5 Months and So Much More!

Tonight as Jason was kissing up one side of our naked boy's belly and I on the other, listening to him giggle and squeal with delight before his bath time, I realized........this is life, this is MY life. Each day is filled with little moments like these where I stop myself and take it all in. Every smile, every giggle, every tear, every second.

Today I talked to my sister and we still laugh about jokes that are decades old. We might not live down the street from each other, but when we laugh on the phone like that I know things will never change. I talked to my mom and could hear the pain in her voice because she misses her grandson. I emailed my best friend letting her know the days I would be able to visit her since we last saw each other years ago. You know, before I appreciated the small things I wouldn't have thought twice about any one of these conversations, but they mean so much more to me now.

I think it's funny how we just wish our life away, and then when we get there, we would give anything to go back in time. Stop wanting more and just enjoy what you have. I went to Honduras last summer and went to a village there that was poor beyond what anyone reading this blog would understand or recognize. And you know what? They were happy. They were content and happy, praising God for what they had. Then I come home and realize how spoiled, ungrateful, and greedy we are (myself included!). Since that trip, and since Caleb has been born too, I find myself just trying to be thankful for what I do have. I wish I could say I pray every day. I don't. I miss days sometimes when busy days and sleep get the best of me. But when I do pray, I thank God for the little things because I feel it's important to the God who created the heavens and the Earth to be thanked for creating me too, and everything and everyone in my life. You know, I once heard the saying, "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." I agree. Stop and be thankful because before you know it, that newborn boy is five months old. I'm going to blink again and he'll be 25.



R

Man in the Mirror

No, this is not another tribute to Michael Jackson. Lord knows we don't need another one of those. Did yall know he died???

Anyway, I'm talking about my little boy! He's grown to love his reflection and smiles at it every time. I wanted to share with you a few pictures. Now, keep in mind, these pictures don't do him justice. It's so much more fun to watch him interact with the mirror by cooing and touching it. We just don't have a convenient way of downloading videos quite yet, so pictures will have to do.




Just wanted to share these. I have so many more cute photos, but it's bath time for Caleb and I gotta run!

R

There's A First Time For Everything

Lately, my boy has tried lots of new things for the first time. Sometimes he holds his bottle all by himself.



He also tried cereal for the first time! He's grown to like it now.



He also got to swing in his outside swing for the first time (thanks Benny and Anna Ruth)!



Enjoy a few pictures of these moments! There are so many other moments, but it seems impossible to document all of them. He changes every single day and is finding new things to get into. His latest love is the mirror. I'll have to try and get him smiling with it so you all can see how cute he is! Caleb is also getting better at rolling over and sitting up. He always likes to be moving......great. I have so many more pictures and stories to tell, but I have to leave something for next time!

R

What's Up Doc?

My little boy is chin deep in drool! Teething is an interesting period in a baby's life. Caleb started teething a few weeks ago and since then, we have tired almost everything to help him find relief from the discomfort. We've tried the Tylenol, the frozen washcloth, the teethers (both frozen, chilled, and room temp), the teething tabs, the Orajel......and the chilled and peeled carrot. Believe it or not, the carrot works wonders (thanks Amanda).



It's amazing to watch Caleb grow up right before our eyes. He's really starting to notice his feet and he has learned how to lean over and grab them and he tries to put them in his mouth. Sometimes I look over and just see him staring at them. He grabs at toys, hair, his bottle, my cell phone, the TV remote, and anything else he can get his hands on (and then tries to eat it). He's learning to roll over on his sides and onto his back from his belly. He's also determined to never lay flat on his back! He can lean up and pull himself up very well now. He's reaching for his rubber ducky in the bathtub too. These are just a few of the many things I've seen change just in the past week or so! As I'm blogging, I'm watching him play in his exersaucer that just weeks ago he couldn't stand up in or reach any of the toys and now he's all over the place in it! He's also sleeping in his own bed now in his own room. Finally, he's in the room we worked so hard on.



My mom and dad were able to visit last weekend and that was the first time they had sen him in six weeks! Needless to say they were amazed at how much my boy had changed. It's funny. Normally, if you're around someone every single day, you don't notice small changes that over time add up to a lot. However, even though I'm around Caleb everyday, I see those little changes and I cherish each and every one of them, no matter how small.



Caleb is now out of his exersaucer and asleep in my arms as I'm typing. It's amazing all the things I've learned how to do with a baby in my arms. I can wash bottles, eat, sleep, clean, do laundry, and pump while holding Caleb. Shoot, I've even mastered how to go to the bathroom holding him....not that any of you needed to know that, but hey, you try it sometime and you'll understand it's something to brag about.



All in all, I look at each passing day as one I'll never get back and I try to make the best of them, even the hard days. There are so many stories that touch my heart in a different way now than they would have before Caleb. A student of mine had a baby and within a week, it died. Another friend of mine has a friend that gave birth to a stillborn baby at 37 and 1/2 weeks. I had Caleb at 38. Stories like this break my heart in a way that I've never felt before and I thank God each night for allowing me to have Caleb here with me instead of with Him. I know these stories would have been sad to hear about before I had Caleb, but now it's just different and until you have a child, you just don't feel this feeling. I know that I could lose my son, or any family member, at any time and it makes me realize how much I take them for granted. Stop and be thankful.

R