The Latest Addition

Our niece, Kelsey, had her little baby boy on Sunday. His name is James Kayden. She had a lot of complications, so he was born almost 2 months early. He is so adorable, but incredibly tiny. However, he does weigh about 5 pounds. He's in the NICU so please pray for him to come home soon and to even out so Kelsey can hold him and love on him and do what mommy's do best!The pictures make him look like he is really big, but he definitely is not. He looks so tiny in his little bed and so pitiful. On a side note, there is a baby that was the size of Shannon right beside Kayden. I personally didn't get to see that tiny baby, but Raun did and he couldn't believe how little it was. And yes, I still think of Shannon everytime I go into the NICU or a Children's Hospital. Back to Kayden, though. Isn't he just adorable? Even with the tubes he is so precious. Last we heard, he was breathing on his own, but they were just helping him out a little since he came so early. I think he's staying there until his due date or around then, which was the beginning part of June. Anyway, I'll update on him as well when I hear more. I will say this baby has the longest arms I have ever seen! He'd make a great piano player:) Blake and him could play duets. If that doesn't kill Raun and Mike when they read this, I'll be shocked!

Milestones

This was a weekend of firsts! I don't even know where to begin. Last month he began taking steps by himself with us holding his hands. He knows to put one foot in front of the other and would much rather walk than sit. He has been trying to crawl for the past few weeks but has never succeeded in actually moving across the floor (except by rolling across it). However, our end of sitting in place has ended. He began crawling on Saturday and really enjoys it. I'll try to get a video this week of him in action.

In an earlier post, I talked about Blake's love for pulling down the bumper to look at me. It is so adorable. Well, I was able to get a video of what he looked like one morning. Is it not the cutest thing? He's so proud of himself, too.

Yesterday was spent childproofing the house. We finally bought some baby gates to put in the hallway and at the top of the stairs. We have also put plugs in the outlets. We'll probably do more throughout the next week, but that's it for the moment.

Yesterday afternoon, Raun and I walked in on Blake sitting up in his bed for the first time. I couldn't believe my eyes and neither could Raun. I grabbed my camera to capture the first time. So because of this new skill, we (and I mean Raun) had to lower the crib so our little bundle of muscles couldn't hurl himself over the side and onto the floor (which seems to be a common theme with him). It's another sign of him growing up and all too fast.

Finally, for those of you who know Suzzy, I took this video for you. I knew no one would believe my earlier post about how much Suzzy and Blake love each other since Suzzy is not the favorite among too many people, except a few of our family members. Take a look and you won't believe your eyes!

Good Morning, Mommy!

Our son is a kicker. One day, I will have the heart to tell all of the stories that involve him ending up at the pediatrician's office more times than we can count. However, I'm not so sure that I'm ready to share those stories with the whole world at the moment. Let's just say that today has been another day at the doctor's and I am so thankful for a restaurant that was full of people that were so loving and kind! I'll go ahead and make a plug for Salsaritas. They have the friendliest staff and of course, the best food! And no...I don't just go there because I teach their nephew/son guitar lessons. They are by far the sweetest staff to everyone, even before I knew who owned it. Enough of that because now I'm starting to crave their burritos again. All of that to say that I'm going to have a heart attack before Blake is 16 if we stay on the track that he is currently on!

A few days ago, I walked into his bedroom after naptime and this is what I saw. Of course, it was too cute for me not to get a picture. He somehow manages to get his little feet out of those sleepers EVERY single time. I don't know how he doest it...just like I don't know how he does so many things that scare me. He keeps me on my toes, to say the least....and he's NOT EVEN CRAWLING OR WALKING YET! What in the world am I going to do when he starts that? Please say a prayer for me!

Back to the story of the picture...isn't he just so cute? This morning I walked into his room to find him lying on his belly, pulling the bumper pad down and smiling at me between the crib slats. It was adorable. I've got to get it on video one day because it is just too precious. But until then, I at least have this picture.

For you, Papa.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

What does it really matter?

On our way home from shopping on Saturday night, I was in my own little world thinking about the future and life and, yes, even death. I started to get this relaxing feeling that flowed through my body and I began to think about all of the things that I do that doesn't really matter in this life. I mean, I do tons of things that at the moment I feel matter, but when I stop and think about it, it's pointless. I'm reading a book by Vicki Courtney about the Proverbs 31 woman. She makes so many good points in there, but one of the things that I've pondered is the importance of making sure my family is first. I have been burdened lately by the massive amount of corruption that is all around us and sadly, I know that it has seeped through the walls of our house. Not that we aren't trying to keep it out. What has saddened me the most, though, is the fact that Blake is going to be bearing so much of this temptation throughout his years. In a way, I feel guilty for bringing this on him. But at the same time, I feel so much pressure to make sure that he knows about God and why we believe the way we do. If he doesn't understand "why" then he's not going to care as he gets older. Our son is going to have to keep himself pure in a culture that screams that it's okay to not wait until marriage to do marriage-like things. He has to protect himself from people that target Christian beliefs who think that it's okay to be tolerant to any other religion unless it is Christian. He has to understand that despite the fact that drugs and violence are everywhere, it's wrong. It's scary to think of all the things that my little boy has to be taught. Raun and I pray for him every single night, begging God to not only reveal Himself to Blake at an early age, but also to help us as parents to know how to show Blake that God is real and alive in a culture that wants to explain away God and thinks that God is a crutch for people who are weak. Our sermon on Sunday talked about the insignificant things, too. It made me smile because I know when God uses three different things with the same message that He is trying to get my attention. And He has it! I want to be the godly mother that Christ wants me to be. If I'm considered a "radical mom" for my beliefs and my viewpoint, then so be it. Vicki points out in her book that we're not going to be liked by everyone and sometimes our people-pleasing desires get in the way of us saying what we really feel and mean when it comes to Christianity. I'm not politically-correct and the only reason that I am somewhat is when it comes to my work because I have to be. I want to strive to be the "radical Christian" that stands out. Not the one that beats someone on the head for their lack of unbelief. I want Blake to be able to say that he can tell a difference between our family and a family who doesn't believe in God. I want him to see how God has made a difference in our lives and how He still answers prayers today. And no...they are not just coincidences. As we were driving Saturday, this song came on. If you want to hear/see it, click on this link. It was just another word from God directed to me to help Him get his message across.

First Car...

Aunt Patricia and Uncle Ray gave us their little car that their children had used when they were little. We had put it in the garage thinking Blake wasn't big enough, but turns out that he is. We were unloading the truck and Raun needed both hands, so he placed Blake in there as a safe place for him to sit. Blake smiled and laughed so we thought that we'd take him out in the driveway and push him around. He loved it!










Raun would take him to the road and let him go down the drive way all by himself. He had the biggest smile on his face. He's even learned that he has to put his arm out the door. Raun made the mistake of opening the door and Blake realized that he too possessed this power so he would turn sideways and kick the door open.

Raun then decided to take him off-roading....into the grass. Blake loved the feel of the grass on his feet and had to pull the strands with his hand. The slugs and bugs knew he was a boy right away because they hopped on him and Blake just watched them. Gross!

Since it was so cute, I had to get it on video for the grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great grandmother to see. Of course, though, all are free to watch our cute little boy!

Lessons in Crawling

Raun has decided that he wants to teach Blake how to crawl. I've tried to explain to him how much his life will change once he accomplishes this major milestone, but he's still determined to teach him. So after Raun got hom one afternoon, he got on the floor and tried different approaches to crawling. Blake laughed a lot, but didn't really do as his daddy wished. Thank goodness!

The Tickle Approach

The Look and Stare Approach

The Hands-On Approach

Happy Easter!

We had a great Easter weekend. We got to see both sets of our families over the weekend, which was lots of fun. Blake got his first Easter basket and had his first Easter egg hunt. There really wasn't much of a hunt, but Raun would place him in the grass right in front of an egg and let Blake "find" it or pick it up. He liked picking up the eggs with the money in it and dumping it on the ground. Don't fear, though. His daddy was right behind him picking it up and said it goes toward his college fund! So far, we've got $1.20. We're still raising funds, though! Feel free to contribute. Perhaps I'll put a pay pal button on the side so you can give in the easiest fashion!

Doc says...

So, this is the last post of the day. I'm finally caught up thanks to naps! Just to update you, the doctor said,"You have a very bad sinus infection." There ya go.

Thank goodness for grandparents!

I am so thankful for both of our parents. We are able to count on them for anything, which is great and eases our worries. Ruth, Raun's mom, has been helping keep Blake when she gets off early. I finally was able to get a picture of the two together.