Family Verses

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity."
-Jeremiah 29:11-14

Saturday, December 20, 2008

1 Year Birthday!



Caleb is One! 1 year ago I could not explain or imagine how life would change for this family. Caleb has grown into a charming little boy. He started crawling 1 week before his birthday. It was hilarious! One afternoon we were playing ball, and there was a ball across the living room. He literally just decided to go get it! When he got to the ball he didn't stop.... he kept going to the kitchen. Then he got worn out! :)

We were in Illinois for his birthday, so we had a small party with family. It was a snowman theme and Caleb got to have a cupcake for the 1st time. Caleb had so much fun, and he even learned how to hold up his finger that he was 1! It was hilarious!

So far Caleb has a large vocabulary... "mama"(although he hasn't said it in over a month!), "dada", "do" for dog, "duh" for duck, "bah" for ball, "boo" for book, "p.t." for pretty tree (thanks to Grandma Becky!), "baba" for bye.

Caleb loves to be around people, which we are so grateful for! He is such a happy boy unless... he's tired or feeling poopy! He's going to be such a great helper to mama when his little brother/sister comes in March.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Thanksgiving



Thanksgiving was held in Peoria, IL this year. Caleb tried Grandpa Brian's smoked turkey and mashed potatoes for the 1st time! Great Grandma Aaron watched him one night, so the rest of the family could go watch Australia at the movie theatre. We are so thankful that God has bless us with a healthy boy this year!

Friday, November 21, 2008

Playing Ball

Have fun playing ball with Caleb. You'll see a little of the backwards army crawl. :)

Sorry for the shaking sometimes.

Grandma and Grandpa Visit

Our "Russian Prince" :)

Caleb and Grandpa ready for church

Well, we had our first snowfall over the weekend while Grandma and Grandpa were visiting. Caleb fits his Pooh hat and mittens this winter... they were a little big last Christmas! He doesn't like to wear the hat and mittens, but he'll just have to get used to it. We have a long winter ahead of us. Caleb is more fun to be around currently. He had 2 more teeth come in this past month for a total of 3! He's no fun when they are coming in! Still not crawling or walking yet, but showing great progress recently. He is starting to army crawl backwards, not forwards. :) He loves to hold on and walk with you. He's starting to move his feet on his own and his balance is always improving. Some of his new words now are dada, ba for ball, up, ba ba for bye bye, and I think he's about ready to say duck since he loves all his rubber duckies during bathtime. His newest trick is learning to give a high five! We have fun doing that. He continues to sleep wonderfully at night: 7pm to 7am!


Saturday, November 1, 2008

Happy Halloween!

Ttttttigger!



Daddy and Tigger at church for "Trunk or Treat"!


Mommy and Tigger at "Trunk or Treat!"


Well, our camera's battery died as soon as I started trying to take pictures, so we didn't get as many as I would have liked. Doesn't he look adorable? Someone gave us this costume last fall when I was pregnant still, and it fit perfectly!





Eating Cereal



Caleb has been working on eating with a spoon. He has been successful and unsuccessful. The 1st time we tried he absolutely refused! He was so stubborn that he screamed and screamed every time I tried to put it in his hands. Then he was so stubborn he would not even try to eat from the spoon unless you would put it into his mouth! It would literally be an inch in front of his mouth, and he would not budge. It was sure a battle of wills! Now he will eat with a spoon if he wants, but this is him being a little "birdie" we call it. He follows the spoon anywhere it goes! :)

Trip to Peoria

Jodi being a great aunt reading to Caleb!
"I-L-L!" "I-N-I!"
For those of you who wondered, I did get Caleb's approval to post this picture!
Visiting Grandma Mary's classroom!
Caleb and Mommy went to Peoria by themselves a couple weekends ago. Despite being sick and teething, we had a great weekend! Visited Aunt Jodi and Grandma Mary's classroom for the 1st time, went to Tanner's orchard, and got to see lots of friends and family.




Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Yeah for Joy!

Just wanted to share a story about my husband this morning... I don't think he'll mind! For those of you who don't know, Jason has a problem with needles. During his entire life whenever he has to get blood drawn, tried to give blood, get shots, etc..., Jason passes out, wakes up, and has to throw up. Poor guy! His body just doesn't respond very well! Even back when Caleb was 2 months old and had to get his 1st shots, it affected Jason so much to just watch Caleb that he almost passed out, but definitely threw up! Now Jason doesn't even stay in the building if Caleb has to get a shot. :) This is to give you a little background up to this point.

So... yesterday Jason had to have his blood drawn for life insurance purposes. The nurse, whose name was Joy, came to our house and Jason of course told her his history. We were prepared for everything! Jason was going to lie down on the sofa and we had the trash bucket in place. :) Joy told Jason to drink a glass of juice right before she took his blood to see if that would help his sugar level from dropping so much which she figured was the reason he fainted. Jason drank his juice, Joy talked to him while taking 2 vials of blood, and then it was done! We waited.... and nothing happened!!!! Jason felt a little woozy, but felt completely fine. For the first time in his life, he gave his blood with no problems! So that is why we love Joy!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

9 Month Pictures!



This past month with Caleb has been so much fun! He is really quite a ham! If he's not tired or fighting a cold, he is quite a joy to be around! Hope you enjoy some of his firsts in these pictures: eating new things and getting pumpkins.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Pumpkins!

Pumpkin stems are fascinating!
I'm having so much fun!
Look! I picked out my 1st pumpkin... just the right size!
I was having a little trouble creating a slideshow tonight, so I'll try again tomorrow. Last Friday we went to get our pumpkins and gourds. As you can see Caleb had so much fun picking out his pumpkin! It about the size of his head. :) He's been such a joy recently. Caleb is at a fun stage... trying to imitate everything you do! For example, he was trying to sing along during bathtime tonight and then during storytime daddy was "snoring" and next thing we hear is Caleb trying to "snore." So funny!

Sunday, September 14, 2008

8 Month Pictures



Hope you enjoy some of our favorite pictures from this month. Caleb is doing some new things this month: starting to eat some finger foods (favorite are Cheerios!), saying "bah" and "mama" all the time, shaking head "Yes!" and "No!", getting strong legs, and loves to play with the remote and "horse" on daddy. He still loves the water since being in Florida. We went to a pool on Labor Day and he had so much fun. He is definitely an outdoors baby, so all this rain we've had isn't making him too happy. :)

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Some of my Favorites

This is the first time I've been tagged! Thanks, Lilly! My requirement is that I must answer these favorites, so here goes...


My favorite color: brown (to wear), greens (in my home), and red (overall)
My favorite movie: Sleepless in Seattle
My favorite TV show: The Office
My favorite song: That's so hard! Amazing Grace is one of many!
My favorite restaurant: Carrabba's
My favorite vacation spot: Yosemite for hiking, Saint Lucia for relaxing
Favorite indulgence: Pedicure
My favorite snack: Wheat Thins
My favorite season:Fall - perfect weather and beautiful trees
My favorite dessert: Cheesecake

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Playing with daddy!

We just got this new toy yesterday, and Caleb went crazy playing peekaboo with daddy!
Hope you enjoy the clip.

Trip to Florida

Cool dude!
Cute in his speedo!
Last night... beautiful sunset on the beach!
Caleb and I recently made our 1st trip together without daddy. Daddy had to be at school, and we missed him soooo much, and it was so good to come home. We went to Florida for a vacation with my family, and we had so much fun! It was a first of many things for Caleb: plane ride, hot and muggy weather, pools, ocean and much more! Caleb loved the ocean and the pool... He takes after his mommy that way. :) He wasn't too happy just sitting under the umbrella on the beach, so we spent most of our time in the water. My family was wonderful the entire time being flexible and giving me a break when I needed it! I forgot another first! Caleb saw his first bear!!!! Would you believe it?! We saw a bear in Florida. We went to this swamp area to walk around and look for wildlife... well, we didn't see much except a big brown bear only 30 feet away from us!
It was a wonderful trip! I am so grateful to my parents for helping make the trip possible.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008



It has been an exciting month so far! Caleb has started some solid foods like squash, sweet potato, and carrots. So far he likes them all!! We celebrated my parents' 30th Anniversary at the end of May, had a visit from Aunt Jodi, Grandma Mary and Grandpa Brian around Father's Day, and survived a week of VBS with Caleb. Besides taking care of Caleb, Amber is teaching piano a couple afternoons a week, Jason finished a summer session of classes and is working hard at the driving school now, and Caleb is confidently learning to roll around and almost sitting on his own.
So, it's been a great month and I thought I'd share some of the pictures we've taken.
We're slowing down a little with the picture taking. :)

Father's Day


I know... it's been too long since I've updated this. We're supposed to have more time in the summers right?! That's usually not the case for me. Our "extra" time gets filled up with fun stuff. Well, the Redoutey family has been doing great! I wanted to share with you our Father's Day project. Jason had seen a card in an ad that he thought was really cool, so I decided to recreate it for his gift from Caleb. Thankfully, Grandma Mary was there to help with the set design. :) This is the almost finished project. It turned out so cute! We added below the feet...

jason and caleb
first father's day
june 2008



Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Cute Moments and a Blessing!

1st morning eating cereal! (Beginning)
Eating Cereal (End!)
New Habit - sucking thumb
He was so cute that we let him take his nap on the blanket.

So excited that Aunt Lindsey is coming home!
Go Spartans! Wait... Go Illini!

It's been a couple of great weeks since my 1st Mother's Day! It was a great one too! Caleb gave me a couple gifts on Mother's Day. The first one was sleeping in till 9:15. :) Then when I got him up he had a Douglas J package in his crib for me! He knew just what I wanted, so I got to go get some pampering and get my haircut that week. Thank you, Caleb (and Jason)!

We wanted to share with you another blessing from God that we noticed recently. If you have been following the blog from the beginning, you know that Jason had a Diaper Party with his friends before Caleb was born. We were blessed with tons of diapers in all sizes! Well, to this date we have only had to buy 2 packs of newborn diapers. We didn't have enough of that size. A couple weeks ago, I was opening our last pack of diapers in the next size. I commented to Jason that we were on our last pack and isn't it interesting that Caleb is growing out of them at the same time?! I don't think that this was a coincidence. I know that it was a sign from God that He cares for us so much that He provided just the right amount of diapers Caleb would need. I'm saving a diaper, so that I will always remember God's provision for us during this time.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Happy Mother's Day, Grandma Mary!


Go Illini!
I finally got the pictures up! Thanks for helping me, mom!

Being silly!


He does smile!

My favorite! :) I can definitely see both of us in Caleb now.



Happy Mother's Day, Mom! Since we can't be with you today, I wanted to send you a special message from the 3 of us. I love you so much! Hope you enjoy it. :)




Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Making Wonderful Memories


Visiting Kelly and Ryan in Chicago

Enjoying his spot on the couch!

This past weekend we went to Chicago to visit our friends. We had a wonderful time and Caleb did really well out of his normal environment. We are so thankful for friends that make us feel right at home!

Today was a rollercoaster day: it began well, went down in the middle, and ended very well. Caleb had an appointment to check on his weight, and he gained a large amount in a week so we're so thankful for that! It was an emotional afternoon, but we quickly remembered how things have changed so much for the good since we brought him home from the hospital. We were laughing how crazy it was the 1st week home! Caleb is just changing, and becoming so grown up! :) Tonight was a night I'll remember for a long time. Caleb and I went to my in-laws for dinner and stayed up a little past his bedtime, but he was so happy! When I was putting him to bed I wished that moment could last forever... holding him in my arms. I never knew I could love someone so much! I feel so blessed to be Caleb's mom.

1st Walk to Quality Dairy

Exploring the outside with daddy!


Snacking on daddy's finger


Still snacking on daddy's finger!

We enjoyed this outing to Quality Dairy the other day. It was a beautiful day for a walk and QD has the best deal in town for ice cream! The deal is to order a kid size waffle cone and they give you 3 scoops for only..... $1.29! What a deal! Caleb enjoyed his too. :)




Wednesday, April 23, 2008

4 Months Old

Reading "Pat the Bunny"

Facing front in his carrier for the first time!


Caleb's worried look!

(apparently his mommy had the same look as a little girl)


Sitting with his friend Dorie

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Easter Trip and 3 1/2 Month pictures

I Stand in His Grace

I know... you're probably thinking "What does that mean? How does this relate to Caleb?" Well, it definitely related to me last week and the experience of being a new mom. I have mentioned my friend and mentor Karen before, and we met last week on April Fool's Day. Caleb was down for his morning nap, and I was just praying that he would sleep long enough for us to talk a little by ourselves. In the past, we have read a book and talked about the chapter when we meet. We decided I didn't need another thing to have to do and feel bad about not having the time to get it done! So, we tried something new and I loved it! Basically the study is to take a passage in the Bible and meditate on it different ways and see how God allows it to speak to you.

That day the passage was this:
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 5: 1-2, 6-8

As a new mother, sometimes I feel overwhelmed by what the "right" thing to do for Caleb is. The popular question right now is "How is he sleeping?" My answer is... "I think he's sleeping pretty well." (because I don't know any different!) The fact is he was sleeping really well, and then he got a growth spurt, the time changed, and we took a trip to Nashville. He started waking up again during the night to eat. I was annoyed! I kept reading advice on sleep habits, and it was just frustrating me. I didn't know what the "right" thing to do was. Do I put him to bed early and just let him cry? Do I go in to comfort him when he cries? Do I ignore him the entire night? Kind of impossible when he sleeps in the same room as us!

Anyways, back to how this passage related to me as a new mom that day. The study asked you to picture Jesus bringing you into God's presence. How would Jesus introduce you? What would God say to you in response? I saw myself introduced as a good person, but feeling unworthy in that moment. I felt God would say to me: I love you! I give you my grace and I am faithful to you! God was telling me to stand in His grace. I felt He wanted me to be confident of my ability as a mother. If any other moms have ever felt overwhelmed, tired, confused, etc..., ask yourself this question. How does God view me as a mother? I guarantee you He will say "You are doing the best you can! Stand in my grace. Be confident!"

By the way, Caleb slept the entire time! He woke up when Karen was about ready to leave. :)

Monday, April 7, 2008

Caleb Speaks!

It's been so long since we've posted anything that Caleb is now talking! Yes... he speaks full sentences now. :) They sound like "goo, mmm, maaa, muh"! We've been very busy this last month. He had a little growth spurt a while ago and wanted to eat all the time. Went to Nashville again with Grandma Mary for her Spring Break. We sure missed dad while we were gone! He is starting to enjoy his tummy time more and even more exciting for us is that he doesn't cry during bath time anymore! Woo hoo! Many of you know he would start to scream bloody murder the instant he got in the bathroom. Now he doesn't even make a peep! Pretty soon he'll be loving it we're sure. Hope you enjoy having a conversation with Caleb in this video.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Happy St. Patrick's Day!




Kiss Me! I am 1/32 parts Irish! :)

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Trip to Nashville



We recently had our longest adventure with Caleb... trip down to Nashville to visit Aunt Jodi! He did such a great job. Even though there was a lot of crying in the car... there was a lot of sleeping too. :) Caleb liked breathing fresh air and feeling misty rain on his face. It's been so cold in MI that he seems to always be bundled up tight whenever we go outside. His biggest accomplishment was sleeping for 12 hours one night!!!! Wow! Thanks for a fun trip, Aunt Jodi!

Tummy Time


"Tummy Time" is the popular saying now for babies spending quality time on their stomachs. Jason and I laugh at how cute it sounds! Since it is recommended that babies sleep on their backs, it is important that they spend some time strengthening their arms and neck. Caleb has been so strong since a week old. Today he made big progress in starting to hold up his head and neck during "Tummy Time." :) Before he would always fuss, but I think he might be starting to enjoy it now!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

2 Months Old



Time is flying by! Caleb had his 2 month old birthday yesterday. As Jason says, "He is getting so mature." His gift to us last night was sleeping the longest yet at night --- 9 hours! We are so proud of him. Hopefully he can keep this up! Some of his newest accomplishments are holding his rattle, following the rattle with his eyes, starting to roll side to side (not all the way over yet), and making more fun sounds all the time. He has his 2 month checkup next week, so you can be praying that his body handles the vaccines well. We'll let you know how much he has grown then!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

7 Weeks Old





Caleb continues to be a lot of fun to be with! He is smiling all the time now, and that makes us so happy! Someone told me they thought that God has babies start smiling around 6 weeks because otherwise the parents might pull their hair out. It really does make my entire day to see his face light up! Caleb is starting to be more social... making more sounds like he's trying to talk back. We are just waiting for him to laugh. He is also starting to hold onto things... like a couple rattles he has. In the pictures in the slideshow, you will see some of his "friends" he enjoys: butterfly and his bears on the bouncer.

Enough about Caleb for a second! I want to brag about my husband just a little bit! We had our friends Kip and Sarah over for dinner Saturday night to see Caleb and to have some adult company for a chance. It was so wonderful! Anyways, Jason said he would take care of dinner since I had my hands full with Caleb. He made the most delicious meal in the world! As Kip said, "It could have come straight from Olive Garden!" Jason made cheesy garlic bread and a shrimp alfredo dish over angel hair pasta and all I did was make a salad. I knew my husband could cook, but Saturday he definitely outdid himself. We'll see if he can recreate it again someday.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

He Sleeps!


Caleb has had some new sleeping breakthroughs this past week! We're so proud of him. The top picture is him falling asleep in his swing... it has only happened once, but it was so nice not to have to be "the swing" rocking him to sleep for once. :) The bottom picture is him falling asleep sitting in my arms in the rocker! It just feels so good holding him like that.

Monday, February 4, 2008

Joy in Every Circumstance


Finding joy in every circumstance!!!

As most people know and can relate, babies can change moods almost instantly. Take these pictures for instance... literally taken moments apart. I just thought Caleb looked so cute in his bear outfit, but he didn't want to comply for very long.

I have been meeting with my friend and mentor Karen for about a year now. When we were waiting for the arrival of Caleb, she would pray for me that I would find the joy in every circumstance. Little did I know how that specific prayer would help me so much in the days and I'm sure years to come. There are moments that are so frustrating and I remember her prayer and I just say, "Lord, give me joy!" God is good and does! Now there are plenty of times where I forget or just choose to hand him over to dad! I feel as if I have been much more at peace and a calm mother because of these few words... give me joy!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

One Month Old!






Caleb is now 1 month old! Here are some pictures from the last couple weeks. This past weekend Grandpa Brian and Grandma Mary came to visit and were here to celebrate his 1 month birthday. We went to Carrabba's to celebrate! Caleb likes Italian music and food. :) You can see that he is now smiling at us especially when you sing to him or "buzurp" his neck or stomach. He is such a joy!

(To see comments on the pictures, click on the balloon in the bottom left corner of the slideshow box.)

Four Generations

Great Grandpa and Grandma Redoutey stopped by to see Caleb for the first time recently. It was the perfect opportunity to get a picture of all four generations of Redoutey men! Caleb is following in the footsteps of some wonderful men. Jason and I picked Caleb's name because of its meaning in the Bible: "strong warrior" and "serves God wholeheartedly." We recently realized that the family name Redoute also means "strong warrior." Isn't that amazing?!

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Back to School

Today Jason started his semester at EMU again. So... that means Caleb and mommy are bonding today! I took this picture yesterday and put his "I love mommy" onesie on because he pooped all over his sleeper he was wearing. That was a first for Caleb! It literally jumped out the top of his diaper and got all over his back. The whole time Caleb never made a peep. :)

I wanted to use this time to share with you how how we have been blessed so far and seen God work since Caleb has joined our family. So many of you have been praying for us, and we want to let you know that it's working!
  1. I really desired to go into labor naturally, so when my doctor wanted to induce me I had to adjust my expectations. Being induced allowed Grandma Mary and Grandpa Brian to arrive the night before Caleb was born. Caleb was obviously ready to come out because the induction went really well. I only had to push for 15 minutes!!!
  2. Epidural or not? - I had really struggled with this decision... in the end getting an epidural was the best decision for me. I endured the pain of labor for 10 hours and in the end was able to enjoy the process! I think Jason was glad that I decided to get one... I was squeezing his hand so hard. :) Actually, he didn't like to see me in pain.
  3. I was so glad to have the doctor I felt most comfortable with be on call the day I delivered. That was a huge praise!
  4. The nursing staff at the hospital was excellent! They kept Jason and I informed at all times and were so helpful. I have the utmost respect for anyone in the nursing profession.
  5. Caleb's pediatrician could not have been more helpful! Her flexibility and understanding has been amazing. She even came to our house the day after we came home to help us out! WOW! Jason and I can't be more thankful for her.
  6. Christmas Eve - Caleb slept completely through dinner (take-out Thai food) and didn't wake up until the last present was opened. Caleb truly made the meaning of Christmas more real to us this year!
  7. 1st Wedding - Caleb was so good! He slept through the ceremony, fed before the reception, fell asleep in the car on the way to the country club, then slept through the reception and all the way home. In fact, he was so passed out that I was concerned he wasn't breathing! He was... I just had to check. :)

Well, these are just a few of the blessings we have experienced so far. Hope to share more memories in the next blog.

Friday, January 4, 2008

Bundle of Joy





Our little bundle of joy is now 2 weeks old and we are 2 week old parents. So many people told us how our life would change, and it truly is indescribable. It's amazing how much you can instantly love someone! Life will certainly never be the same. Right now our days are revolved around feedings, sleeping, changing diapers, trying to figure out why he's crying, and taking care of ourselves. These are some of our favorite pictures so far.
Top - Caleb sleeping on his daddy
Middle - Caleb wearing new hat from Grandma Mary :) Do you think he likes it?
Bottom - Caleb sleeping again on his daddy - he's growing up so fast!
Good news - He had his second doctor appt. today and he is almost back to his birth weight. At least we know he is eating well!