Thoughts, Part II

I wasn't really sure on a better title, because truly, I'm just writing what the Lord has been putting on my heart. I have entered into a season of my life where I'm really the most unsure I've ever been. It's not a bad thing, for I'm having to really rely on the Lord and His direction, I've just never been here before. When going to college, God provided me with an amazing room mate and Christian friends really quickly and I adjusted well. When we moved to Auburn, again, great Christian bubble and wonderful work place. However, in our new town, it's different. There are believers, but the atmosphere is different.

Justin and I were just talking last night about how God might have placed us here to help start something. It really made me excited to hear Justin talking about it...how the Lord has known all along that we needed to be here for a reason and the reason may be much bigger than our jobs/Justin's research.

On another note, God has also been teaching me a lot about holding my hands open to Him with Jude. Wow, as Jude's Mommy, I want to hold him so tightly, but I'm trying to have an attitude of my heart to hold him loosely and allow the Lord to move in and through him, even at such a tiny stage. He is growing so quickly and I've had to start telling him "no"...he tends to like to pull my hair and blow raspberries while eating, neither which are socially appropriate, though very cute. :)

Lastly, we had a wonderful weekend! On Friday we went to the lake. We found a secluded spot where no one was around and Mason could run around. Jude enjoyed the water and it was nice to get away. On Saturday, we went hiking and Jude man did great. He liked drinking from a water bottle. (I was afraid he might get dehydrated.) He LOVES being outside and it is amazing to watch Justin in his element with his son. He walks around telling him about trees, bugs, and animals. It's really quite precious.Jude and I after the hike...he was pooped!
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Justin loved his backpack carrier. Jude and I got it for him for his Father's Day/Birthday present. It's Kelty Kids and we're very pleased with it!

Thoughts

My Aunt Deb gave me a really great journal before Jude was born to write in. I've been keeping prayer journals since the 8th grade so I decided to use it as a journal to the Lord and to Jude during my pregnancy and Jude's first year of life. In it are different verses of scripture, quotes, and prayers. One that I read yesterday is one I think any parent would want to pray, so wanted to share it.

Dear Lord,
I pray that I will know the treasures that are hidden in You so I may help my baby find the rich things You have given us to enjoy. Please help me to be an example and to lead my precious little one into the delight of knowing You. Amen.

On another note, tomorrow will be Jude's 5 month birthday. The days seem like moments and every day I love this little boy more and more. He doesn't go back to the dr. until he's 6 months and we don't have a scale at home, so I'm unsure of his weight, but as far as developments go, Jude is:

-Still sleeping through the night, but still needing us to get up a few times a night to put his paci back in. He'll go down by 8:30 pm and sleep until we wake him up to leave for work and on the weekends, he'll sleep until at least 7 am. (**If any of you Mom's have advice on how to get a baby to stop waking up b/c they've lost their paci, I'm up for advice.)

-Loves trying new foods. So far, he's tried, apples, bananas, pears, carrots, sweet potatoes, peas and squash. There is nothing he doesn't like, but his favorite has seemed to be carrots. He prefers it when I make them rather than jarred, but our local grocery store has had the organic stuff on sale, so it's much cheaper that way.

-Very friendly. We've been trying a new church every week since we've moved here and everyone he meets he smiles and laughs. He doesn't always want new people to hold him per say, but he is a very friendly baby.

-Still rolling over well. His favorite toys are these new Baby Einstein balls we got him. We'll roll them and throw them with him and he cracks up. He still enjoys his swing when he's getting tired and likes playing on his play mat.

-He wants to sit up so bad. He acts like he's doing crunches and get really frustrated. If we sit him up and let him go, he can stay as much as 20 seconds by himself, but not consistently.

-He is very long legged, like his Daddy. We have a few pant jumper outfits and he looks like Huck Finn in them. I can't buy a size bigger b/c he's on target as far as clothes with his waist goes, so if I buy bigger to be long enough, they'll swallow him whole around the tummy area. This fall/winter may be interesting. :)

We are continuing to make new friends and learn more about the town and new culture we're in. God is faithful and we're thankful for the many blessings we've been given.

"From His abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another." John 1:16

Afternoon at the park...

When we told everyone that we were moving to Arizona, everyone said, "Oh, it's so hot!" Me included. However, our quaint little town is actually in the mountains, not the "Valley" aka Mesa/Phoenix area and it's a good 10-15 degrees cooler here than there. This morning we woke up to a perfect 70! Granted, it did make it to the mid 90's, but with 3% humidity, that's nothing compared to the 100+ heat in Alabama with 100% humidity. Any who, last weekend, we decided to go to a local park and "play" with Jude. Justin and I probably had more fun than he did, but he did really love the swing. Mason also enjoyed having grass to roll in, since we have very little in our yard.
Jude LOVES his Daddy! When Justin gets home, he just lights up. However, he is still definitely a Momma's boy. If he's grumpy or tired, he prefers me, but he loves to play with Justin.
I'm really enjoying having my camera that takes action shots. It has several options, but my favorite is the one that takes 20 frames and you choose which ones you like. It's really funny to see the faces we make in slow motion!
Many people have been wondering how we're adjusting, and I honestly think we're all doing really well. After only 2 nights here, Jude decided to start stretching his 5-5:30 am feeding to 6:15 or even as late as 7:40 a few times, so that's been nice. We still have to go in at least once in the middle of the night to help him out with his paci, but that's it. He's also doing well with his new sitter. She has another 18 month old little boy she also keeps, so I think that will be good for Jude. She says he's fussy most days, but I know my boy and I think that's relative. I have done A LOT of babysitting over the years...it's practically what got me through college, and I've seen fussy babies and Jude is not one of them. Don't get me wrong, my child cries, but I would consider him pretty typical. He'll cry if he's hungry, wet, or tired. He'll wimper a little if he's getting bored with an activity (which is what I think is happening at her house) but over all, if he's communicating, there is a reason.

As far as Justin and I adjusting, I think it's going really well. We have started a new devotional that we do seperately, but most days discuss and with his work schedule, we're getting in a good family routine at night where we eat dinner while Jude takes an evening cat nap, he wakes up and eats, then we take Mason on a nice walk, come back for a bath, and them play. I really enjoy it! I won't lie...this weekend I had a total break down and said I hated it here and really complained but talk about conviction. It was like a neon sign was over my head saying "Do all things without complaining..." Needless to say, the Holy Spirit quickly reminded me of the many things I have to be thankful for, and there are many, and got back into a normal frame of mind.

Any who, that's about it...kiddos come back to school tomorrow, but fortunately it's only for 2 days and I get all day Friday, Saturdsay, and Sunday with my boys!

Settling In...

That's what Jude said to riding in a car seat for 3 days/1700 miles. :) "Poo on you!" No really, he did great and so did Mason. After what seemed like a huge deal at the time, we had an ordeal with the moving company, but God was faithful and with the help of wonderful friends and great family, we made it! Our quaint little town is definitely different than Auburn, but 3 years ago, I was thinking, "Man, Auburn is so different from Wilmington!" and I fell in love with it. The people here are super nice and love to hear our accents.
After unpacking boxes and beginning to settle in, we took a "hike" at Rount Mt. Park here in our new town. Jude loves being outside and it's got nice trails that are actually more flat than our neighborhood. Taking a "leisurely" walk is more like running stadiums and my glutes are on fire.
Jude is loving eating his oatmeal and changes more and more every day. Though we are going through some crazy transitions right now and we are experiencing God's love and mercy like never more!