roly poly Penelope!

Im not exactly sure why time flies so much faster as we get older, but alas I truly feel like it was the blink of an eye ago that I was holding Penelope for the first time. I cannot believe she is FIVE MONTHS. That is one month shy of 6 months- which is half of a whole year old!

My little girl is growing so fast. She is the master of rolling over. She has been doing this for the last month or so, and without fail, every time I lay her down, she defaults to her position of choice- the belly. I can already see her starting to do these swim-like motions in place- so rapidly in fact that I swear her knees are going to catch the floor in mid stroke and she is going to be up and off on her first crawl.

Penelope is about the smiliest little thing I have ever seen! I mean to tell you, all you have to do is blink in her direction and she is one big gummy grin. Now there were a few weeks there where we had some separation anxiety, but she seems to be a happy camper as long as mommy, daddy or her big brother are around. She has quite the sense of humor already- she just laughs and laughs any time you have a silly face or some peek-a-boos for her.

Preson is also learning to really love and play with his baby sister. I will catch him sneaking her a kiss or laying on her playmat with her showing her all of his stuffed animals.
Penelope is following in her brothers footsteps in so many ways. One of them being that she is a lightweight. She has been exclusively breastfed and at our last visit to the pediatrician, she was recommended to supplement a bottle of formula to ensure she was getting enough calories. Well of course she decides to be stubborn about it and refuses any kind of formula (can you blame her? gross.). So we just try to supplement a bottle of breast milk instead. Note- she has taken many a bottle on the occasion that mama is not around...until now. She decides that she will NOT take a bottle of any kind. Its like she KNOWS. So after much prayer and fear of having a repeat of what we went through with Preson, we have decided to simply continue to exclusively breastfeed since we at least have that down. I am just increasing the frequency of her feedings. I have learned to be ok with my little ones being little.

We are waiting to present solids to her until she is sitting up like a champ (still working on those back muscles!) and very interested in food. I am very prayerful of this first feeding- which I am guessing will happen sometime within this month or next. I am giving my fears of any feeding adversions to the Lord daily. She has followed in Preson's patterns of feedings almost to the T, so of course the thought of it being a possiblility is there. Please pray for Penelope to be interested in eating- and to eat well. Please pray that she will thrive. And please pray that her mommy would give her fears to her Lord and trust him to take care of her baby.

All in all, Penelope has been a dream baby- Happy except for when she is tired or hungry. Sleeps through the night- from 730pm-8am! I love how she will just curl up and snuggle with me or lay on my shoulder and fall asleep. There is something so special about having a baby girl. She is perfect in my eyes and I cant wait to make new memories each day with her.

God-breathed beauty mark

Life has been quite overwhelming lately. We recently found out that it is official that we have 30 days to close on our house. This means we have to finish the renovation of our living areas in the new house, pack and move in 30 days!! I have been an emotional roller coaster and suffering from short term memory loss these days- Im just not all there. So that all said, I have confession. I am the world's biggest worry- wart. I have struggled with this my whole life. Im sure there is some deep rooted psychological reason that I am always bracing myself for the worst thing possible to happen in every situation. Of course all the things I just listed are at the forefront of my mind when it comes to worry, but the biggest test of my worry stems from my almost-11 month old.

He is the most amazing child I have ever encountered and yet I constantly worry about him- from him not lifting his belly when he crawls to his light weight to his disinterest in food. The list goes on and on. The other day I practically admitted him to the ER after getting a stomach bug.
Today I was on the phone crying (of course) to a dear friend about all my fears and worries and of course she gave me godly counsel which encouraged and set me at ease. Wiping my tears, I hung up, and as I went to pick up Preson, something caught my eye. I looked a little closer and discovered on his little thigh what we in the south refer to as a "beauty mark". I totally lost it as I stood there alone in my kitchen holding my baby. I realized that it was God's perfect timing in waiting to let me discover this little reminder that my little one is beautiful. Despite all my fears and worry, God created him beautiful and perfect in every way. He created my baby boy and know matter what fears I may have, HE CREATED HIM, so it is going to be ok. Period. Not only that, but if I spend all my time living in fear and worry, I will find myself missing all the little beautiful things God wants me to enjoy as my little grows. I dont know, it was just a very spiritual moment for me- it was God talking to me through a beauty mark. As I continue in my adventures of first-time mommy-dom, I hope and pray that God will show it to me frequently as reminder not to worry and that HE is in control...


(This seems to be a recurring theme in my blog, I know)

parallels

One of the things that made me fall head over heels in love with my husband was this lacksadaisical happiness he has to him. He always has a smile on his face, he is very slow to anger, he is a total goofball, usually is oblivious to when I or anyone else is upset with him- he just loves life and looks at the glass as half full. When first getting to know his family, they told me he was their "sunshine". They told me that from the time he was a baby, he has always brought joy to people through his gentle spirit. He is truly my sweet heart.

Every day I look at my son and I see my husband in him. He is just as happy as a clam the majority of the time. All you have to do is bat your eyelashes at him and he busts out the sweetest little grin especially for you. It is as though he knows it will make you smile if he smiles at you. He has a gentle and loving spirit.

Tommy and Preson connect effortlessly. It is a beautiful thing to have a man who's favorite thing in the world is to interact and play with his baby. He is constantly grabbing him away from me to squeeze on him.

I now have my very own- not one, but TWO sunshines in my life. Preson is my little Tommy.

Little Peanut

Sweet Baby Boy.

Having you in our lives has completely rocked our world in the most amazing of ways. These last 8 1/2 months have flown by way too fast. Sometimes it is a little sad to see you graduate from one milestone into another. I try to seize every day-taking note and savoring all your little changes as they happen.

The last time we went to the pediatrician, I found out you were in the 1 percentile for weight, which of course I worry about way too much. You just dont have much of an appetite and every time we sit down to nurse or eat (really, from the time you were born), we do this little song and dance routine with each other. In fact when you are sitting in your high chair, sometimes daddy has to stand beside me with his silly faces, just to distract you to get a few bites in! We think it is hilarious that you just mindlessly "open up" when he is there doing this! I pray over you before we go to eat, that God will give you a hearty appetite and that no matter how little you eat you will be well nourished. You are my little peanut.

You creep around as fast as you can on your little tummy! You have been doing this since you were 5 months old and have mastered this little army crawl. Every once in a while you will get up on all fours and teeter back and forth only to splat out on your tummy again! I have about the most non baby proof home there is (changing every day!), so I just follow you around all day while you explore.

You are standing up on everything that is within your reach. What is so very sad, is that you have started doing this in the middle of the night and you dont know how to get back down. Its ok! Daddy to the rescue-though we are starting to wonder if we need to impart some tough love and let you learn how to do this on your own.

One of the funnest things you do is babble da da da da da whenever daddy comes around! The other day in bed, you rolled over onto daddy and in a very matter-of-fact tone, said "DaaaD". Though you probably have no idea what your saying, it just means the world to him and keeps us cracking up!

It is fascinating watching you explore every object that you come into contact with- slowly turning it in your hand and then on to your default sense- shoving it in your mouth. One day I will tell you of all the objects that I have swiped out of your mouth, but for now it is much too disturbing to share.

Among many other milestones, your starting to clap your hands; you are having major separation anxiety (thats a post for another day); your cruising 2-4 steps at a time; you can feed yourself finger foods; your developing quite the sense of humor and your starting to combine more syllables.

I am loving watching your little personality blossom. You are my best buddy and there is no one I would rather spend every waking moment caring for. I love you, Little Peanut!

Growth Spurts

My baby boy is 6 months now and I am overwhelmed with how many changes are happening at once. He is on the verge of crawling- he is scooting everywhere! It is exciting, but my house is in no way babyproofed! No longer confined to his play blanket on the floor, I blink and he is across the room and attempting to eat dust bunnies under the couch. He is a quick little bugger and I am fearful of the curiosity of this little one.
His top two center teeth are here! It changes his face from the baby I am used to, into a peek of what he will look like when he becomes a little boy. It is almost too much.

He started eating solids- first organic whole grain rice cereal and now he is very reluctantly eating apples. Next week- sweet potatoes.
I sold out and bought him his first artificial source of entertainment-a Johnny Jump Up. He is addicted and cant stop bouncing in it once he gets going. Today he fell asleep in it and was still jumping!
All this energy of a 6 month old along with eating some hearty carbs has put him into a deep sleep into the night and thus he is now sleeping through the night. 8pm to 8am.
He is my sunshine and my life and I never anticipated this child bringing me this much joy.

Photo Credit:: Rachel Copple

All the Pretty Little Horses

I always thought lullabies were just quaint little cute songs for quaint little cute babies. Its amazing how a lullaby really DOES work when putting our little ones down for the night! haha! Every night at the end of Preson's bedtime routine, I go to nurse him one last time before putting him in his crib for the night. He is, without fail, always restless and anxious and not ready to go to bed- so he thinks. The moment I begin softly singing this classic lullaby, he calms down and dozes off every time! It leaves me with a warm fuzzy at the end of every night and I will treasure this sweet little memory always.



All the Pretty Little Horses

Hush-a-bye don't you cry,
Go to sleep-y, little baby.
When you wake you shall have
All the pretty little horses.
Blacks and bays, dapple grays,
Coach and six white horses.
Hush-a-bye don't you cry,
Go to sleep-y, little baby.

Frances England:: listenable children's music to my ears

I recently discovered a true musical gem- Frances England. Her music captures the nostalgia of a playful childhood while actually being listenable to the adult ear. 

She has such a whimsical approach to childrens folk music, it makes me smile and long to go sway in a hammock with my baby boy on a breezy summer day. 

lullaby and goodnight, thy mothers delight

One of the things I most treasure while Preson is still a baby, is my time with him in the middle of the night. I just love the peaceful, blue still of his nursery- the gentle breeze of the fan on these hot summer nights while the moonbeams flood in through the window. It is so tranquil. Though he is half asleep, his tiny hands are constantly caressing me and I cant help but feel that he finds just as much fulfillment being so close to his mama. It is in these quiet moments that I pray over him- for the baby and child that he is and for the future boy and man he will become. It is in these moments I bond most with my son.

time in flight.

Time has officially sprouted wings and is in flight like never before! Preson is going on 4 1/2 months now. He has been in a growth spurt this week where his daily pattern has been wake, eat, sleep like he did when he was a newborn and repeat.

I try to catch each new little addition to his development and appreciate it to its fullest. From watching him learn to awkwardly grasp his tiny fingers around a toy to finding him on the opposite end of his crib from where I placed him. This week he is wanting to explore everything that passes him by shoving it in his mouth- the main thing being his own feet! He is smiling, cooing and has the funniest and most delightful little "half- laugh". Funny how when I hear his voice through his coos and smiles, I feel as though I am getting a peephole-view of his personality. It is amazing to watch him bloom- each day a little more.

bliss.

These days, I have fallen behind in my normal obsession with house cleaning and social encounters. I wake up each morning and my life begins all over again as I cant take my eyes, my mind or my focus off this precious little life that has now taken precedence over my own. And so, The dishes continue to be put off, the laundry piles up, my hair has transitioned to a permanent ponytail and I take my shower at 1 in the morning now, as opposed to my 10pm beauty ritual. The best part is that I don't really care about all those things at this point. I have a new-found kind of happiness that I never anticipated and I am basking in every moment of it.

lullaby

Our good friend Mike Garrafallo wrote this in heart of all his friends that have recently become pregnant or had babies. He swung by our house the other day and felt that God wanted us to have it. It is absolutely precious and endearing. So here it is...

resting in your mother deep,

give way to slumber, counting sheep,

if you shall wake before the sun,

then lay real still don't wake your mom

tiny feet begin to grow,

your face and hands will soon follow,

knit by knit the weaver works,

to make and even out the quirks

mommy knows we'll see you soon,

rise from the earth like flowers bloom.

tears will fall and hearts will quake,

every day that you awake.

we'll build a bed, a resting place,

unlike the womb, there's tons of space.

we'll build it strong so you will know,

your safe from those who lurk below.

day by day, we'll watch and show

all the things you want to know.

just be prepared, don't try to run, 

too far at first- it wont be fun.

don't be afraid if you shall stray,

we'll love every step that you shall make.

if you feel you're all alone,

remember that your hearts' a home.

some day you'll invite a spouse inside,

and build a bed like we supplied

and when your babe begins to cry,

remember this- our lullaby.

priceless moments in time

over the last couple of months I have really been growing quite large in my pregnancy with Preson! I am coming up on 31 weeks! time has flown. i am really starting to feel him move more forcefully  and actually see him through my tummy. it is an amazing feeling! i have so much to do.  once the holidays have passed, i will be able to really pour so much more of my energy into getting prepared for the little one. i cant wait! i still havent had 2 seconds to make progress with the baby room. THAT is one thing i am really looking forward to. I started cleaning it up about 3 months ago and it came to a quick halt as we had several guests staying with us constantly up until now.  so once the dust has settled with my crazy life (does it ever??) i hope to get registered, make a day of antiquing to find some things for the baby room, paint a small mural on it's wall (non toxic fume paint of course :)) and finish reading my bradley method of natural childbirth book.  along with a lot of other things. I am loving life and am praising my God for the abundant, obvious blessings he is pouring out on my family! i cant wait to meet this precious baby boy!

adventures in babies and ministry

I know it has been awhile since I last posted.  My laptop is out of commission and Tommy is always on the macbook since he works from home, so it is hard for me to have access to it at the moments I am inspired to write. 

Much has happened over the last month.

Tommy turned 28 and of course it isnt just a birthDAY- but rather a birthMONTH- which he is milking for all its worth :) 

We are becoming very well acquainted with our new niece, Emmercyn- 3 months young now! She is beautiful and precious and it is so cool to see her sort out her emotions in her head. I am so very excited to become a mommy! I am nesting like crazy and getting extremely organized and cleaning everything out. Being a designer, I am chomping at the bit to get my nursery set up! I am already taking my guest bedroom apart and rearranging things so that our home is baby-ready, come March 1! I am 21 weeks along now and that marks the halfway point! We went to have our 2nd trimester ultrasound and....ITS A BOY! We are so stoked and it is Tommy's birthday wish come true. He wanted a boy so bad and now I will have 2 little Tommy's in my life!  I couldn't be more happy- I just hope he is just like his daddy! Look at his little tommy-nose! Cute!

We have seen amazing things happening in ministry. We are very encouraged to see how God is at work. I guess this month is pastor appreciation month and our church has really bent over backwards to make us feel appreciated. We have received about 20 heartfelt cards in the mail expressing how our ministry has affected them on a personal level. The other day I walked out my front door to find a very cool basket filled with fresh fruits and vegetables. And many have given us gift cards and dropped by bags of groceries. Some of our leadership team/ dear friends brought us a home cooked meal the other day. And on Sunday we were presented a very generous gift card for groceries from our church. We were so encouraged to the point of tears. God is not only ministering to us but is very evidently at work in the lives around us. People are coming to Jesus in a way that is very beautiful and organic. He is THE reason we exist as a church. Some would disagree since our approach to coming to jesus is not in an alter call and since we dont pray "the prayer" at the end of each sermon so people can leave believing they have said some magic words that will get them to heaven one day. We meet people where they are. Jesus is the goal across the board- with believers and with non-believers. It is our prayer that the spirit will bring them to a saving knowledge of who He is and that he would use us as his instrument if he chooses. We take the approach of building relationships with people and sharing Christ and engaging in discussion as opportunities arise. We hope to BE the gospel every day along with presenting the gospel through the teachings on Sundays and in our house churches.  Our friendship to the lost sub-culture of our city is not an agenda to "save" them. It has been amazing to see our little church of misfits not only come to a saving understanding of who Jesus is, but to learn what it is to embrace culture and Jesus with the same arms. To really be and see Jesus in every aspect of life. I have had some very encouraging conversations with individuals  that have come to this understanding and there are of course others that "know" these things, but dont KNOW Jesus. We have many that come to Watermark because it is a safe place to ask questions or because they can come truly just as they are. We have many that are there for the wrong reasons- to make connections with musicians or artists or to hook up. We have many that are extremely critical of us and how we do things and we have others who are blatently not followers of Jesus who are just checking things out-sometimes they are the ones who are most faithful. Regardless of any of these human tendencies, we have come to a place of total dependancy on God. We say "here am I Lord, use me!" We have no idea how our church turned into what it is. But we trust God with it as something that is very special, unique, quirky and unorganized and is what our entire lives are wrapped up in and I look at it as the greatest blessing in my life apart from my marriage to God and to my husband. Aside from all the hokey labels people come up for us, we choose to be orthodox in teaching- not seeker-sensitive; to be emerging in our faith-not emergent; and make it our own- not trying to be relevant! I anticipate and look forward to seeing what God is going to do and how he will choose to bring people to himself each week. 

 

mom-to-be

These last few weeks have been a whirlwind for me and my husband, Tommy. We have recently found out that we are going to have our first baby and it has turned our world upside down! I have become borderline obsessive about the idea of a holistic, natural childbirth, diet, and fetal development as I begin my 9 month journey. We have toured 2 different birthing centers. One is about 15 min away and happens to be the only one in Tampa (go tampa!). The other is 45 mins away and is in Largo. I know it is extremely far, but the center in Largo is my first choice. I rose my concern to the midwife that will be taking care of me and she affirmed to me that the average natural first birth is 15-22 hours(yay.), so in retrospect, 45 minutes is not that going to hurt me. The center is awesome! Very spacious, private and relaxing with a beautiful bathroom-that is more like a small spa- that would give me the option of having a water birth. It also has a small walking garden for laboring mothers. I am going to start prenatal care there soon. We are not looking forward to the toll this frequent drive will be taking on our car or the gas dollars that will be spent. But I know the outcome will be worth it! 

are sooooo excited to begin this amazing journey.