Thankful Beyond Words

I have been very convicted lately.  I have been convicted about the time I spend with God, and about all the things I put before him.  I am attempting to get back into a close relationship with him, and to learn all that I can from him. 

Part of my conviction tonight comes from the fact that I am so thankful for what God has given me, and I feel as though I take my blessings for granted.  I feel as though I do not take the time to sit down and thank God enough for my family, my baby, my marriage, my health, my home, food etc etc etc.  I feel as though sometimes I put motherhood and daily life above God.  At times even blogging comes before diving into the word. 

I just understand that I am so so so lucky to have a perfect, growing, healthy baby to care for. Caleb's health and growth were so out of my control.  I literally just lived while God formed this perfect, healthy baby inside my womb.  He created his eyes, his healthy organs, his personality.  He is the reason I had a healthy pregnancy, that I was fertile to begin with, that I had a healthy and easy delivery, and the reason I have Caleb today.  It breaks my heart when I hear of stories of little ones who are sick, or who have passed away, or of women who can not conceive, or of women who almost died during labor.  I am so so so thankful to God for all of my blessings.  I do not need to take my blessings for granted just because I am on a moutaintop in life right now. 

Thank you God

• for my baby. Thank you for his health, for his personality, for his love.  Thank you for keeping him healthy, and for allowing me to have him each day to hold. Do not let me take that for granted.
• for my husband. He is so loving and loves to be with me.  Help me to take the time each day to appreciate him, and tell him how much he means to me.
• for my family.  Thank you for the love they show me.  Thank you for the health of each one of them, and all they do and have done for me.
• for my inlaws.  Thank you for allowing us to have a strong relationship.Thank you for all that they do for us.
• for my friends. Thank you for old and new friends, and the relationships that have been built. 
• for my church. Thank you for allowing us to find a place that made us feel at home. Thank you for the minister and how hubby and I both love hearing his messages.
• for your son. Thank you for salvation. I did nothing to deserve it. Thank you for your power to forgive at all times.
• for my pets. I love them so much :).
• for my home. Though we have outgrown, and though we stress financially at times let me understand how blessed we are.

I want to be thankful at all times. Even on the mountaintop.  My prayer is that I will be consumed on this mountaintop with the love of God.  I want to overflow with his love once more.

"Yet you brought me safely from my mother's womb and led me to trust you when I was a nursing infant.  I was thrust upon you at my birth.  You have been my God from the moment I was born". Psalm 22:9-10

"I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice-the kind he will accept.  When you think of what he has done for you, is it too much to ask? Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is" Romans 12:1-2

New Must Haves

Remember this post way back when about my favorite baby items?  You know when my little man was still an itty bitty teeny weeny.  Well, some things have changed since then, and I thought it would be fun to do a new must have baby post.  I will say these are my new must haves for babys 4 months-6 months. 

1.  Mesh Feeder- So fun to let Caleb eat with.  He is still getting the hang of it, but he loves it ohh so much.

2.  Baby Puffs/Baby food.  Caleb loves to eat!! We started him on solids at 4 months, and have had no problem at all.  He opens his mouth and eats so fast. You basically have to shovel in the food.

3.  Good Start Protect Plus Formula.  Switching the formula was rough for this momma. I wanted oh so bad to be able to breast feed for the long haul, but what can I say, "My Boobs Suck". I was so sad when they stopped producing milk.  Anyway, it took us about 7 formulas to find one that worked for Caleb. We used Similac for a while, but it started messing with his belly.  Good Start (Green Can), has been wonderful.

4.  Tummy time mat/All the toys you can find.  Caleb loves to play with everything now! His new love is my cell phone or the remote, but we try to distract him with his own toys.  He will go from one toy to another to another. It is so cute to watch him try to figure out what they will do.  He is so into playing with his toys that he has absolutely no interest in crawling or rolling :).

5.  Baby Bath Tub.  I hated my tub at first because Caleb was so itty bitty that he did not fit well in it.  The first two months of his life I basically got into the big tub with him and bathed him, because it was so much easier. Now he fits in his tub so well, and bath time is so much fun.

6.  A Boppy Pillow: How did I live through the newborn stage without this.  I did not purchase one until Caleb was 4 months, and let me just tell you I use it all the time!! Love it!

7.  His Movement Monitor.  This was mentioned in my first post and I still use it every night!! #1 recommended item from this momma for sure!

8. Jumparoo and Exersaucer=LOVE!!

9. Highchair.  Caleb loves to sit and play with his toys in his highchair. I move it from room to room with me when I am cleaning, and he stays content.  We were given this highchair, and I have learned to accept anything for free when it comes to babies. He absolutely loves it!!

What we do not use much anymore:

1.  His beloved swing and bouncy seat. They got us through the first three months, but he has little interest for them anymore.

2.  Bassinet:  We were done with this by 3 months, and we all sleep so much better now.  We had no problem with the transition, in fact Caleb sleeps wonderfully in his crib.

3.  Swaddle Blankets: After almost 4 months of being swaddled every night Caleb is now swaddle free.  That was a transition, but I still recommend them for younger babies. 






PS.  Don't forget to check out Caleb's girlfriend here. 

Lovely Blogger Thursday

This is Lea Liz and he hubster

She is the mama of this little cutie Brody

And she is this week's Lovely Blogger. 

Be sure to check out her blog, The Roland Family, here!!

1. When and Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging In June of 2008. I had found out I was pregnant in May and I wanted to a way to keep like a journal of my pregnancy and something to share with family and friends who didn't live around me so they could know what was going on. I didn't blog as much in 2008 as I would have liked, I guess it just took that long for me to get the hang of it and become a blogger addict!!

2.What is your love story with your hubby? How did you meet, when did you get engaged?
My Hubby and I met in October of 2005 in Lexington, Ky! My best friend (roomate) was dating a guy from Mt. Sterling and he had this friend who was in the Navy ( my hubby) that was coming home on leave and he wanted me to go to out with him so we could go on a double date. I wasn't into the whole idea at first, I had never dated anyone I didn't know beforehand and plus I knew nothing about him!!!! I said no at first and then my best friend met him and came back telling me I should go out on a date with him, that she just knew he was my type... plus she told me he was really hott..haha So I said yes. He came to my dorm room ( wow was he a hottie) and then we went to Jacobson park to haunted trail and to a late dinner at Denny's. For the 4 days that he was home we were inseparable. He then had to go back to San Diego and as much as I hated him being gone we did a whole lot of talking on the phone and we got to learn so much about each other. From then on it was US. We got engaged very shortly after only dating 6 months but we were together 2 1/2 years before we got married. He proposed to me on March 16th 2006 at the Natural Bridge. I had never been and I had always told him how I wanted to go so he took me and proposed to me right on top! We got married on January 19th, 2008!!!

3. What is your #1 must have couldn't live without baby item?

Fisher-Price Soothing Motions Glider!!!!! I used this up until Brody was about 6 months old! He loved to sleep in it. I would put him in it while I took a shower and sit him in the bathroom with me! He loved this more than his swing or bouncy seat!! This was a lifesaver for me!! It plays music and glides back and forth and from side to side. It is pretty big so they are not scrunched and it also has handles for easy transfer without waking! I loved it!!

4. What is your favorite Hobby?

I have lots of Hobby's or well just maybe things I like it do?

I love blogging!! Love love love it!!!

I love scrap booking, although I don't find much time for it and I'm not really that good!

I love shopping!! Love love love it!

I love spending time with my family and friends!!

I love yard saleing in the summer, so fun to see what you can find!!

I love to go tanning a salon and tanning by the pool in the summertime!

5. What is your daily schedule with your baby?

Wow this changes often from the days I go to school and the days I am home with him!
When I go to school
6:25-- Wake Brody up to get him ready, nurse him, spend time with him, and take him over to my mom's before I leave.
7:00-- I leave for school. I call and check on a few times to see how and what he has been doing.
4:00-- I get home go t my mom's to get Brody and visit for a few minutes. I then take him back home and nurse him and he is usually ready for a nap.
5:00-- Brody wakes up and we play together and he has a little snack.
6:00-- We eat supper and then Brody plays with his daddy while I clean up
7:00-8:30-- WE play, read books, get our bedtime bath, put on Pj's and go cuddle in the bed together ( he nurses here too)
Not in school
We don't have a strict schedule.
Between 7:00-8:00 Brody wakes up and wants to nurse and then he watcheds cartoons and eats breakfast.
10:00-- Morning Nap.. anywhere from a half hour to 2 hours.
11:00-- Play Play Play.. get a bath and get dressed for the day.
12:00-- Lunch and Play a little!
1:00-- Nurse a little and then take a small short nap.
1:30-- We spend the rest of our day playing or going places!
4:00-- He sometimes wants a nap here just depends.
6:00-- Supper!
7:00- 8:30-- Play, read books, bedtime bath, put on Pj's, cuddle in bed, and nurse!
There..that's a litle rough schedule to our days!!!

6. What is your #1 piece of advice for a new mama?
Enjoy every little moment!! Your baby will grow faster than you think!! You may be totally exhausted and wore out, but enjoy it. You will get rested or your body just gets used to it:) There is nothing better than Being a mom!!!

7. If you could give your baby one piece of advice to remember forever, what would it be?
I would tell him to Always treat others the way he would want to be treated in a good Christian like way. Be Godly to others. Always be hands to help and guide others. To always believe in God and to attend church and worship whenever the doors are open!

8. List your top 5 Blog reads!

1.http://babysilvey.blogspot.com/

2.http://gagelykins.blogspot.com/

3.http://babblingabby.blogspot.com/

4.http://4ourhappilyeverafter.blogspot.com/

5.http://ivfinfertility.blogspot.com/

9.Favortie store to buy baby clothes?
I love buying Brody clothes!! I love looking on ebay for boutique outfits that I like! I love Carter's. There clothes are so cute, soft, comfy, and and a very afforadble price. I love Oopise Daises in Mt. Sterling. I get his clothes anywhere really... if I like it I will get it. I likeOld Navy, Baby Gap, Carters, Wal-Mart, anywhere!! Also I lovegoing to a consignment sale they have in the Ashland area a few times a year.. next week is the spring&summer sale and I am hoping to find him some cute things!!

10. Favorite Bible Verse:

1 Corinthians 13 4-7


Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Who Knew Saying Hi Could be so Fun

Today Caleb and I went to a free trail class of kindermusik in our area. Let me just tell you that I absolutely loved it.  Caleb was so interested in everything going on and just stared and smiled.  It was so cute.  I loved singing all the cute songs, waving the scarfs, and shaking the toys almost as much as him I think.  Caleb's girlfriend joined us, and looked so cute in her new bow I might add. By the way Isabel's momma started a new blog. Check it out here. Isabel and Caleb were the youngest in the class, but it was such a great time. I think I may have to enroll him in the class when he is a little older.  It is just to expensive for me to justify spending on him right now, since he is so young, but would for sure be great in the future.  I am sad that I forgot to bring my camera, so I could not take any pictures :(. 

Here are some pics from the last few days to hold the grandparents over though.  :)

This face cracks me up :P

I love this little pose.  It is so wonderfully baby :)

Also, don't forget to stop by tommorrow for Lovely Blogger Thursday.  I will give you a hint to who our Lovely Blogger is....Her name starts with a Lea and ends with a Liz :). 

Hey Mr Grumpy Gills....

What do you do when life gets tough?? Just Keep Skiing Just Keep Skiing Just Keep Skiing Skiing Skiing....(I know I am corny, but I thought it fit).  Anyone know what this post is about?

Anyone....

Anyone??....

Aww come on you can guess......

Okay I will tell you, SKIING!!! As you all know if you read my blog daily, I went skiing this past weekend with my family for my birthday.  I love love love to ski, and I had not been in 2 years.  The last time I went skiing was in Whistler, Canada during New Years of 06-07.  We cross country road tripped it, and we hit the slopes for a week.  It was hubby and I's first trip as a dating couple, and it was soo much fun. The next winter we did not make it out to any slopes, and then the next winter I was with child.  Anyway, it had been a while.  I live near a ski lodge, and so my family came up to my house on Friday night.  We had a great time playing the Wii Fit that I got for my birthday from my inlaws, and drinking Cranberry Margaritas, and of course everyone enjoyed playing with little man, who stayed up WAY past his bedtime to play :).

 The next morning daddy cooked breakfast.  He made my most favorite breakfast in the world gravy and biscuits.  No one up here makes it, and I miss it a lot.  However, I refused to let Caleb have a bite, because it is basically grease and milk, and so no healthy.  Then it was time to hit the slopes!!

Here we are before we left my house minus Katherine, who took FOREVER to get there Saturday morning :).  Caleb did not go skiing, he stayed at Memaw's, but he joined in the picture.

We then headed out.  The car ride was fun, and was filled with my sisters and I screaming country and bluegrass music at the top of our lungs while obnoxiously dancing in the backseat.  My dad and stepmom seemed immune to our loudness.

Once we arrived at the slopes it took a little bit to get everything together and get out on the hills.  I spent the first half teaching my middle sister and dad how to ski.  Dad decided it wasn't for him, but Ran did a good job once she got the hang of it.  I looked over at one point coming down a hill and she was literally hugging a tree because she got scared. It was funny. :) 

Dad, Nancy and Ran left about mid day but Kat, Nick, and my bro-in-law stayed out until around 10:30.  Basically when the slopes turned to ice.  I have to brag that I did not fall the entire day! We spent most of our time on blues, and it was so fun.  My sister however, yea this one with the pretty little face and sweet expression...

Don't let her fool you.  She is evil! She decided I needed to fall, so she snowboarded directly in front of me coming down and hill, and we rolled into a ball. It was hilarious, and it took forever to get me back up, because my ski's kept sliding down the hill. 

It was such a fun day. Thanks again daddy! (I can't wait to be able to take Caleb skiing one day, even though hubby says he needs to be a snow boarder). 

Happy Monday

We had soo much fun skiing this weekend (thanks dad).  It was great to see family, and enjoy some time on the slopes.  A full post about this weekend will follow, as soon as my camera charges and I can upload pictures.

This weekend seemed to fly by however, and I am sad that another work week has begun. I mean I only work 3 nights a week, but that is 3 nights away from my little man, and 5 long days for hubby. I love having him with me all weekend, and I miss having him around during the day while he is working.  Oh well, we have to make money to live, and I appreciate him working so hard so I can stay with little man most of the time.

Little man is feeling a little under the weather today I believe. He slept in until 10, ate, had a bath, played for about 5 minutes, started crying, rubbing his eyes, and fell back asleep. There has been a cold passed around in our household, and his little nose sounded congested. He may have it. He is still sleeping as we speak, and I am hoping he wakes up happy. I hate to see him upset.

This is a really random post.  Oh well, I guess I do not have one subject to really talk about.  Caleb does have a new love for bitter biscuits, and baby Puffs however.  I bought the Up and Up brand of puffs at Target the other day, and he LOVES them.  He will scream for them when I pull the out, and he chews so well.  I like them because they dissolve, kind of like a cheese puff, and it makes me feel comfortable with him eating them.  He also loves bitter biscuits. I feed them to him in his mesh feeder, and he always has them all over him! He yells at the feeder if the biscuit is not in the right place for him to bite. Cracks me up.  I think this post would have been more funny if I would have taken video. Oh well, I will leave you with some pictures (because I know you are dying to see pictures of my baby eating :))

I also have a new love for little baby pj pants. I mean is there anything cuter than a baby butt in tight little pj's?  I still dress Caleb is sleepers 95% of the time, but pj pants may be bought more often now. 

Caleb Fix

Since I was MIA for a week, I have had baby picture requests. Mostly from family and friends who do not get to see little man as much as we would all like.  This post is for you all, (commonwealth staffers and grandparents) :).  We Love You!

We will more than likely be MIA this weekend.  My family is coming in town and taking us skiing for my b-day!! YAY! I can't wait.  It has been 2 years, since last year I was carrying a little something special in my belly :).   

A Birthday to Brag About :)

Hubby outdid himself this year for my b-day blogger friends, and I just have to take some time to brag on him.  He had told me for a few weeks that he had something planned for my b-day, but he would not tell me what it was.  He took my b-day off from work, took me to lunch, and took over baby duty all day so I could take a long afternoon nap.  That night we dropped Caleb off at Meemaw's house, and headed on our date, in which I had no idea what to expect. 

We arrived at a local hotel who has a top floor revolving restaraunt.  The restaraunt revolves to view both KY and downtown Cincy.  It was amazing.  I was so blown away.  We had some drinks, some amazing food, and the best dinner conversation ever.  We talked so deep, and it was so awesome to take the time out to discuss things other than Caleb's poo of the day :).  After dinner we checked into a room with a king size sleep number bed (I'm 25 and Hubby is 40 :)).  It was our first sleepover away from Caleb, but Caleb did awesome, and it was great to have hubby and me time. 

Thank you so much babe for the wonderful birthday.  You are the best husband I could ever ask for, and I love you so much.

Here are some pictures of the birthday night :).

Caleb decided to say..

Happy Birthday MaMa!

Then he Played me Happy Birthday and Sang :)

Everyone else joined in the fun :)

(we were really playing heart and soul, but a girl can pretend)

 

Won't You Be My Valentine

I was the luckiest girl in the world this V-Day. I had 2 Valentines, who I just love more than life.  Hubby and I do not celebrate big on V-Day because my B-Day is TOMMORROW, and we always celebrate then. Hubby has something special planned, dunno for sure what yet, but I am very excited about tommorrow to find out. 

V-Day we went to church.  Caleb stayed in the church nursery for the 3rd time during the service, and he has a new nickname withthe workers.  When we arrived they said "Oh there is Happy Caleb, he is the happiest baby I have ever met".  He did great in the nursery, and our preacher had a great sermon on love in a marriage.  Afterward, we traveled to the mall so hubster could do some shopping, and then we took Caleb to his VERY FIRST MOVIE EVER to see Valentines Day.   He did so well. He slept through most of it, but he was very into the lights on the screen at first.  I just love my boys so much. 

Obviously 2 Day Shipping no Longer Exists

These beautiful eyes are BACK, and we are soo excited about that.

Sorry for the dissapearance bloggy friends. I mean we were gone for over a week with no explanation at all. I know you all wanna hear my vent of a tale of why that is soo right??? :)

It all started last week when my hubbys computer completely crashed. It is so done and gone friends.  Anyway, when Syd was a puppy she chewed my laptop power cord, and we had not used my laptop for a long time.  We pull it out, hubby rigs it up to where it will turn on.  Only if you held it in the same position and did not move your hands at all.  God forbid you try to type, and the computer would die! Long story short, we needed a new power cord.

I found a cheap power cord on Amazon.  On dell.com they were 60 dollars, but I found one on Amazon for 5.74.  I two-day shipped it and I was so excited about the great deal I found.  This was last Tuesday. Come Thursday, there was no computer cord, so I callled Amazon.  This is how the conversation  went..

Me: Yes, I  wanted to know the status of an order I placed on Tuesday. It was suppose to be shipped via 2 day shipping and it is not here.

Amazon: Yes, it looks like your order was shipped today and should be there Monday.

Me: I paid for two day shipping, and it is being shipped on the day it should have arrived. Is there anything I can do about that?

Amazon: You can log onto your account online and contact the seller.

Me: My computer will not turn on right now, that's why I ordered a cord. Do you have a phone number where I can contact the seller for a refund?

Amazon: No there is no number, but you can e-mail them on your account online.

Me: I can't get onto my computer to get online.

Amazon: Well, when you can you can contact the seller.

UGHHH!! It took 1 week for the cord to get here, but I have it and the computer is up and running again.  I am so excited to be able to reconnect this week.

More posts with pictures to come :) Possibly 2 posts in one day :).

MaMa Blog, Blog Hop

I Love Love Love to find and read new blogs.  I just love finding out about peoples lives, and connecting with families that I do not even know.  My favorite blogs to read are MaMa blogs.  I feel as though I have the most in common with other Mama's out there, and I find myself discovering new ways to connect with Caleb through them.

I would love to find new mama blogs out there, and so I decided to try my hand at a blog hop.  The rules are simple.

• If you have a Mama blog, link yourself.
• Mention this blog hop on your blog so others can join in the fun.
• We all have a new way to find other momma blogs, and make new bloggy friends.

Hope you join in the fun!!

Grr This Snow

I am in a mood today friends.  Not a bad mood, just a "I'm gonna go crazy if I don't get out of this house mood".  This darn snow storm has ruined all my weekend plans and taken my hubby away in the process.  My hubster plows snow when there is a big storm, and even though it is great money, I miss having him here. I mean he left at midnight last night and he is still not home :(.  We were suppose to hang out with two of my work friends last night and have a Dawsons Creek Margarita night.  Yes you heard me, we were going to subject our loves to hours upon hours of Dawsons Creek (I have every season), and have some tasty drinks in the process. However, snowstorn 2010 hits, and my hubby is swept away, and all of our plans go to poo. 

Today, hubby and I had planned to go shopping and find home decorations.  I need his input on picking everything out, but that also will not be happening.  Hubby will arrive home in about an hour, exhausted, and will probably fall asleep soon after even if he tries to stay awake :(.  I am just about to go crazy. I mean there is nothing on tv, nothing to do on the computer (no blog updates ever on Saturday to look at), and I have checked facebook probably 1 million times already.  I need to get out, but I am to scared to drive in the snow. 

Caleb has not even really kept me to busy today. He slept till 9:30, fell back asleep at 11:30, woke up at 12:30, ate, and fell back asleep from 1-3:30. He ate, and now he is sleeping again.  Maybe a growth spurt?  In that time I have cleaned, rearranged my laundry room, and ate probably to many times.  During Calebs wake time we have rolled a lot, sat up on our own while playing with toys, and put fine motor skills to work.  He has mastered pushing down the animals on this toy. 

Bella decided she would help

That is amazing fine motor skills if you ask me. I mean it takes a lot to figure out that you have to let go of the monkeys head before you can close it back.  Aww he growing up on me.  Hopefully, I will find something fun to do in this house tonight blogger friends.  Please God, melt the snow, and allow us to be able to get out of the house and have fun :). 

Friday Follower

Friday Follow: A Celebration of Followers

Welcome to the fourth Friday Follow celebration hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families and Midday Escapades! We invite you to join us every Friday to get more blog followers and to follow other interesting blogs. It is all about sharing and having fun.

Here's how YOU can join the celebration:

* Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below. Only need to add to one blog linky.

* Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots. We will follow you back.

* Follow as many blogs as you like

* Comment on the blogs telling them you're from Friday Follow

* Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow

The Blog Hop is the same at each of our three hosts blogs so you do not have to add your blog at each site. Just one - but you can follow each host blog. Here is the great part, we will follow you back.