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!

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.

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.

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!

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?!

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.