Two Months Old

It is hard to believe that you are two months old already, but here we are.  You are so strong, holding up your head and turning it all around whenever you want. It is amazing how much more alert you are than even a few weeks ago. You love hearing silly noises, which causes you to show us your toothless grin.  I shared this picture on facebook too, because I just love it.  It makes me smile whenever I see it. 

We visited the doctor today, and you are developing well.  You are a whopping 13 pounds 1 ounce, and at 24 inches long you are in the 95th percentile for height.  I think you are going to be tall like your daddy and your sister.  I have a feeling that by the time you are 16, I am going to be the shortest person living in our house.   

You love watching your sister dance, and you love laying on your daddy's belly.  Overall though, you are really momma's baby boy.  I know exactly what you need when you're fussy, and I know just how to make you coo and smile.  I am even getting a knack for getting you to go to sleep.  I am sure that will change when I go back to work in a couple more weeks, so I am going to enjoy it for now. 

For such a young man, you are already well traveled.  You've been to Lake of the Ozarks three times and Greenville twice.  You've also visited some St. Louis landmarks like the zoo, Ted Drewe's, and the Federal Reserve Bank.  Fortunately for us, you travel well and always fall asleep when you're in the car longer than 10 minutes. 

This weekend we celebrated your daddy's 30th birthday.  Your Nana kept saying that she couldn't believe her son was this old.  I am sure I'll be saying the same thing 30 years from now, so don't grow up too fast.  Enjoy being a kid, even when you are 30.  I know I am enjoying being your mom, and I thank God every day for blessing our family with you. 

Welcoming 30

Billy welcomed 30 with a party with some of his friends from college at his parents lake house.  We decided to play some of our favorite kids games, including slip-and-slide, jumping through tubes, and throwing water balloons.  While we knew we aren't kids anymore, I don't think any of us anticipated how sore we'd be the next day! 

Audrey helped Nana make two cakes for her daddy.  She insisted that the one cake say Happy Birthday Daddy instead of Billy.  She wrote her name on the second one. They may be a little unorthodox, but I think they are the best birthday cakes I've ever seen.  They were definitely memorable. 

The Big 30

As we celebrate your 30th birthday today, I wanted to write you a note.  I want to tell you just how much I love you.  It is hard to believe that we have been a couple for over 12 years now.  And, while we've been through some tough times, I am so happy to be where we are at...sleep deprivation and all. 

You are endlessly devoted to your family.  I have no doubt that you would do anything for any of us.  I am often amazed by just how passionately you love us, and I hate it when you beat yourself up for not being perfect.  None of us are.  God loves us anyway though, as do we. 

You take every consideration for me.  You never make even somewhat big decisions without asking me.  You also try to make sure that I am taken care of, especially when you have other commitments that keep you away from us.  When you can, you ease the burden on me even if it means bearing more of it yourself. 

I think your mantra is Work Hard, Play Harder.  You are not afraid to get your hands dirty, put in long hours and late nights, or maintain the course even when it's hard.  But, you are also not afraid to be silly and have fun.  You'll pretend to be a witch and chase Audrey around the house, initiate Saturday morning dance parties in the living room, and swim with Audrey even when the water causes both of your lips to turn blue.  Let's not forget to mention your jet ski stunts as well.

Finally, God is in your heart.  I have gotten to see your faith grow and witness your journey with our heavenly Father.  I know that you strive to be a good Christian leader for our household, even when it isn't easy and doesn't always come naturally.  This makes you a good husband, father, and friend. 

I love you and am so thankful that we get to spend our lives together.

Happy Birthday! 

All for Me?

The past few weeks have really been a blessing, despite all of the craziness of traveling and Billy being gone.  I wrote a post last week about how God keeps revealing himself to me, but I continue to be struck again and again by just how amazing it is that God hears my insignificant little prayers.  It is just so exciting to know that even though I am one little person on this people-filled planet, God listens to and answers even my smallest of prayers. 

The latest example of this is last night, I got Barrett down to sleep before 10, which is really good for him.  But, about 15 minutes later, he woke up.  Then, for the next 45 minutes, every time I would be almost asleep, he would wake up and start crying again.  About the fourth time, I was starting to get frustrated, so I said a simple prayer as I crawled back in bed that Barrett would stay asleep, but had very little hope that it would be answered.  I woke up 4.5 hours later to...silence.  Barrett was still alseep!  I had to get up and pump, which was actually an answer to another prayer.  You see, I haven't stored any breastmilk for when I go back to work and Barrett starts going to daycare.  With just 4 weeks to go, I realized  yesterday that I really need to concentrate on building up that supply, but Barrett eats so frequently that it is difficult.  If I pump, there won't be anything left when he wants to eat.  So, all in one night, God showed me twice that even my seemingly insignificant requests are heard.  Barrett slept for 6 hours straight and I got my first bag of milk stored in the deep freeze.  Thank you God for being steadfast, even when I doubt your goodness!

The Many Faces of Barrett

Lately, Barrett has started to interact much more with his surroundings.  This includes cooing, watching people and things as well as smiling.  Yesterday, I even witnessed him flopping over from his belly to his back.  That's right, he is so strong he rolled over at only 7 weeks old. I have been trying to capture some of these playful moments with the camera, so here are a few of my favorites.  I had to throw in one of him sleeping too, because they are all just so precious when they sleep.

On the Road Again

Barrett is going to be a well traveled tike before he is even able to crawl.  In the past two weeks, we have spent very little time at home.  We spent a weekend at the lake in Greenville where Barrett took his first boat ride.  Then a weekend at "home" consisted of a family reunion and baby shower, and then we were off to Lake of the Ozarks again for 6 days of fun to celebrate the 4th of July.  Before we even got home from that trip, Billy had to hop on a plane bound for Israel for a week-long work trip.  So, now the children and I are in Greenville for a few days, since I've never had to care for two children by myself for an extended period of time. 

With all of this going on, God is constantly revealing himself to me, which lends an overall feeling of peace and stillness to the constant craziness.  When I was feeling overwhelmed, two of my friends came over to help me one evening.  When I was getting short tempered because of a lack of sleep, Barrett slept well two nights in a row, allowing me to get back to back nights with 8 hours of sleep (no, they were not consecutive, but one or two feedings at night is great for Barrett).  When I was exasperated with Audrey, I came up with an effective punishment that, combined with some heartfelt conversation, seems to be working well.   It is amazing how God's presence is so apparent when you turn to him.  Even though I feel like my prayers are small and insignificant, God is hearing them and revealing himself in the way they are being answered.