Josiah Crawls

It is so much fun to see Josiah's little personality develop and shine. In doing so, Sarah's also becomes more defined. Josiah has been quite mobile the last few weeks using the most graceful rolls, spins, pushes, and scootches you could wish for. (Graceful is good on our hard floors!) The last few days, though, he has been getting some good forward motion.

This morning he was playing (quite happily) with the magnets on the fridge. I pulled him back to the dishwasher and, after I pulled out my phone to record, this is what he did:

Time to batten down the hatches!

Christmas Day

Christmas is a wonderful and beautiful time- one which came even more alive as we celebrated it with a baby boy of our own. From great worship services the two days before to opening presents to feasting to visiting friends, we had a great great time. We got to enjoy all of this with the Howells, making it all the merrier.

I spent most of Christmas Eve leading a rehearsal and three worship services, taking some family pictures after one of them.

Christmas morning we woke up to a veritable pile of presents, cinnamon rolls, and breakfast pizza.

Josiah quickly showed his preference for wrapping paper over presents

Papa and Goggin gave Sarah a shopping cart, which soon became the holding area for all her other gifts

After a light lunch we headed to the Eversons' home for a proper Christmas dinner.

There were all sorts of good things on the floor to play with

Sarah was given an abacus by J and Kim Everson

Finally, we came home- some of us more tired than others.

Do We Worry About Our Children?

Sarah and Josiah are playing on the living room floor together- Josiah rolling around and chewing on toys while Sarah chases him and makes those same toys into hats for his head. It touches my heart to see it because I was made in the image of a God who sees children (red, yellow, black, and white) as precious in His sight. You were made like Him too, which is why neither of us can stop looking at all those pictures of babies on Facebook.

We live in a small New England village not unlike the one you see on the news these days. Our children are unaware that a mad gunman could have just as easily chosen our picturesque Christmas Village Stroll over a quaint elementary school yesterday. But we're aware. As Osterville lit up like a Norman Rockwell painting last night, you could tell everyone was keeping a closer eye on their children. What if he'd come here instead? It's a scary thought. Were God not with me, I couldn't bear it.

It's hard to think or write about yesterday's shooting. It's the sort of event that reveals our hearts. Is yours willing to question or judge God? You may know a little better now from your response yesterday. But there's a difference between a judgmental, "How could He?", and a childlike, "I don't understand."

We don't understand the whole answer, but it begins and ends with a little baby, one we're all thinking about this time of year. He faced the cold of the night without a home as soon as he drew his breath, fled to Egypt to escape the rage of a king, and then grew up to promise us that, while we would be delivered over to death, not a hair on our heads would perish. He didn't just promise that, he lived it. He was, like yesterday's children, delivered over to an unjust and undeserved death. His was on a criminal's cross, the kind normally reserved for school shooters.

Could you trust Jesus if the story ended there? No, it would have proved all His promises empty. "He saved others, let him save himself!", the crowd shouted, as if the cross proved his defeat. But they were wrong. Once the stone rolled away and the earth shook, we saw the truth- not a hair on his head perished. He was risen.

It's also hard to trust God with our children if we see life's story ending at death. "He still can't save others!", the crowd will shout. But once again they will be wrong. We will see it when all of us who died with Christ rise with him, not one hair on our heads having perished.

How confident can we be that yesterday's twenty children will be there, risen with us? The scriptures stop one half step before giving complete assurance, but they do tell us comforting news. First, they remind us that God can change even the heart of a fetus when the unborn John leaps in his mother's womb as she nears Mary and the unborn Jesus. He can save the children we've lost to miscarriage in the same way, by giving them a new heart which loves Jesus and is sensitive to his presence. That sounds like a miracle, and it is. But it's no more miraculous than the day He saved me. I was as capable of real faith as a 4-cell zygote the day before God saved me, except that my heart was harder.

Then we're taught time and time again that God especially loves children (and that Satan especially hates them). Jesus calls the children to come to him and tells us to have faith like theirs while Satan has pharaohs and kings hunt them down with the sword. God spares the Israelite children in the desert when their parents rebel, while demon-gods require the Canaanites to sacrifice their own children. Then God sends His own Son to earth as, of all things, a baby boy. He spreads His love for children all over His pages, and then makes us in His image, with a soft spot for children in our own hearts.

He loves them, can save them, and will always do what is right. We don't have a handy proof-text that guarantees our children's salvation. If we did, we'd probably abuse it. But what God reveals about himself in the Bible gives us great hope for our children. And there is one thing that He does assure us: that He is trustworthy. You can trust Him with them, He will do right, and you will praise Him for it in Heaven. Fear not.

A horrific death was part of God's plan for His own Son, and that doesn't mean God didn't love Him. Could it be His plan for my son or for my daughter? Could their path toward exaltation look frighteningly like His? I pray that instead they will die old in a warm bed, but I trust Him in whatever path He has for them.

He is good, He is just, and He loves especially the little children of the World.

Happy 7 months, Josiah!

Our Josiah is becoming a little man! We are just thrilled with this stage of babyhood and are soaking up the sweet smiles and easygoing play of our little guy. He is so easily delighted, and we rise to the occasion of getting giggles at every opportunity.

Weight: ?
Length: ?
Head: ?
Diaper: size 4 and cloth
Clothing: 12 month, Shoe: size 3 or 4

Likes: rolling and scooting, Sarah snuggles, being tickled, chewing, jumping, eating, riding with Sarah in the stroller, playing hard

Dislikes: being really hungry (it hits him suddenly!), being really tired, having a diaper changed when really hungry or tired, his late afternoon nap

Schedule: We are glad for a little break from normal activities to try to settle back into this routine. This is what we shoot for:

7 am: Wake and nurse/cereal

7-8 am: Wake time
8-11am: Nap
11am: Wake and nurse/cereal
11-12 pm: Wake time
12-3 pm: Nap
3 pm: Wake and nurse/cereal
3-4:30 pm: Wake time
4:30-6 pm: Nap
6-7 pm: Wake time
7 pm: Nurse and down for bed

Sleep: It has been a rough season for sleep the last few weeks. I know it is in large part due to the mornings we are out (often 4/7). He then gets in the habit of waking up after only a little sleep, but needs so much more. A short morning nap usually leads into an early, but good, afternoon nap. He then often refuses his bonus third nap, but is so tired that he is more than ready to go down at 6pm. We sometimes have to fight to keep him up that late! The real kicker has been that he is in the habit of waking up around 6am. It fluctuates between about 5:45am and 7am, but we just don't seem to be able to kick the habit. Starting his day early means that the rest of the day he is already tired and in a kind of sleep deficit. So we roll with the punches and nap when we can :) Again, I am thankful for a few weeks that have lots special events, but fewer mornings out!

Food: Josiah loves his rice and oatmeal cereal. He still nurses really well, so at each feeding he nurses fully, then eats a bowl of cereal. I usually alternate rice and oatmeal. We haven't given him any other food yet (the joy of being the second child!), but I have sweet potatoes baking in the oven right now. They will soon be pureed and becoming his first vegetable and his first food other than cereal and milk. On a related note, he doesn't leak out of his diapers as much, but he sure does have a full grown man stink! It took a few weeks to fully develop. Sarah never had diapers that smelled this bad! :) 

Tricks (physical and verbal): He has really become an active fellow, I think more so than Sarah was at this age. He still loves his jumper and enjoys walks in the double stroller that was passed along to us. Josiah has always been a big fan of tummy time and continues to love time on the floor. "Tummy time" is more of a title than a reality now, as he rolls and scoots all over the floor when we put him down. Usually he sees something and wants to get it, and in doing so shows us a determination that I hope will be a part of his lifelong personality. Dave and I don't think we have seen him purposefully move forward yet in a form that could be called crawling. His movement is more an art of spinning, rolling, and the infamous backwards crawl. This month he also started sitting up. We still sit or put the boppy behind him, but he is getting pretty steady and reliable. Sitting in the high chair at the table big-boy-style is big fun! He has discoved the joy of buzzing his lips and continues to enjoy making all kind of noises: giggles, coos, hums, and the like.

Yesterday (11/3) we discovered his first tooth! Last week he had a few days with a low fever and a red blister on his upper gums. For the first time we could feel things moving around in there. But it passed and since Sarah didn't actually cut her first tooth until her 8th month, we didn't think any more of it. Then yesterday Josiah was chewing on Dave's finger and Dave felt a tooth. It was already all the way through on the BOTTOM (his left). Where did that guy come from?!?! 

Fun facts:         

-I know I say this every month, but his hair really is growing. When it is wet you can kind of rough it up and make it look messy. Isn't it hard to imagine him with hair?!
-Still blue/gray/navy eyes.

-Today I found him laying on his side chewing on one of the vertical crib bars.
-Sarah gets a little jealous of other kids playing with him and becomes super affectionate.
-He and Sarah get to have some real joint play time now where I feel comfortable stepping away. They just delight one another!
-He still does the "two finger throw back" instead of sucking on his thumb. 
-He has a significant amount of ear wax and a potentially blocked right tear duct.

Next appointment: Monday, December 10, 2012, 8:00am for the second round of his flu shot
                                    Monday, February 4, 2013, 10:20am for his 9 month appointment

Siah playing with Sarah's toes.

She had been pretend-feeding him with a play spoon, so Dave let her really feed him. He was thankful for real food after all her taunting. She did a great job!

Typical blanket over face shot.

Loving his Sarah kisses.

Thanksgiving morning walk. This was their first time in the double stroller. They both enjoyed it!

With Dave's Christmas present.

"I'll open it, Dad!"

"Look, guys, I'm playing with the big kid!"

This seems so perfectly Josiah. This is the face I enjoy all day!

On our walk this morning. I may not have captured happy faces, but she had her arm around him and he loved it.

Holding hands :)

This is what happens when we put him down now. We like to say, "you really backed yourself into a corner this time, Siah." :)

Handsome, contemplative fella on Dave's new camera.

His very first bite of cereal. He had that same raised brow when he was born!

MegaTrip: The Voyage Home

Part Nine in a series chronicling our first big family road trip. 

We had enjoyed ourselves tremendously, but it was time to go home. We could feel it. Even if we couldn't feel it, the responsibilities of life were waiting.

So we packed everything up one last time and said goodbye to Gigi and Pappy. We drove about two thirds of the way to stop in New York for the night, and then arrived home on the Cape the next afternoon. It was a fairly uneventful trip home, which is just how we wanted it.

It was a great vacation.

We had been all over the Eastern US, and loved every bit of it. We drove over 3,500 miles. We saw family, friends, and places we missed. Sarah got to play with children she still talks about. Josiah more than doubled his "state count." It was great. And we were tired.

So we started unpacking, went to bed, and I went to work the next morning. I had a renewed energy you would expect to have after such a vacation, even though my body was tired. It took a while to catch up with everything that had happened while I was gone, but that was more than worth the refreshment.

It's been over a month since we returned home. Autumn has turned to winter, and life is back to normal. It's actually even busier than normal, with Christmas and everything it brings in the air. But we still look back at all those memories often. And, as always, it is great to be home.

MegaTrip: Fun with the Cooks

Part Eight in a series chronicling our first big family road trip. 

As much a treat as the mountains were, the real draw was the family who had gathered there. We were able to see my parents (Pappy and Gigi), my grandmother (Grandma Lynda), my cousin Rachel and her husband Drew, my cousin April, my Aunt Faye and Uncle Jerry, my sister Jacki, her husband Mike, and our nephew Eli. 

Pappy leading Sarah down a path in Cade's Cove

I got to preside over the renewal of Jacki and Mike's vows

Jacki, baby Eli, and Mike

My parents with their children and grandchildren

A gathering of home beer brewers, for sharing purposes. Pappy brought his newest creation.

Pappy and his boys

At a stop along the road. Emily, Josiah, Sarah, Me, Pappy, and Gigi.

Pappy, Gigi, and the grandkids

Our nephew Eli

Buds

MegaTrip: A New Home in the Smokeys

Part Eight in a series chronicling our first big family road trip. 

Since my childhood, our family had a rhythm of life that involved working hard all year and then escaping off to the Smokey Mountains for vacation. We tried to vacation elsewhere, but I think the Smokeys just called to my parents like a second home.

It's only fitting then, that they would eventually build a physical home there. I've been excited to think of my dad enjoying the fruits of so many years of hard work, and my mother finally getting to sew in a studio that overlooked the mountains. The home was finished about a month before we arrived at our next stop on the vacation: Townsend, TN. This new mountain home needed to be broken in with a full family gathering.

The week was full of  beautiful people and beautiful scenery. This post is dedicated to the scenery, with one to follow that shall be full of people.

The morning fog from my parents' new home

We saw a bear in Cade's Cove

Cade's Cove, taken by my mom

The view from Look Rock

The stars were out that week

The stars from my parents' back porch

One of the many beautiful places you can stop and lose your breath

MegaTrip: A Trip within a Trip

Part Seven in a series chronicling our first big family road trip. 

I like vacation so much that I actually took a vacation from our vacation.

The first half of our trip had ended, and it was time for me to go home and be with our church family. It isn't fair to ask the church to go three weeks without its worship leader, so I flew home to practice with our team and lead them on the second Sunday of our vacation. Meanwhile, Emily stayed behind in Mississippi with the kids and her parents. I wasn't looking forward to being away from them, but I was glad to be seeing our people and to catch up on some studying while flying. I was a little behind on the theological reading I had been meaning to do.

Emily rose early with me to see me off on the shuttle. The first plane ride was uneventful, and I knocked out half of a book. But when I arrived, I realized that the seemingly small change the airline had made to my flights actually left me with a four hour layover. I didn't want to do that much reading.

After doing the math a few times, I realized that it was actually possible to take the Metro around Washington D.C., eat lunch, and make it back with more than enough time to catch my second flight. So that's what I did. 6 Dollars of subway fare and a few blocks on foot later, and I was walking around the National Mall.

It was a beautiful, sunny day for walking. I spent an hour or so walking around, went to the first random museum I could find, tried to comprehend the African idols on display in it, found a Chick-Fil-A food truck, ate lunch in the subway terminal and rode back to the airport. Adventure accomplished.

After the second uneventful flight, I took the bus back to Hyannis, where we had left my car. I had traveled by shuttle, plane, subway, foot, bus, and car. And I had totaled more than 1,000 miles. A good night's sleep had me ready for Friday in the office.

Saturday I practiced with the worship team and ran some wires underneath the church with the tech team. Crawling around underneath floors that were built before electricity was discovered is quite fun. I spent Sunday morning with the church and then participated in a Church Constitution meeting before making a two-flight trip back to Mississippi. Emily was there to greet me, and boy was I glad to see her.

MegaTrip: Let's Twist Again

Part Six in a series chronicling our first big family road trip

It was our 3rd Anniversary, and we were headed to Jackson, MS. The next day I would fly back home to be with our church for a few days before coming back down and finishing vacation with the family. Emily and the kids would spend that time in Mississippi with the Howells.

But first we took a day trip to Jackson for dinner, something I love (old Rock n' Roll), something she loves (funnel cakes), and a night in a hotel.

We had dinner at the Parlor Market, a nice restaurant in downtown Jackson that explores the history of Mississippi in its menu. It was delicious, and the atmosphere was very fun as well. Our second stop was the Mississippi State Fair. Emily enjoyed a funnel cake and I enjoined the singing of a living legend: Chubby Checker.

Emily loved the funnel cake, and we both enjoyed the music. I had no idea what to expect. What we got was a crowd that was mostly a few generations ahead of us. On one hand, it was great to see him in my lifetime, and the band that played behind him was great. But on the other hand, it was sad to see the undertones of promiscuity that tarnish Rock n' Roll history come out to the forefront. For the first time, I could get a sense for why Christians didn't want their children listening to Rock n' Roll. My generation doesn't attach the Rock beat with sexuality or rebellion, and I think it's because that association doesn't come through on the old Rock n' Roll records like it did in the culture surrounding the music at the time, especially in the live scene. I was excited to hear "The Twist" performed live by Chubby Checker himself, but I left glad that the movement is over and we can just enjoy the music now. Come to think of it, we actually left early, tired of Chubby judging the ladies on the sexiness of their dancing. Not exactly fitting for celebrating the purity of your marriage.

After a good walk around the fair, we turned in for the evening and got up early so I could catch my flight home. Emily would come back to the hotel afterward and sleep in late. Mama needed some rest, so I was glad she would get a few hours to herself and a peaceful second cup of coffee.

Potty Training Days

Meet Froggy Potty

Sarah has been interested in and seemingly ready for potty training for a few months now. We introduced "froggy potty" as interest peaked and Sarah got comfortable saying "hi" and occasionally even sitting down. Once, before her bath, she even went a little.

Even with this prep and these signs, we didn't want to be in early potty training days during our trip. So we held off and enjoyed a final month of disposable diapers while we traveled. Our first Friday back home Dave and I had a heart to heart. We weighed the pros and cons, imagined the successes and challenges. I then promptly set out to Kmart for a host of supplies.

My shopping cart:
panties
training panties
plastic covers
(let's be real...despite our best research, we had no idea what we were doing, so we got a little of every kind!)
another potty, specifically with a seat to go on the big potty, also serves as a stool at the sink
apple juice (diluted and called froggy juice)

At home:
froggy potty
stickers
goldfish

On Saturday, October 27, we woke Sarah up and with great enthusiasm showed her the new panties. She promptly picked a favorite and the chosen pair were donned. We started by asking her if she needed to go. She pretty much always said no. So we did "dry panty checks" every 15-45 minutes, depending on if she had produced at the last visit.

Our general system:

• she got a goldfish and sticker for dry panties and another pair for producing on the potty
• she could sip on her froggy juice as much as she wanted
• we put a diaper on for nap, bedtime, and leaving the house
• we let her wipe and had her wash her hands with each successful trip- she really liked this
• she has to sit when she wakes up, before and after a nap, before and after we go out, and before bed

Success? We think so. That first day she had a few accidents (look to the humor section for some of those stories!) and much success. Sunday morning she did her first dirty job on the potty and it didn't phase her. We are thankful that hasn't been an issue, thus far.

We put a diaper on her for church Sunday and then had friends over to watch football. She only had one accident late in the afternoon, after people had left. She then went Monday to Friday at lunch without an accident! We asked her if she needed to go and put her on the potty often. It was some work, but certainly no more work than diapers. 

She did well over the weekend, then we had a really busy, out every morning, kind of week. Sarah continued to do well, but there were times when we were out that we had to tell her she could go in her diaper. Unfortunate, but so goes life.

She continues to enjoy going and has very few accidents. And when she does have an accident, we almost always know exactly why (based on time, what she last ate, fatigue, etc.). Amazingly, she doesn't go in her diaper during naps or at night. We haven't braved going without a diaper in bed, but maybe that is what we'll work on next. She does often goes in her diaper by the time we get home after nursery. I don't think she has had a dirty diaper since we started though...interesting. And wonderful!

Three weeks and four days in we can say that we are quite satisfied with her new independence. Not changing diapers is a blessing. Sarah's happiness is bountiful. As seems to often be the case these days, it seems like her growing up in this area has made her grow up faster in every area.

Stories:

• When we first gave her froggy juice, she tried to feed it to froggy potty. First she tried to dump it in the pot, then tried to put it to his little face. It took a few hours before she fully grasped that froggy juice was for her to drink...and was delicious. I don't know that she had ever had apple juice before!
• On Sunday morning we were a little late to church waiting on that first stinky! Thankfully, she doesn't normally have trouble going. We haven't been late since :)
• Once she fell while standing up and her hand, holding the toilet paper, went in the wet potty. She immediately tried to go back in to get the paper out. We had an extra long hand washing after that incident!
• Another time she had an accident, freaked out, and started running toward me. Except she slipped and landed on all fours. And every time she tried to get up she kept slipping. Don't worry- I quickly scoped her up and got her to the potty. All in all though, it was just like watching the three stooges!
• When we would ask her if her panties were wet, without fail and with a straight face she would answer, "not to wet, not to dry." I think the political ads of late October left an impression on her.
• On day six, the Friday I left for the weekend, Dave, Sarah, and our church secretary went out to lunch. Having gone 4.5 days accident free, Dave decided to take Sarah out in big girl panties. He said she did great at lunch. They went to the bathroom for a dry panties check during the meal and she was dry, but didn't go. On the walk back to church Ann was holding Sarah and felt something a little warm. They brushed it off and kept on walking. A little bit further and Ann noticed that the warm was spreading. Yuck! Sure enough, Sarah's full force had been unleashed. Dave got Sarah cleaned up, but Ann had to stay in her wet clothes. She said that by late after she was starting to really smell and had to go home early. Oops! And that is why we always take her out in a diaper!