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

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.