Esther's 9 Month Check Up

Sweet baby Esther is just growing so fast! In the past few weeks she has started using the milk, all done, and more signs to tell us what she wants. She is also clapping her hands, saying amen, mama, and dada. She also does this CUTE little "tshe" sound. It's hard to type the sound correctly but imagine the beginning sound of the word "tsunami" and that's about what she does. She started crawling two weeks ago at Grandma and Granddaddy Reider's house in Leesburg, Virginia and she's only getting better and better at it by the day. Nearly every time we go to get her up from a nap she is sitting in her bed rather than lying down. She's just getting so big. This mama isn't ready for it all yet. I know it just continues to go faster and faster from here on out.

She is also showing interest in certain things. She LOVES balloons (big surprise), Verity's baby Belle that she was given for her birthday, and she still loves her blanket more than anything. She's a pro at pointing to things and holding up things to show us. She loves books and her linking rings. She also makes, quite possibly, the most annoying screeching sound when she wants something. I almost can't stand it after too long. It's like a, "nails on the chalkboard" type sound to me. Good thing she's so darned cute and I love her so much.

I will be taking her 9 month pictures THIS WEEK (self imposed deadline). I must do it before she turns 10 months. Verity's 9 month pictures are my absolute favorites and I would be remiss to not do this for us and for Esther. She is such a joy and such a sweet baby.

Esther's 9 month statistics:
Height: 27 inches --- 50%
Weight: 17.6 pounds --- 50%


She loves books. We have a basket of toys that are just for her and there are several board books in it. She will look through the basket and just pull out all the books.


She's been enjoying the linky bugs that Aunt Marty and Uncle Joe gave her.


That smile!! I love this girl!

Esther and the baby Belle doll.

Esther and baby Jack Macdonald at Rossi's 3rd birthday party


Playing at Chick-fil-a
Gosh, she's so cute!

Verity's 3 Year Check Up

I think the encouragement to eat a lot of fruits and veggies from her 3 year visit was a very good thing. After gymnastics this morning, Ryan Gray took Verity to the grocery store to pick out some of these foods that she would like to try. They came home with starfruit, a juicy apple, carrots, a green bell pepper, bananas (of course), yellow squash, and a Florida avocado for Esther (her very favorite thing on the planet). Verity's prayer at lunch just now was this:

"Dear God, help me to eat healthy food so I can grow big and strong and Dr. Long will be so proud of me. And thank for all my food. In Jesus' name, Amen."

I love hearing her little prayers. I also love that she specifically prayed that she would do well so that Dr. Long would be proud of her. Encouragement from the doctor was a very good thing.

Verity's 3 year statistics:

Height: 37 1/4 inches --- 50%
Weight: 27 1/2 pounds --- 10%
Eye chart check: 20/40 --- exactly where expected for her age
Hearing check (aka - the "ear game" where she listens for a beep): passed

Both Ryan and I and sweet Esther (9 mos) were at the appointment and I as so proud of how well Verity listened and obeyed the nurse and doctor. She was following all their instructions. Both the nurse and doctor commented that Verity did better with following instructions than most other 3 year olds and that most children will either cooperate for the vision test OR the hearing test, but not usually for both. It made my "mama" heart swell and feel so proud.


Things Verity loves at 3 years old:
Trains!!!
motorized trains
race cars
Bob the Builder
Disney Princesses
Having her hair curled
making cupcakes
making cookies
coloring
painting
play dough
painting her nails
riding her rocking horse
books
lip gloss
Veggie Tales
doll houses
ice cream
stamps
stickers
horses (her newest interest)
bananas
Esther
chick-fil-a
gymnastics


Phrases we hear the most:
"That would be okay."
"That would be kind"
"Ha-gna!" (used in place of "Ta-daa")
"it's my Esther Bunny!"
"I love you so much, my daddy."
"I love you so much"
"Take my life and let it be consecrated lord to thee."
"That doesn't match"
"That matches"

Opening a present from mommy and daddy the morning of her birthday.



Verity was Elizabeth Dew Price's flower girl on her birthday in Wake Forrest, North Carolina. She was so cute and did a perfect job.

Enjoying some wedding cake after a TON of dancing!



Making cupcakes for her "family birthday" celebration in Leesburg, VA, with her cousin Millicent.


Making cupcakes is serious business.

Verity loves her cousins, she kept calling Cabot, Hudson, and Barrett the "silly boys."

I will post pictures from Elizabeth's wedding and our Thanksgiving trip to Virginia as soon as I can.

Their Turn

It's the old, "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride" sort of thing... but for children. Since nearly right after they were married I know they've wanted a baby. The wanting turned to desiring, the desiring turned to longing, the longing to pleading, then to patience, and finally... to receiving. It would be half wrong of me to say that she alone felt this way. I know that he too, just outwardly manifesting itself differently, desired to be the parent of their very own infant. They would admire others little ones from afar and gladly offer to take them under their wings if a mommy or daddy needed the help. There has been an aching in their hearts that is patiently longing to be filled.

It was bittersweet calling her so soon to share our wonderful news when it was our turn. I knew she'd be thrilled... and heartbroken that her arms would still be empty after so much waiting. She was excited and solemn. But truly excited. She drove three hours the day our first was born.

They were given a precious gift a few years ago. Each of his days was numbered before time ever began, and so today their little one rests safely in our Father's loving arms. "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord," was all he wrote the morning after. He didn't talk much. She talked a lot, sharing every detail with us several times. It's how they processed their heartbreak.


Just one week later he taught from the pulpit of how, "hope does not disappoint," and lost all composure. Before his congregation, he wept. They saw in his face just how deeply disappointment burnt into him, and how true that hope still lived. I will never forget that Sunday.


And we know that God's timing is perfect. Now just hours away from receiving again, they wait. Just a little longer. Just the two of them. One last time. Their bodies braced for more exhaustion and their anxious, racing hearts for more fulfillment than I believe they are prepared to handle. Scheduled to be cautious, he will be small and will be their joy.

"Maybe the Lord is having us wait so that we will all have our children together," she once said to me. Tomorrow we make the drive to them, two families, full in a mini-van.

Tomorrow, Lord willing, is their turn.

Daddy's Day!

I am so excited to celebrate Father's Day this year. It seems like with a new baby it's all the more exciting. I've been a busy little (secretive) bee working on some special daddy's day cards from "his girls" with the help of shutterfly.com. See some of my creations. They look awesome and I can't wait to get them to him.

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Aren't they beautiful? I played and played with them to get them just how I wanted them. I hope that each of the photos will be crisp enough. Some of them were taken with my iPhone (the FIRST iPhone) so we'll see if shutterfly is up to the challenge of making those look good.

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

I love that little face!

I wish I had the ability to print every picture that I've ever taken and fill our house with them but that would be expensive so I have to do it little by little.

Thank you, Shutterfly, for your help!

Trains

Verity is obsessed. Truly obsessed. She loves her "Thomas" trains and plays with them nearly all day, every day. They've captured her heart and she (usually) takes very good care of them. They go to the potty with her. They watch her eat all of her meals from their designated spot on the kitchen table; all lined up in a row. She puts them to bed in "Tivens Sheds" (at least that's how SHE says it. It should be Tidmouth Sheds but it's just too cute to correct just yet).

So, on Saturday we brought her to walk along some real, live, train tracks. I, of course, took it as an opportunity to snap a few pictures to document her love of trains. She was exceptionally cooperative and I'm so, very thrilled with the results. She is my joy.

She is beautiful.

How to unlock your door.

There are many popular methods to unlocking one's front door. Apparently, this is my method of choice.


Turn on your stove top to make a scrambled egg breakfast for your 18 month old.
Decide that you will shake out the old entry way rug because your mother brought you a new one last night.

Step outside your front door to shake the rug and, OH! The phone is ringing!

Step back inside to pick up the ringing phone, then back outside with the phone and the rug to continue talking and shaking... the rug.

Close the door behind you because, after all, you are responsible and don't want your 18 month old to wander outside while you're "multi-tasking" and fall down the thresh-hold of your front door to skin her knee.


Hear that the door closes behind you by your 18 month old and think to yourself, "Wow, what a little helper she's being."

Hang up the phone, set down the rug and turn to see that, in the last 15 seconds, your 18 month old hasn't tried to climb the stairs that she's not allowed to climb or gotten into something she shouldn't be into.

Open the doo...




ahem...

Open the doo...

Oh no! You've locked yourself out of the house with your clumsy baby inside who likes to climb the stairs and the stove on for the eggs your were about to make for breakfast.

What do you do?

Call for help.

Keep your baby entertained from outside the door by singing, clapping, knocking, counting, reciting the alphabet, anything you can do to ensure that she stays just on the other side of the door and not climbing the stairs or trying to cook her first breakfast, as well as make a general fool of yourself for all neighbors within sight or earshot.

Greet the nice men from the police and fire departments as they arrive.

Allow them to assist you in opening your door.


Thank them profusely for their assistance in unlocking the door so your baby doesn't fall down the stairs or burn down the house.

And, voila! You have an unlocked door, a safe baby, and an intact house.


All joking aside, I am so thankful for the help of these wonderful men today when we needed them. I swear it's true that you lose brain cells once you become a mom.

My Little Diva

She loves Aunt Tryna's sunglasses. I better watch out for this one.

She came to me the other day holding one of her dresses on its hanger and was trying to rest it on her shoulders as if she wanted to wear it. Apparently mommy just isn't with it. She wanted to wear the dress with the bunny on it, not the dress she was currently wearing.


I didn't know clothing opinions could reveal themselves so early in life.

But apparently she has opinions and my guess is she'll be dressing herself as soon as she figures out how to do so.

I just love her!

Good thing she's so sweet 'cos that strut right there has hints of some serious attitude lurking within. We'll have to train her properly so it doesn't become out of control. Because out of control attitude isn't sweet on anyone.