing in Brad's car (Micah loves unlocking the door, then climbing in and playing with all of the buttons), and coloring with chalk. Brad has gotten really good at drawing the characters from Micah's favorite TV show, Yo Gabba Gabba. They often went to the park, too. Sometimes they rode the bike and other times they drove there. It made for some really good naps! :)

This past Memorial Day Weekend Brad had off all three days. We knew the weather was supposed to be warm so we had decided we were going to break out the water toys we bought. Brad was super excited. After Micah's nap he and Micah got in their swimsuits and played outside in the pool and sprinkler. Micah loved the sprinkler! He picked it up and tried shooting it all over. Brad had to show him how to run through it and he thought it was hysterical! They had so much fun playing outside together! Judah and I even ventured outside for a while, too. I can't wait for next summer when Judah can join them and play in the water.

Sunday we went to my parents' house to celebrate my dad's birthday. It was supposed to be very warm so we decided to bring this sprinkler pool that we bought at the end of summer last year. My nieces brought their swimsuits, too, and everyone had a blast playing in it! It was so fun to watch Micah playing with his cousins. And the sprinkler pool is pretty cool. We brought the pool to Brad's mom's house on Monday, too. Uncle Kevin and Aunt Mindy got a kick out of watching Micah playing in the water and trying to drink the water from the sprinklers!

On Tuesday, Micah's friend, Rosie, and her mom came over for a playdate. Since it was still warm out, we took out the pool and let them play. This was Rosie's first time in a pool! They had so much fun playing together. They loved splashing each other and just laughing. These two get along so well together. We have a playdate with Rosie typically once a week and the two just love playing together. They're like two peas in a pod. I predict many more fun water-filled playdates for these two!

Judah is Here!

I know it's been a long time. A really long time. But our lives have been completely turned upside down the past month. Yep, that's right, we've added to our family. Judah Samuel was born on Friday, May 4th (his due date!). We've been adjusting to having Judah in the house and loving every minute of it. However, having a newborn and a toddler leaves little time for blogging so I have a lot to catch up on! For now I'll just give Judah's birth story and leave you with some pictures. Hopefully, I'll be able to blog some more later this week. Earlier in the week I had been having regular contractions that were about 3-5 minutes apart, but they were not very painful. I ended up going to the hospital to get checked and was admitted because I was "in labor." But labor stopped and I was sent home. Thursday night when we went to bed I told Brad that I was pretty sure we'd be having the baby that night. Of course, there were storms predicted to come through the area, which would make getting a baby sitter for Micah difficult. Sure enough, I woke up around 1:45am. By 2:00 I woke Brad up and told him I thought we needed to start timing my contractions. After 15 minutes we called my parents and told them they needed to head over. This was a slight problem because we were in the middle of a pretty bad thunderstorm, but my dad left the house right away. Then, we called the midwife and she told us to go to the hospital (duh!). So, as soon as my dad got to the house we left for the hospital. Once we got there we found out that we got the last available room. The place was crazy! The nurses didn't even check in with us until I'd been there over an hour. As soon as we got there, we started walking the halls because I needed to keep moving. Our midwife came in around 5:00am because no one had called her to tell her we were there or what was going on. She checked me and I was 5cm. So, we kept walking around. At 6:30 I was 7cm but my blood pressure was up. So, we decided to break my water and get the labor progressing quicker. My plan was to not get an epidural and really I never felt the need to ask for one. Until it was time to push. That by far was the worst part for me. Up until then, I was laughing and talking with the nurse and our midwife. They kept making comments about how I was smiling and talking between contractions (this labor was so different from my first--makes me hate pitocin even more!). Once I hit transition it was a whole other story! But I knew it was too late so I had to suck it up and push that baby out! I pushed for about 40 minutes before our beautiful little boy made his entrance into the world. He was 8lbs exactly and 21 inches. We were expecting him to look like Micah, but he looks nothing like him. He has hair, but not nearly as much as Micah did and his features are just so different. He's a very sleepy baby, but he knows that he has to be loud if he wants to be heard. Fortunately for us, his temperment has really calmed down since his first couple days--he doesn't cry nearly as much (we were seriously worried because Micah rarely ever cried--we thought Judah was making up for it). We're adjusting pretty well. Micah loves him. There have been no signs of jealousy or anger. He loves to give him hugs and kisses. It doesn't upset him when I'm feeding Judah. Life with two is definitely more difficult. We have to learn how to balance our time between the two. And still get things done. But we're getting used to it and learning what works for us. Brad had off the first week that we were home which was really nice--especially for Micah. And I've had friends bring us meals so I don't have to worry about making dinner. I'm slowly easing back into cleaning the house--with Brad's help. And I'm getting out with the boys by myself. I'm loving being a mom of two boys and I can't wait to see who these two beautiful little boys grow up to be.