He's pretty much there, but still a little wobbly.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Friday, January 11, 2008
Christmas Ponderings
These are a few thoughts that God gave me over Christmas. It's pretty random, but I felt the need to share. Sorry for the long, non-picture post!
This is my first Christmas being a mother, and I’ve been thinking a lot about Mary. Back in August while I was pregnant, I read the passage in Luke about John leaping in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary entered pregnant with Jesus. It was so sweet to know exactly what a baby moving in my womb felt like.
Having Josiah has provided this incredible visual image of what Jesus might have looked like at Christmas more than 2,000 years ago. It’s a continual reminder of the humanity that our Holy God took on in order to fully empathize with us and save us. Babies are dependent on a caretaker. The God of the Universe made himself a helpless baby who needed his mother for food (even though He made her) and protection and to change his diaper and help him sleep. I’m reminded that the birth that we herald this time of year was not a pretty process, yet it’s how Christ entered the world (listen to Andrew Peterson's "Labor of Love").
We spent months preparing for Josiah, having showers, decorating a nursery, getting the perfect set of clothes and amount of diapers. But the King of Glory entered the world poor with no beautiful clothes and no pretty crib. I fret about Josiah’s health and growth and safety, but imagine Mary! She was caring for the Messiah! Eternity depends on the health of this baby. Of course, God’s sovereignty provided through more difficult circumstances, but still, it reminds me that even the seemingly trivial mommy-things I do could have an impact on eternity.
When Josiah was born, they placed him on top of me, and I thought, “It’s nice to finally meet you. So you’re the one we’ve been waiting for.” When Mary looked at Jesus, it was more like, “So you’re the one we’ve ALL been waiting for. Since the fall, since the exodus, since the exile…so you’re the one who has come to save us all. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
I look at Josiah and I would never want any harm to come to him. I love him more than I ever dreamed possible. I can’t imagine him dying or suffering, certainly not letting it happen willingly. Yet the Lord (and Mary and Joseph) had to look at their precious son every day and know his fate.
But more so, this reminds me of the deep love of God. Jesus was his son, and it was his will that would allow him to die. “For God so loved the world that He gave his only son that whoever should believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” I have daydreams about going to a foreign country, with hostile people. And they ask to take my son away from me. The thought is too agonizing to dwell on for long. But God gave his son, his only son, to a people who would hate him, who would torture and kill him. Though it had to be the most painful thing in the world, he did it willingly and lovingly.
And he did it all for me, for love of wicked me, and every other sinner past, present and future. To redeem me from my lost state, to restore a relationship with me. How much I don’t deserve it!
Praise God.
This is my first Christmas being a mother, and I’ve been thinking a lot about Mary. Back in August while I was pregnant, I read the passage in Luke about John leaping in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary entered pregnant with Jesus. It was so sweet to know exactly what a baby moving in my womb felt like.
Having Josiah has provided this incredible visual image of what Jesus might have looked like at Christmas more than 2,000 years ago. It’s a continual reminder of the humanity that our Holy God took on in order to fully empathize with us and save us. Babies are dependent on a caretaker. The God of the Universe made himself a helpless baby who needed his mother for food (even though He made her) and protection and to change his diaper and help him sleep. I’m reminded that the birth that we herald this time of year was not a pretty process, yet it’s how Christ entered the world (listen to Andrew Peterson's "Labor of Love").
We spent months preparing for Josiah, having showers, decorating a nursery, getting the perfect set of clothes and amount of diapers. But the King of Glory entered the world poor with no beautiful clothes and no pretty crib. I fret about Josiah’s health and growth and safety, but imagine Mary! She was caring for the Messiah! Eternity depends on the health of this baby. Of course, God’s sovereignty provided through more difficult circumstances, but still, it reminds me that even the seemingly trivial mommy-things I do could have an impact on eternity.
When Josiah was born, they placed him on top of me, and I thought, “It’s nice to finally meet you. So you’re the one we’ve been waiting for.” When Mary looked at Jesus, it was more like, “So you’re the one we’ve ALL been waiting for. Since the fall, since the exodus, since the exile…so you’re the one who has come to save us all. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
I look at Josiah and I would never want any harm to come to him. I love him more than I ever dreamed possible. I can’t imagine him dying or suffering, certainly not letting it happen willingly. Yet the Lord (and Mary and Joseph) had to look at their precious son every day and know his fate.
But more so, this reminds me of the deep love of God. Jesus was his son, and it was his will that would allow him to die. “For God so loved the world that He gave his only son that whoever should believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” I have daydreams about going to a foreign country, with hostile people. And they ask to take my son away from me. The thought is too agonizing to dwell on for long. But God gave his son, his only son, to a people who would hate him, who would torture and kill him. Though it had to be the most painful thing in the world, he did it willingly and lovingly.
And he did it all for me, for love of wicked me, and every other sinner past, present and future. To redeem me from my lost state, to restore a relationship with me. How much I don’t deserve it!
Praise God.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
BabyTunes
Well the last post featured redneck Josiah, but this shows more of his metropolitan, yuppie side. Don't try and put him in a box, he's a very multifaceted baby who defies stereotypes.
In response to Carrie-Anne's question about whether Josiah has an iPod, he does in a way. The iPod we use to play his sleep music is our family iPod, but his exersaucer does in fact have a baby iPod on it. Only four buttons and three tunes, but the design is definitely based on an iPod. It's actually his favorite toy on the ring so far.
Yo DJ, rock this party...
In response to Carrie-Anne's question about whether Josiah has an iPod, he does in a way. The iPod we use to play his sleep music is our family iPod, but his exersaucer does in fact have a baby iPod on it. Only four buttons and three tunes, but the design is definitely based on an iPod. It's actually his favorite toy on the ring so far.
Yo DJ, rock this party...Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Baby's First Camo
Jonathan's Aunt Joyce and Uncle Ron sent Josiah his first camo for Christmas. It was very effective; he blended right into his car seat. He's not wearing any socks because 1) it was 70 degrees. 2) he's a country boy, not a sissy.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Four Months
Josiah turned four months old over a week ago, but I wanted to save my blog entry until we had his pediatrician stats. The pictures are from the right date though.
Observations Interspersed with Pictures:
+For the most part, Josiah seems to be content and happy. He grins and laughs at us all the time, which makes it very rewarding to tickle him.
+I don't know when exactly it happened, but he definitely distinguishes Jonathan and I as his parents. He had a phase at the beginning of the month where he freaked out around strangers, but he seems to be over that now. He and Jonathan have a sweet relationship. I can tell Josiah is already looking to him for guidance and fun.
+Our nicknames for him: Chunk, Super Chunk, Boy, Jo-Mo, Muffin Boy
+He's rolling onto his side pretty regularly, but hasn't really pulled a 180 yet.
+The child puts everything in his mouth. Everything. He also tries to grab whatever is in my hands when I'm holding him.
+Despite the desire to taste everything, he's never really taken to a bottle. We can get him to take one at home when he's not upset, but the nursery workers haven't had any success.
+He's into high-pitched squealing and back to making the motorboat/raspberry-blowing noise. And sticking out the tongue...
+He's on a pretty consistent three-hour pattern: eat, play, nap, play, eat. I know all the experts say that babies should nap for at least 1.5 hours, but for the life of me, I cannot get him to sleep more than 30-45 minutes unless he's in the car. But he seems content and not cranky with that amount of sleep, so I'm fine with it.
+No, he's not totally sleeping through the night yet. Although technically the experts consider sleeping "through the night" to be five or six hours, so I guess normally he sleeps through the night twice because we normally aim for bedtime around 7-8 p.m. He normally just wakes up once. His pediatrician seemed to think this was really quite fine.
+We seem to have been able to get him to sleep on his own though. We've been doing a bedtime routine for a while and trying to put him in the crib awake so he can try to go to sleep on his own. It hadn't worked that well. We let him cry for a little bit, but then go in and help him, normally by nursing. But the past few nights we've started playing soft music on the iPod for him and giving him his favorite stuffed monkey. It really helps. I think part of the reason he didn't want to sleep before was that he could hear us and didn't want to be alone. Probably more than you wanted to know, unless you're a mother in this phase right now.
18 lbs. (90 percentile)
26.5 inches (50-75 percentile)
17 inches around the head (75 percentile)
26.5 inches (50-75 percentile)
17 inches around the head (75 percentile)
Observations Interspersed with Pictures:
+For the most part, Josiah seems to be content and happy. He grins and laughs at us all the time, which makes it very rewarding to tickle him.
+I don't know when exactly it happened, but he definitely distinguishes Jonathan and I as his parents. He had a phase at the beginning of the month where he freaked out around strangers, but he seems to be over that now. He and Jonathan have a sweet relationship. I can tell Josiah is already looking to him for guidance and fun.
+Our nicknames for him: Chunk, Super Chunk, Boy, Jo-Mo, Muffin Boy+He's rolling onto his side pretty regularly, but hasn't really pulled a 180 yet.
+The child puts everything in his mouth. Everything. He also tries to grab whatever is in my hands when I'm holding him.
+Despite the desire to taste everything, he's never really taken to a bottle. We can get him to take one at home when he's not upset, but the nursery workers haven't had any success.
+He's into high-pitched squealing and back to making the motorboat/raspberry-blowing noise. And sticking out the tongue...
+He's on a pretty consistent three-hour pattern: eat, play, nap, play, eat. I know all the experts say that babies should nap for at least 1.5 hours, but for the life of me, I cannot get him to sleep more than 30-45 minutes unless he's in the car. But he seems content and not cranky with that amount of sleep, so I'm fine with it.
+No, he's not totally sleeping through the night yet. Although technically the experts consider sleeping "through the night" to be five or six hours, so I guess normally he sleeps through the night twice because we normally aim for bedtime around 7-8 p.m. He normally just wakes up once. His pediatrician seemed to think this was really quite fine.
+We seem to have been able to get him to sleep on his own though. We've been doing a bedtime routine for a while and trying to put him in the crib awake so he can try to go to sleep on his own. It hadn't worked that well. We let him cry for a little bit, but then go in and help him, normally by nursing. But the past few nights we've started playing soft music on the iPod for him and giving him his favorite stuffed monkey. It really helps. I think part of the reason he didn't want to sleep before was that he could hear us and didn't want to be alone. Probably more than you wanted to know, unless you're a mother in this phase right now.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Going for a Walk
It was a a little chilly out, but I bundled up Jo-Mo for a walk around the neighborhood. For our neighborhood walks, we've switched to our big boy stroller. I think Josiah can see more of the world than just the sky in it, so our walks are more "educational." He seems to like it and makes a lot of squealing noises while he's in it. I can't figure out what the noises are in response to though.
I really like this stroller. It rolls well and looks really comfortable for Josiah. One feature I like is like is the top shade has a window so I can see what Josiah's doing. Plus he has a cup holder for his baby latte.
I'm ready to roll, yo!
At the start of the stroll...
And the end...
I must admit, this is often the goal of my walks - to get the little one to sleep! The negative of this stroller is I can't just lift him out in the car seat and sit him inside. I have to take him out, which sometimes wakes him up. I would just roll the stroller into the house, but we have all steps leading into our home.
He's so beautiful asleep. Beautiful awake too, but peaceful beautiful asleep.
I really like this stroller. It rolls well and looks really comfortable for Josiah. One feature I like is like is the top shade has a window so I can see what Josiah's doing. Plus he has a cup holder for his baby latte.
I'm ready to roll, yo!
At the start of the stroll...
And the end...
I must admit, this is often the goal of my walks - to get the little one to sleep! The negative of this stroller is I can't just lift him out in the car seat and sit him inside. I have to take him out, which sometimes wakes him up. I would just roll the stroller into the house, but we have all steps leading into our home.
He's so beautiful asleep. Beautiful awake too, but peaceful beautiful asleep.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Happy Halloween!
I know what you're thinking. Aren't you a few holidays behind, Laura Leigh? Indeed, but a friend just sent me a picture she took at this Halloween parade Josiah and I attended, and I thought it was too cute not to post. And what better day to post a Halloween pictures than New Year's Day?
Josiah has changed so much since then! He looks so little...
Pushing Up
After a week of being held constantly and not having much tummy time, I thought that Josiah would have a lot ground to make up. But when we started back to it, he started pushing up on his hands, which he had never done before. I don't know who was more proud, me or him. Every time he did it, he'd squeal and try again. Here's some pictures of the action.
For those who aren't familiar with "tummy time", it's come about from the research that revealed that sleeping on his or her stomach increases a child's risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. But children also have to figure out how to crawl, which is difficult if they're always on their backs. So the powers that be now recommend back to sleep, tummy to play. Thus tummy time.
This picture also represents Josiah's big phase right now: sticking out his tongue. We don't know why he likes it so much. Sometimes it's when he's concentrating on something, like above, but other times he just looks at us and sticks it out, very proud of himself. He had a phase a few weeks ago where he really liked blowing raspberries, or sputtering his lips. It was hilarious, but faded quickly.
For those who aren't familiar with "tummy time", it's come about from the research that revealed that sleeping on his or her stomach increases a child's risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. But children also have to figure out how to crawl, which is difficult if they're always on their backs. So the powers that be now recommend back to sleep, tummy to play. Thus tummy time.
This picture also represents Josiah's big phase right now: sticking out his tongue. We don't know why he likes it so much. Sometimes it's when he's concentrating on something, like above, but other times he just looks at us and sticks it out, very proud of himself. He had a phase a few weeks ago where he really liked blowing raspberries, or sputtering his lips. It was hilarious, but faded quickly.Monday, December 31, 2007
Jump Around
When we got back from Christmas travel, we introduced Josiah to his jumper. We expected we would like it because he likes standing up and moving his legs. He doesn't jump a lot in it, but he does walk, turn and bounce. I think he likes the freedom of it, as much freedom as being strapped to a bungee cord allows. Some of these pictures were extraneous, but just cute of him.
We have it hanging by the kitchen, and it works really well for me to put him in it while I fix meals.
This is the second time I put him in it, and he was really tired and I didn't put his hands on the outside like you're supposed to. So he was content to just eat jumper.
We have it hanging by the kitchen, and it works really well for me to put him in it while I fix meals.
This is the second time I put him in it, and he was really tired and I didn't put his hands on the outside like you're supposed to. So he was content to just eat jumper.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Christmas Day
We drove Christmas Eve back to the Moseleys to spend the day with them.
Jonathan getting some giggles before going downstairs.
Granddaddy and Mama Jo drove up from Birmingham.
Grammy and Granddaddy got Josiah an exersaucer and he loved it. He still hasn't figured out some elements on it (pressing buttons, etc.), but he loves exploring all these new things. Thanks guys!
Opening gifts with Grammy and Anna.
Granddaddy Olive always makes quacking sounds for Josiah; it's his trademark move.
Christmas Eve
My mom's side of the family gathers every Christmas Eve for a family reunion, meal and gift exchange. My mom's dad had six brothers and sisters, and five of them live within 10 miles of each other. Josiah is one of the first of the fourth generation on this side, and the only one there that evening. The gift exchange is always fierce, done Chinese Christmas style. We didn't participate this year because of the little one, but it's always fun.
Parker held Josiah while we got food. He looks a little frightened...
GP holding the sleepy elf.
Josiah just sneezed or drooled or something.
Kiss sandwich! Hard to resist!
We left shortly after this, and it was very emotional. Everyone was crying! We had such a sweet time with everyone.
Parker held Josiah while we got food. He looks a little frightened...
GP holding the sleepy elf.
Josiah just sneezed or drooled or something.
Kiss sandwich! Hard to resist!
We left shortly after this, and it was very emotional. Everyone was crying! We had such a sweet time with everyone.Picking Collards
Josiah got to stem his first collards up in Eastern North Carolina. He hasn't gotten to taste any yet though, maybe next time. Grandma makes the best collards around, no contest. If you don't like them, it's because you've never had hers. If you're a Yankee and don't know what collards are, they're similar to mustard greens or turnip greens.
I adore this picture. Grandma's face just lit up like this every time she saw Josiah. I was happy to capture it on film.Friday, December 28, 2007
Four Generations, Parker Edition
And here are four generations on this side of the family. It's freaking me out how much mom and my smiles look alike in this picture.OK, in case anyone is confused, my mom's maiden name is Parker, and this is her side of the family. That's how my brother Parker got his name. He's actually named after his great-granddaddy, Stonewall Jackson Parker. But that's another blog entry.
Exchanging Gifts
Christmas Eve Day we exchanged gifts with my side of the family. I don't know if exchanged is really a fair word. We and Josiah were showered with gifts, and we presented a few offerings. Everyone was so incredibly generous. It's irresistible to buy for babies. Josiah is the first grandbaby and great-grandbaby on all sides (where there are great-grands still living), so he's pretty popular.
In his cutie Christmas outfit. He's going to hate this picture when he's a teenager.
Josiah inspected each of his presents by placing it directly in his mouth.
Parker and Rachel gave him this puppet. It came in handy for appeasing him on the car ride home.
The puppet also wanted to give Susan a kiss
All the "kids." When we were leaving that night, Rachel told me that she was glad God put us in the same family. I couldn't agree more.
This is what we look like not holding a baby.
With Mimi.
We did hit one home run with the gift giving. For both sets of grandparents we designed a book online filled with pictures of Josiah. It came out really professionally. We did ours at Photoworks, but I saw several other sites with it available. I don't scrapbook, but I have done layouts, so this worked out well.
In his cutie Christmas outfit. He's going to hate this picture when he's a teenager.
Josiah inspected each of his presents by placing it directly in his mouth.
Parker and Rachel gave him this puppet. It came in handy for appeasing him on the car ride home.
The puppet also wanted to give Susan a kiss
All the "kids." When we were leaving that night, Rachel told me that she was glad God put us in the same family. I couldn't agree more.
This is what we look like not holding a baby.
With Mimi.
We did hit one home run with the gift giving. For both sets of grandparents we designed a book online filled with pictures of Josiah. It came out really professionally. We did ours at Photoworks, but I saw several other sites with it available. I don't scrapbook, but I have done layouts, so this worked out well.
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