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. :)

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. :)

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

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. :)

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.