Team Redoutey - Living Life a Day at a Time

Happy Easter!

2011-04-30T12:20:00.000-07:00

Loving their Easter Baskets!

Us: "He is Risen!"

Kids: "He is Risen Indeed!"

We taught the kids how to respond to that Easter morning. It was fun because they had a lot of opportunities to practice. They were so excited to celebrate Easter this year. Our celebration began the week before on Palm Sunday when Caleb got excited because of all the palm branches in the Children's Wing at church. He got to take one home, and we waved them shouting "Hosanna!" all week. Our church provided a wonderful packet with fun things to do and some devotions to do with preschoolers. On Good Friday I cut out some pictures that told the Easter story and just talked through it with them. They were so attentive and loved playing with the pictures. I also realized that telling this story to my children now made it hit home so much more to me! I began crying when I saw the picture of Jesus with the crown of thorns because He went through that pain for me, for Caleb, for Abby, for Jason, and for you. They both just looked at me so sweetly until I could finish the story.

We attempted to make Resurrection cookies the night before. Easter morning they got to open the oven, and when they ate the cookie it should be hollow. It was kind of a bust because a tiny bit of yolk made it to the egg whites, and of course I knew it would not peak but I, actually Jason helped me come to the conclustion that they wouldn't care! The cookies were SUPER sweet, so I don't know if we'll make them again. Might try to do something else next time.

Easter was filled with celebration! Baskets when we got home from church, fun with family, and egg hunt for both the adults and children. It was a great day! Hope yours was filled with celebration too!

Best Buds!

2010-10-25T18:18:00.000-07:00

Farmer's Market in October

A lot has changed in our lives since my last posting! We moved out of our condo in Okemos and are now renting a house in Williamston. It is a small town just down the road from where we previously were! We finally feel at home, and love having more space for our family. The kids seem to really love each other as you can see in the picture above.

Some highlights of our summer: The Amazing Race for Nigeria (fundraiser for the Shephard family), my 30th birthday, our 1st camping trip as a family to PJ Hoffmaster State Park, trip to Cedar Point for my bday, and celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary!

He Found My Mascara!!!

2010-05-20T18:17:00.001-07:00

I should have known something was up! I had just realized it was awfully quiet! I was in the shower and Jason was on the computer. Sure enough, Caleb pokes his head in and looks like that! I was upset, but I had to laugh too! He even put the cap back on and put it in my makeup bag again. All I was thinking was good thing it wasn't waterproof! :) I'm glad we got the pics to remember this act by this silly boy!

Squeaky Shoes

2010-04-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

Abby is One!

2010-04-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby is One!!!!! Abby had a great birthday party on Easter weekend! She loved being the center of attention. I will have more pictures of the party soon (hopefully). Mommy didn't take pictures, so she's working on getting the pics from others who were at the party! Abby is doing well... 25 lbs and 31 1/2 inches tall! Still a tall girl! Her new words are: duck, ba (ball), maba or baba (momma), bubba (brother), and still uses dada most of the time. You can tell she is soaking up whatever you tell her, and she's going to explode sometime with tons of new words!!!!

Eating Banana!

2010-03-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

She was quite moody this day until we found a cold banana in the fridge! It made her happy... at least for a little while! :) I think the funniest thing is how huge the banana is!!!

We Waiting!

2010-03-16T13:15:00.001-07:00

Roomies!!! I just had to post this darling picture of the kids! They have been sharing a bedroom for about a month now. We finally kicked Abby out of our room. :) It couldn't have been an easier transition! My mom helped me rearrange their room last week, so it didn't look like wall to wall furniture. The next morning this was what we found! I think they like it, don't you?

Update on Caleb's Diet

2010-03-16T13:08:00.001-07:00

Well, it was been 4 weeks today since we started Caleb's Elimination Diet! 4 very exhausting weeks at times!!! It was initially a huge struggle for Caleb to even think about trying some of the foods we were giving him like... carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli. In time, he has learned to eat all of them (except for sweet potatoes which boggles my mind because I love sweet potatoes!). In week 3 we decided to go ahead with a blood test to test for the most common food and environmental allergies since we had not seen major improvement in his skin. Today we found out the results of that blood test and it turns out he is NOT allergic to any of the common items. Praise God for that! We are very thankful with the results, but still don't know why his skin is like this and how can we make it better.

So... we are being referred to a dermatologist to see what they think. I don't have an appointment yet. For now, we are excited to let Caleb eat some of his old foods, and yet continue the great new habits he has learned in this process! Even though this process with Caleb has been sooo hard, I'm grateful to God that He's leading us through this because it has already proven positive results in all of us!

Stay tuned...

Abby's First Steps!

2010-02-21T12:28:00.000-08:00

Need Prayer - Caleb's Special Diet!

2010-02-17T06:34:00.000-08:00

It's official! We started Caleb's Elimination Diet yesterday! We thought we needed extra prayer right now, so we wanted everyone to know what was going on and when you think about us please pray for Caleb, Jason and I as we work through this process together.

What is an elimination diet and why are we doing this?

Caleb has had excema in the form of little red bumps on his legs, arms, and a little on his face since he was about 6 months old. It has been getting worse the last few months and has spread to his tummy, back and bottom at times. We believe that this is primarily food related from our own instinct and doctor's advice. So... we decided to go through an elimination diet which means we have cut out any possible allergenic foods. That means almost everything Caleb has eaten has something that could be an allergen: stuff like dairy, eggs, soy, wheat, possible fruits that are suspect as well. For one month we will stick to the good foods, and then start adding things back in to see if he reacts to them.

This will be a long process for all of us! We hope and pray that it will all be worth it and we will figure out the cause of Caleb's skin problems.

Things to pray for:
1. Caleb will eat the good foods we give him.
2. Patience for Jason and I when Caleb gets stubborn.
3. Wisdom daily for us in our planning and decision making.
4. Caleb's understanding of the process. :)
5. Healing for Caleb's skin!

We will keep you updated throughout this process! Thank you for your prayers!
-Jason and Amber

Caleb Discovers His Name!

2010-02-02T19:44:00.000-08:00

I was finally able to figure out how to post this video of Caleb discovering his name for the 1st time. He thought "Redoutey" was quite funny! This was taken over Labor Day weekend I believe.

Abby Truckin' Along

2010-01-07T08:39:00.000-08:00

Caleb's Cowboy Hoedown!

2010-01-06T18:48:00.000-08:00

Caleb - Mommy's Helper

2010-01-02T12:21:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to share this story on the blog for everyone. This story took place approximately 1 month ago now, but it's hilarious and I don't want to forget it!

I have been trying to train Caleb to help me a little more and this particular day I needed to change Abby's diaper. Well, I didn't have a diaper next to me, so I asked Caleb "Do you know where the diapers are, Caleb? Can you go get one for mommy please?" He kind of gave me a blank look, but then he took off towards his room. Sure enough! He came back with a diaper for me! Yeah!!!! What a good helper!

Later on in the day, I had to change Abby's diaper again. I had a diaper already, but she was a little red and needed some ointment. I thought Caleb did so well getting a diaper.... maybe he can get me the buttpaste (and yes... it is called buttpaste!). So, here I go again and I ask Caleb, "Do you know where the buttpaste is, Caleb? Right above the diapers! Can you get the buttpaste for mommy please?" Again... he gives me a blank look, but heads toward his room. As he enters his room I hear him saying, "Find. Buttpaste. Find. Buttpaste." Caleb returns with not the buttpaste, but hydrocortisone cream. I praise him for bringing something back, but I say, "Thank you so much, Caleb! That's not the buttpaste I was looking for though! It's a bigger tube above where you got that." Again... a blank stare and then takes off! This time I hear him saying, "Find. Bigger. Buttpaste. Find. Bigger. Buttpaste." I died laughing!!!! This time he came back with the Bigger Buttpaste!

What a good helper Caleb is!

And she's crawling!

2009-11-19T14:10:00.000-08:00

This video was taken one week ago! She has gotten much better in just 1 week! She is now also pulling herself up all the time... we anticipate she will be walking by Christmas!

Trick or Treat!

2009-10-31T18:30:00.000-07:00

Caleb the Cowboy!
Our Pumpkin Fairy

Quite the duo!

We had a great time dressing these two up this year! Already had most everything for their outfits, so we polished them up with a couple trips to Hobby Lobby and the Dollar Store. We took pictures then went to visit Derek, Karin, and Owen to pass out candy. It was a lot of fun!

6 Month Old Abby!

2009-10-26T18:09:00.000-07:00

Daddy makes me laugh!
Happy on my tummy!

What a precious smile!

Help! I'm stuck!

Aunt Jodi spiked my hair!

Abby is always on the move! She is quite different from Caleb in that way. We can't leave her for a minute because she'll roll herself across the room or under the table! She loves her food, especially sweet potatoes, peaches, and pears. I don't think there has been anything she hasn't liked yet except bananas. Abby has started babbling a little more. She loves to follow Caleb, watch what he's doing, and of course grab what he's playing with! He doesn't get too happy about that. She's our precious baby girl!

Swim Class!

2009-10-26T17:49:00.000-07:00

Caleb and Jason took a swim class together this Fall which ended a week ago. Here is Caleb reminiscing on the things he does. Abby and I went to the final class to actually see the things he's been talking about. It was fun! Caleb really progressed over the 5 weeks of class. He was pretty scared to try some things for a while, but daddy got him to do a lot of the activities!

Time Flies When Having Fun...

2009-09-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

We had a fabulous summer! August was spent preparing for a couple long trips... to VA for a wedding then to Peoria for a long Labor Day. Highlights that you can see in the pictures:
-Caleb got his cast off! It was quite traumatic for him, quite possibly worse than getting it on. He's all better though!
-Abby started solids this month has finally gotten the hang of it.
-Jodi came along to VA with us to be our "nanny". We had such a wonderful time with Aunt DiDi!
-Abby is sitting on her own now and rolling around a lot.
-Caleb is obsessed with stacking things still. He puts whatever he can find in and out of tubes, cartons, etc...
-We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary!
-Caleb started swim class today with daddy and loved it! Hoorah!
-Jason is finished with classes at EMU! Planning on attending graduation ceremony in December!
-Amber is teaching piano this fall and playing for the MSU Children's Choir and Choral Union. Very grateful for those opportunities!

God has been good to us! We have much to be thankful for.

Coming soon... video of Caleb discovering his name!

Caleb's BooBoo!

2009-08-12T11:16:00.000-07:00

Got his blue arm this morning! Bubbles will help!
We love a waterproof cast!

Running around with Gpa Mike!

Caleb had his first major booboo! He fell off a bench at the farmer's market, and unfortunately I didn't know he was hurt right away. We headed straight home, and he seemed to be doing fine eating and playing with his toys. I noticed he wasn't putting pressure on his left arm though. After talking with the doc, we decided to watch it for a day or so since there was no swelling or bruising. Well, a week goes by and he still complains about his hand! So we got an x-ray and sure enough... he had a buckle fracture in his radius. Basically, that means his radius is a little bent. They referred us to the orthopedic people, and they want him in a cast for 2 weeks! So... it looks worse than what it is, but I'm so thankful I followed my gut. Obviously, he seems to be adjusting well to his cast which we call his "blue arm." When I ask him if he likes his blue arm, he says "Yes!" :) Thank you, Lord, for keeping Caleb safe! We'll keep you updated on how it heals.

P.S. Have to say thank you to Uncle Dominic for the awesome pictures with Gpa Mike!

Buddies

2009-08-06T12:21:00.001-07:00

Who's going to blink first?
I'm showing Abby how it works!

Aren't they cute? Abby trying out her new chair. :)

Every now and then I get a glimpse of how nice it will be when Caleb and Abby start playing together. I hope that they will be best of friends! Caleb treats Abby so sweetly most of the time. He's starting to realize he might have to share with her though! Abby is going to have to toughen up with Caleb for a brother... he's kind of a klutz. :) Look forward to proof of that in my next posting!

Words of Wisdom from Abigail :)

2009-08-05T11:02:00.000-07:00

I know this is kind of long, but I wanted to make sure I got Abigail "talking" for a little bit. Her big brother is always so conscious of his sissy all the time. :)

Words of Wisdom from Caleb

2009-07-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

Hope you enjoy some of Caleb's funny comments. BTW... "Baba" is his new nickname for mama. We think he thinks it is funny, so he has decided to call me that. :) So silly!

4th of July

2009-07-04T10:14:00.000-07:00

Abby got herself in quite an interesting position!
Caleb loves to play with Abby's swing!

Yes... Caleb put a "hat" on Abby!

Daddy and Abby ready to go to 4th of July Picnic!

July has been going by sooo fast! It has been such a good month though. We started off with a bang! Caleb and Abby enjoyed their 1st firework experience! We weren't quite sure what to expect, but they both did so well. Abby just stared at them from her car seat, and Caleb loved looking at the lights! The only thing that made him upset was when everyone else got really loud... he didn't like that. Poor daddy! Jason loves being loud at fireworks, but he has a sensitive son. More pics from July to come!

Abigail is in the Bible!

2009-06-18T17:37:00.001-07:00

I have an ironic story to share tonight. While in Grand Haven last week, we were chatting around dinner about baby names and why we chose the ones we did and what our other options were. I said that one of the reasons I liked Abigail is that she is in the Bible. Jodi (my sister) said, "There's an Abigail in the Bible?" I said, "Yes." She says, "Where?" I said, "I can't remember, but I know there is!" How funny that I didn't look it up before. I just knew the name was there somewhere!

Yesterday morning, since Abby was up early, I remembered I needed to look up Abigail in the Bible just to prove to my sister she was there... plus I was curious. Her story is found in I Samuel 25:2-44, and here is what I read 1st:

2- "A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel.
3- His name was Nabal and his wife's name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was surly and mean in his dealings."

How funny is that! I told God He had quite the sense of humor, and odd that I didn't look that up until now! The story goes on to tell how Abigail helped King David even though her husband was mean. Her husband ends up dying and she becomes Kind David's wife. You can read the rest of the story if I peaked your interest at all.

So... Yes, Jodi, Abigail is in the Bible!

Rolling Around

2009-06-15T18:46:00.000-07:00

Today Abby started rolling off her tummy for the 1st time! I grabbed the camera to catch it. :) We also went to the MSU Horticultural Gardens this afternoon. Caleb and I had great fun looking at the flowers and playing in the water fountain. I wish I had my camera with me. We'll have to go again soon and take pics. It was the perfect way to enjoy a gorgeous afternoon.

Abby is 2 Months/ Trip to Grand Haven

2009-06-14T18:11:00.000-07:00

Abby is still doing so well! She had her 2 month appointment last week and is still off the charts. She'll be beating up her brother in no time! :) She's is such a sweetheart: starting to babble more and learning to roll around a little. Caleb makes us laugh all the time! We went to Grand Haven for a few days, and even though it wasn't quite beach weather we still had a great time! Abby is starting to become a better night sleeper. For my birthday present, she slept 9 hours... the longest ever for her!

Afternoon at the Park

2009-05-20T15:18:00.001-07:00

Going down the slide with mommy
Abigail staying cool in the shade

Swinging with Aunt Lindsey

We've had a couple of the most beautiful days here! We went to the park with Aunt Lindsey while she is home from school and had so much fun! Caleb went in the swing for the first time, went down the slide, got his feet in the lake, and learned how to eat an ice cream cone. What a fun afternoon! Abigail stayed in the shade and slept most of the time. :)

More than anything...

2009-05-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

More than anything I must have flowers, always and always.

-Claude Monet

Cross from my dear friend Lisa reminds me to pray for my family.
My orchid is blooming again!

Deck is finally ready for Summer!

That Monet quote is one of mine and my sister's favorite quotes. With a "treeman" for a father, we grew up just naturally loving plants. Every vacation we would have to go to the botanical gardens if they had one. Pretty much every place we've been to has had one!!! One of my Mother's Day gift this year was a bouquet of flowers from Abby (and Jason). Unfortunately I didn't remember to take a picture of it before some of the flowers died. :( I did get a picture of my orchid though which started blooming again Mother's Day weekend. Orchids are my favorite flower, yet I've never been able to keep one alive.... until now!

This past weekend I got my flowers planted and the deck cleaned up. We can enjoy that space again! Both Abby and Caleb were napping, so I ate lunch outside and just enjoyed God's creation. I hope to have more afternoons like that! Caleb is already developing a love for the outdoors. He now points out all the flowers, trees, sticks, leaves, rocks... he's just fascinated by it all! I love that about him! He is a bit afraid of the grass though. I don't think he likes the way it feels yet. I often wonder why do we have all these toys when he is happiest playing with a bunch of rocks?! I was just in the mood to share something that makes me happy today. Next time I'll show pictures of the kids again. :)

Abby's 1st Month and Caleb's Obsessions

2009-05-06T16:40:00.000-07:00

4 Weeks Old!
Modeling her Brazilian outfit from Aunt Jodi!

Our big boy loves his mac'n'cheese!

What her shirt says is TRUE!

We can't believe how quickly a month has passed. Abigail is still doing so well and had her 1 month checkup today and is 12 lbs. 2 oz. already. She looks much older than what she is, so sometimes I forget she still needs her snuggling! Caleb is still enjoying her and likes to push her in the swing... actually he likes to play with the lights on the swing more! Which brings us to Caleb's recent obsessions. It's funny how we pretty much do the same thing every day, but he loves it!!!! He loves to turn lights on and off, but that means picking him up. Needless to say he doesn't get to do that nearly as much as he would like! Only if he says, "please!" That's very important! His other obsession is so odd and I can't believe I haven't shared about it yet! SMOKE DETECTORS!

It started when he was calling the detector in our house a "ball." Grandma Becky explained it was not a "ball" but a smoke detector. Well, he just loved that word I guess and now says "detet!" and tries to find all the dectectors everywhere we go: at the hospital, the zoo, the pet store, etc... Even if there are crazy monkeys right in front of him, he is trying to find the detectors. Oh... it's the same thing with ceiling fans too! :)

We love Caleb! He makes life so interesting. Abigail will be giggling all the time with him around.

Abby's 1st Couple Weeks Home!

2009-04-17T06:21:00.000-07:00

These past couple weeks at home have flown by! Abby will be 2 weeks old tomorrow! I cannot believe how well the transition home with Abby has gone. Grandma Mary was here for the entire 1st week, and we couldn't have done it without her! She took care of Caleb... He's a bit chunkier now! She was hoping to cook more, but like me was too tired by the end of the day because of dear little Caleb. We had yummy takeout several nights! Thank you for all your help, mom!

Caleb really enjoys his baby sister! He always knows where Baby is and loves to pat her all over! He calls her "Baby" or "Sissy." He seems to have reverted to some of his more baby-ish tendencies as you may see in some of the pictures. He's more cuddly and is obsessed with the pacifier.

Abigail has already surpassed her birth weight: 10 lb 2 oz when we had a weight check on Wednesday! That was a big relief for us. She is a very easy going baby! The Lord knew we needed her in our life! It certainly wasn't our timing, but now I can see His hand perfectly. She is the perfect addition to our family!

Enjoy the pics! Keep praying for us!

It's a Girl!

2009-04-07T13:57:00.000-07:00

Abigail Grace Redoutey
Born: April 4, 2009 at 4:37 pm
10 lb. 1 oz. and 21 inches long

We are so excited to welcome Abigail to our family! We are glad to be home and doing well as a family of 4. Abigail was born on her Great-Grandpa Russell's birthday! Caleb loves his baby sister. He doesn't pay her too much attention yet, but is very aware she is around. He will be her protector I'm sure! One cute story: yesterday after we came home from the hospital, Abby's hat had fallen off and I told Caleb that was baby's hat. Well, he picked it up and brought it over to her! So sweet!

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

Walking 101

2009-03-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

We shared with you a little bit of Caleb's first tries self-feeding with the spoon, well here are some of his 1st steps! We are so proud of him. Just like crawling... he had to wait a while, but once he's ready he just starts taking off. We'll try to show more later, but we ran out of memory on the camera while shooting. Caleb learns to walk just in time for his brother or sister to arrive.

Yeah Caleb!

"March"ing in like a Lion

2009-03-09T16:22:00.001-07:00

Staff vs. Senior Game at Pinckney High School

We had fun watching "Dr. J" play some b-ball!

Caleb learning to walk with daddy!

We're in Frankenmuth... do I look German?

Sleeping with Pooh Bear in my mouth!

Well, we had quite the busy weekend, which reminded me of how fast our time is quickly flying by! Friday night we went to watch Jason play some b-ball at the high school where he's been student teaching at. It was fun to see him in that environment and now to be able to picture where he goes every weekday! He has 3 more weeks of teaching in the classroom, and 5 more weeks left of student teaching. The end is in sight! After the game we went to Zukey Lake Tavern, which apparently is famous in MI. I definitely had the best burger ever!!!! I thought the picture of Caleb walking with Jason in L&L (our grocery store across the street) was so cute! He looks like a little man! Sunday we went to Frankenmuth to celebrate Great Grandma Redoutey's 80th birthday! We had a great lunch and had lots of fun seeing everyone. Caleb enjoyed being the center of attention and played a lot of peekaboo at the table. This morning I was waking Caleb up from his nap and noticed he wasn't just sleeping with Pooh bear... he had Pooh bear in his mouth while sleeping! No wonder it's always disgusting! :) I had to take the picture before he woke up.

Self-Feeding 101

2009-03-03T07:44:00.000-08:00

I so appreciated everyone's comments on my last posting. It seemed to hit home to many of us! Caleb is finally recovering from being sick for about a week and a half.... cough, cold, 2 teeth coming in, fever sometimes! I'm so glad he has his personality again... I think. :) I'm just kidding! Caleb just has such a strong temperament sometimes, and I wish he could just talk and tell me what's wrong. We do our best in communicating right now as much as we can. I just want him to know that we love him! Caleb now has 7 teeth that are in. He is still cruising around the furniture, but hasn't walked on his own yet. I do wonder if that might not be a good thing with Baby #2 coming in just 3-4 weeks. :) Caleb loves to play with the coasters on the coffee table right now. He spins them around, drops them on the floor, picks them up, and does it all over again! He likes to pat mommy's belly when we talk about the baby. I'm not sure if he understands or just thinks my belly is the baby! We're getting so excited to find out if we're having a boy or girl. Either way, we'll be soooo excited! Hope you enjoy the video of Caleb. Haven't taken too many pictures, but thought I'd share something we're working on.

A Mother's Take on I Corinthian's 13

2009-02-05T09:42:00.000-08:00

My mother passed along a few parenting books to Jason and I that she and my dad read when my sister and I were young. I've been reading one of them recently called A Mother's Heart by Jean Fleming. It's got some wonderful insight on developing character as a mother. This morning while Caleb was drinking his bottle next to me in bed I was reading a little bit and came across the author's own paraphrase of I Corinthians 13. I thought it was quite interesting, so I decided to write my own paraphrase this afternoon while Caleb is napping. Hope you enjoy!

"If I try to keep my house clean and in perfect order, but do not show love to my family -

it is all for nothing.

If I create the most beautiful drapes and pillows, delicious meals, always look attractive, but am not loving to my family -

I am nothing.

If I'm busy teaching Sunday school, playing for choir, teaching piano, meeting with friends, going to Bible study, but fail to give enough love to my family -

I gain nothing.

Love is patient... changes diapers, cleans up after meals, does laundry, comforts the sick - over and over and over again.

Love is kind, even though I'm tired and 8 months pregnant!

Love doesn't wish I was another woman -

who has no kids so she can go shopping or go on a night out whenever she feels like it.

Love doesn't try to impress others with my son's achievements... or my own.

Love doesn't scream back at my son.

Love doesn't feel sorry for myself because I didn't get to do what I wanted to do today - read, take a long shower, nap.

Love doesn't react in anger quickly.

Love doesn't remind my husband that he's forgotten to take the trash out... again.

Love doesn't rejoice when another woman's children are going crazy on a plane and mine is not.

Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

The Music Man

2009-01-29T16:20:00.001-08:00

Shooting Hoops!

"Getting down" to Beach Boys
Starting to move a little

"I'm not going to touch, mama! Just listen!"

I know these may not be the best pictures ever, but today I was just thinking about how much Caleb loves music! I kind of thought he might like music with having a pianist for a mom and a dad who can put anything to song! I mentioned earlier that Caleb loves the stereo! So, today I popped in a little Beach Boys and sure enough... he crawled right over and started bopping along. "Barbara Ann" is his favorite!

What fascinates me is the kind of music he likes though. For those of you who don't know this about him, I hope you find it interesting too. We travel a lot since my family is in Illinois, so sometimes we have had to try various things to keep him entertained or to help him go to sleep. One trip he just wouldn't stop crying and go to sleep even though it was way past his naptime, so Jason decides to pop in his opera cd. Immediately, Caleb went quiet and didn't make another peep thanks to "O Mio Babbino Caro." It now works like a charm consistently!

Most recently, since we purchased our new to us minivan, we have found out Caleb loves Ladysmith Black Mambazo! This is a famous acapella African group that Jason introduced me to when we started dating. Turn on a little Ladysmith and Caleb is soothed, entertained, or put to sleep!

I appreciate our son's eclectic taste! He makes life interesting!

Christmas 2008

2009-01-20T19:05:00.000-08:00

I'm finally getting my act together after the holidays, and blogging again. We had a wonderful, busy Christmas season! We celebrated Jesus' birth in IL, MI, and TN. We thought you might enjoy a slideshow of pictures of what we have been up to since Thanksgiving. Hope you enjoy the pictures... be sure to check out the birthday pictures as well!

Since the New Year has begun, life hasn't slowed down much. Caleb seems to have tons of energy now since he began to crawl. He's pulling himself up on everything that he can, and cruises along. He hasn't been able to walk on his own yet, but I have a feeling it's not too far away. His favorite attraction is the stereo right now. We are really working on teaching him "no!" He's constantly going over to the stereo, which keeps us all on our toes. He's learning to obey more all of the time! His favorite toy from Christmas is probably the Sports Center he got. He loves shooting baskets and hitting the baseball, and gets so excited when the points light up!

Jason is in his 3rd week of student teaching! He will take over classes completely beginning next week after finals. He's doing a great job so far, and seems to be enjoying it.

Amber is still teaching piano 2 days a week. For the most part is trying to keep up with her boys and maintain enough energy to do that while being 7 1/2 months pregnant. We are getting excited to share what Baby Redoutey #2 will be like.

1 Year Birthday!

2008-12-20T18:44:00.000-08:00

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.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T18:39:00.000-08:00

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!

Playing Ball

2008-11-21T07:49:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-21T07:37:00.000-08:00

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!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

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

2008-11-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

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

2008-11-01T12:13:00.001-07:00

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.

Yeah for Joy!

2008-10-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

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!

9 Month Pictures!

2008-10-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

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.

Pumpkins!

2008-10-07T18:21:00.001-07:00

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!

8 Month Pictures

2008-09-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

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. :)

Some of my Favorites

2008-08-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

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

Playing with daddy!

2008-08-07T18:06:00.000-07:00

We just got this new toy yesterday, and Caleb went crazy playing peekaboo with daddy!

Hope you enjoy the clip.

Trip to Florida

2008-08-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-07-02T16:53:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-02T14:02:00.000-07:00

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

Cute Moments and a Blessing!

2008-05-27T06:48:00.000-07:00

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.

Happy Mother's Day, Grandma Mary!

2008-05-11T05:17:00.000-07:00

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. :)

Making Wonderful Memories

2008-05-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-07T17:14:00.000-07:00

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. :)

4 Months Old

2008-04-23T06:38:00.000-07:00

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

Easter Trip and 3 1/2 Month pictures

2008-04-08T07:01:00.000-07:00

I Stand in His Grace

2008-04-08T06:33:00.000-07:00

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. :)

Caleb Speaks!

2008-04-07T19:22:00.000-07:00

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.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2008-03-17T18:54:00.001-07:00

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

Trip to Nashville

2008-03-05T18:26:00.000-08:00

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

2008-03-05T18:21:00.000-08:00

"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!

2 Months Old

2008-02-21T11:22:00.000-08:00

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!

7 Weeks Old

2008-02-12T12:25:00.001-08:00

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.

He Sleeps!

2008-02-05T14:47:00.000-08:00

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.

Joy in Every Circumstance

2008-02-04T11:14:00.000-08:00

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!

One Month Old!

2008-01-22T15:34:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-22T15:07:00.001-08:00

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?!

Back to School

2008-01-08T08:01:00.000-08:00

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!

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!!!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.

Bundle of Joy

2008-01-04T15:58:00.001-08:00

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!

Caleb Aaron Redoutey

2007-12-24T15:58:00.000-08:00

Born December 20, 2007

12:14 pm

8 lb. 10 oz. and 21 3/4 inches long

Still Waiting...

2007-12-17T13:08:00.000-08:00

Baby Redoutey seems to be enjoying his home inside mommy a little too much. We keep telling him about all the great things about life outside of mommy's tummy! December 12th has come and gone, and Jason and I get phone calls and e-mails daily checking in on how I'm doing. I think there is a lot more interest in this baby since many friends and family entered the Due Date 50/50! Any other woman who has gone past her due date I'm sure can sympathize with how I'm feeling. I know God's timing is perfect and He knows exactly when this baby is to come. Maybe, just maybe, He could speed up the process? :)

Every outing seems like the perfect opportunity for my water to break or labor to begin! Saturday we went to the MSU mens basketball game and of course Jason and Nate had it in their heads I would go into labor there and this baby would be a great basketball player! Would have been memorable. Yesterday Jason and I went exploring in the snow after the big snowstorm to get out of the house. I thought, "Oh good! It will give me some good exercise and that might put me into labor." Well, it just made me really sore! I think I used some muscles I didn't know existed. After talking to my parents, they recommended going to "I Am Legend" to put me into labor because apparently it's pretty scary. Well, I didn't go see that, but I did get my friends Angie, Anna, and sister-in-law Lindsey to go see "August Rush" with me. It was such a good movie, and of course I got very emotional at the end! It did take my mind off things for a while at least.

I just got back home from running some errands, and as I was in the car I was listening to a "Selah" cd and one of my favorite songs came on. It is the hymn "I Need Thee Every Hour". Here are the words:

Verses:
I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord; No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.
I need Thee every hour, stay Thou near by; temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh.
I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain; come quickly and abide or life is vain.
I need Thee every hour, most Holy One. Oh, make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son!
Chorus:
I need Thee, O I need Thee; every hour I need Thee; O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee!

It was the perfect reminder that God is with me. I need Him every moment of my day: in pain (labor) or in joy (birth). The waiting is made easier knowing He is right by my side walking along with me. Thank you to everyone who cares about our family right now so much! I'm feeling great, but of course extremely ready to meet this baby of ours. We hope our next posting will contain pictures of our new son.

Diaper Party at Dublin Square

2007-11-29T16:49:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Eve was the night of the Men's Only Diaper Party! Jason got this brilliant idea from someone and neither of us can remember who now. :) Jason thought, "Why do only women get to have all the fun?" He planned a night where the men just had to bring any size of diapers to come and enjoy hanging out with each other. He decided to spice things up a bit with a few games as well. A big hit was the "Guess the Poo" game where Jason and I melted popular candy bars into diapers. That was hilarious how real-life it looked! I like the picture of Joe with his face right in the diaper! :) Jason also introduced the Due Date 50/50 that evening. Everyone could buy raffle tickets and guess the date/time that they think Baby Redoutey will come. The board is filled with blue dots now, and we're just waiting to see who will win the raffle. It sounded like the party was a success! Thank you men for contributing to the diaper cause. Baby Redoutey appreciates it!

So Thankful!

2007-11-28T19:32:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving was no less special than any other year, but we certainly have a little something to look forward to! After the festivities are over, I realize how much I do have to be thankful for this year.

A baby boy who I can't wait to meet and appears to be strong and healthy since he loves to kick and roll around mommy all the time!
A healthy pregancy with no complaints besides aching hips and uncomfortable nights. Isn't that normal though?
A loving husband who works so hard to provide for our growing family.
A family who was willing to change their Thanksgiving tradition to spend it with us in MI. Thank you mom, dad, and Jodi! You are the best!
Two families who get along so well! Laughter can always be heard around the Aaron's and Redoutey's.
A dad who makes the best grilled turkey ever! (and leaves us leftovers!)
Family and friends who have been so generous with gifts for the baby. WOW!
A loving Heavenly Father who knows every detail about the future! Because of that, I have no reason to worry!

2 weeks till DUE DATE! Who's counting?!

Michigan Baby Shower

2007-11-17T13:11:00.000-08:00

Becky Redoutey (my mother-in-law) hosted this shower at her home on October 20, 2007. I know that Lindsay and Alisa ( my sisters-in-law) and Aunt Beth also helped out so much! We had a great afternoon and many family, church friends, and some piano students were able to come. We started the shower by opening gifts! As you can see, Baby Redoutey is going to have so many cute things. :) Becky provided delicious snacks and cider. We played a couple of games. The first was one where I brought around a tray filled with baby items. Most people assumed they had to remember the items on the tray, but the questions were really about me! We also played a game where you guessed what kind of baby food was in the jars. Thank you Becky and everyone that came or sent gifts! It was such a fun shower!

Baby Shower in Peoria, IL

2007-11-17T12:48:00.001-08:00

Lisa Sanderson hosted this wonderful shower at her home on October 7, 2007. The shower had a baby/fall theme with everything decorated with gourds, sunflowers, baby shoes, wood blocks, and more. Close friends and family from Illinois were in attendance. We played a game where you could not say the word "baby." I was not very good at it! We also were given ice cubes with a baby in it... the first person who's "water broke" won the game. The other game we did was trying to guess what kind of white powder/substance was in different ziploc baggies. That was challenging! The guests decorated diapers and onesies for Baby Redoutey. I can't wait to read them in the future. I hope someone will make me laugh when I need it at 3 in the morning! It was a wonderful afternoon. Thank you, Lisa, and everyone who came. Jason and I went back to Michigan feeling so blessed!

It's a Boy!

2007-11-15T09:49:00.000-08:00

This summer I went to Maine with my family for a vacation. My wonderful husband stayed home to work, so he unfortunately could not join us. We had a great time camping (yes... in real tents!) at Acadia National Park. One of the most memorable (not necessarily a favorite) parts of the trip was getting the opportunity to use the "hot" showers accessible for those of us who chose to camp at Blackwoods campground. This campground did not have showers in the bathrooms, but $1.25 could get you 4 minutes of "hot" water if you were willing to wait in line at the showers right outside the campground entrance. We would literally schedule our activities to try to beat the rush to the showers some days, and even then we weren't guaranteed hot water for 4 minutes. I realized how quickly 4 minutes goes by too! Just try it next time you take a shower. :)

Anyways, Jason and I were scheduled to have our 1st ultrasound the day after I returned from Maine. All along we both did not have an inkling about whether this baby was going to be a boy or girl. All I knew was that I was definitely more comfortable with the idea of having a girl! So, the last night in Maine I had a dream. In my dream I had a baby boy and was changing him and taking care of him. When I woke up, I felt such joy and peace that I just knew we were going to have a boy! I shared this only with Jason when I got home. When we went to the ultrasound it was confirmed we were going to have a boy! I was very thankful to God that He had given me that dream, so I wouldn't be upset it wasn't a girl. I know God's plans are far better than my own, but I tend to create expectations sometimes. If they aren't met, it is difficult to not feel disappointed. I'm so thankful that life is a journey, and I am constantly changing and growing as a person. It's so exciting to think about what Baby Redoutey will look like! I do know he will have a wonderful father and grandfathers to look up to.

Telling the New Grandparents

2007-11-11T19:46:00.000-08:00

It was challenging keeping the pregnancy a secret for a week, but we really wanted to tell our parents in person. It worked out perfectly though! Grandpa Redoutey had a vision that we were going to start a family. God lead him to ask the Aaron's if they wanted to join in giving us a blessing for our future family. Little did they know... we were already pregnant. :) We met on Sunday, April 22nd in Michigan City, IN which is exactly halfway between Peoria, IL and Lansing, MI. So in front of Chili's where we were going to eat lunch Jason said, "This is going to be a fine looking set of grandparents in 8 months!" It was so great to be able to see their reactions at the same time! It was a beautiful afternoon. This will be the first grandchild on both sides of the family, so we were very happy to share our news finally.

We're Pregnant!

2007-11-11T16:50:00.000-08:00

April 14, 2007 - Jason and I had decided to audition for The Amazing Race in January. It's one of our favorite shows, and we thought it would be so much fun! They were hosting auditions in Lansing, so we decided to go for it. We decided if we didn't get on the show we would start trying to expand our family. Well, needless to say, come March we figured we hadn't made the show, but we were okay with it! We got to start trying to have a baby. A month later... I wasn't feeling quite my normal self. :) April 14th, I had played for a trombone recital earlier that evening and we decided to see if I was pregnant that night. I guess we knew how the test was going to turn out, but we were still so nervous and excited! Seeing the positive sign on the test was crazy! Jason felt ecstatic and intimidated... he's been waiting his whole life for this but are we ready?! I felt the same way, but also relief. God truly blessed us quickly. I knew we had 9 more months to "get ready."