weeping may endure for the night

I tried to push all this down and not blog on it. I just didn't want to go here, and have fought it all day...The topic is one I've covered plenty in the past and thought I was pretty done with it personally. Then, today it became apparent how very much infertility in my past affects me to this day. I'll back up and explain.

James and I are facilitating the study of a great book at church during our Bible study hour. It's Adopted for Life, by Russell Moore. You can read glowing reviews everywhere on this book, and I agree so far that it is really the best comprehensive volume I've ever read on actual physical adoption of children and also our spiritual adoption by God. We are just four chapters in, and have covered some great truth from Scripture regarding our status as adoptees by our Heavenly Father, and the call to care for orphans that is mandated in the Bible. There is SO much in this book and I can't summarize it to do it justice, so please just go read it. :-)

Anyway, today's chapter was for the couple who has yet to become parents, and then couples who already have children, and how adoption applies to each. I started the chapter honestly thinking how this would be hard for some folks in our group who have faced infertility struggles, and also might not apply to others, since we have couples who are planning to marry but haven't yet, and couples with biological and adopted kids, so there is a wide range of situations in our class. I didn't feel concerned in the least that it would be painful for ME, or that discussing the way infertility affects a couple can impact them so greatly. While reading the book, I even logically made notes, and thought through a great deal of Moore's opinions and stories, and found myself agreeing with it and not being disturbed or anything.

Then, today. We passed around the handouts with simple notes and references James and I'd put together to help us work through the material. James introduced the topic, and began with points of Moore's regarding the perspective many couples have when facing a life with no children. Moore reiterates that it is normal and healthy to feel deep sadness over not being able to conceive and he quoted verses mentioning Rachel and Hannah, and their groaning, desperate pleas for children. He discussed how many women especially feel abandoned by God when realizing that "barren" may be a term used to describe them, and the deep shame and hurt that can cause. Thankfully, he summed up that section saying how infertility (and cancer and other illnesses or conditions) are a result of the fall and sin, they are NOT issues related to our personal sin. We are not individually cursed with infertility because we've done something sinful. We live in a fallen world, with imperfect bodies and the effect of this earth being cursed as well.

Somewhere in there though, I really just became overwhelmed with sadness, remembering so many moments over years, of hurting and disappointment and downright grieving, when we could not have children when we wanted. I wanted to be embarrassed and snap out of it, but just couldn't. The tears started flowing, and wouldn't stop for a while.

Those memories are so vivid and painful, reflecting on the hurtful things people said, the feeling of failure repeatedly, frustration over others having babies they didn't even want, feeling I was just defective and the shame that brought, and the confusion over why God didn't answer us the way we were asking.

I am so grateful I can see, on this side of things, more of that big picture He was viewing, as I saw only the tiny pieces right in front of me. His timing was perfect, with each of our kids. Isaac needed a family when we were wanting a baby. We adopted him out of pure joy and complete commitment to raising him as our own son, the same as if he was ours biologically. He was not a consolation prize, but the answer to our prayers for parenthood. The shock of then finding out we were expecting Abigail was so incredible, after assuming the doctors were right and we would probably not conceive. Having them join our families within two years in different ways sure changed things. We were so happy with them and thankful for the two children - a boy and a girl - God blessed us with, but always felt if someone was missing. We considered updating our foster parents certification, and even started the process, then just stopped when James knew he wasn't ready to face the emotional upheaval while also in school and working full-time. I kept two different little boys for a year, each, and that was a sweet way of helping other moms who were working, but also filled our home for a part of every day with little ones. That was such a blessing to us all.

After another few years of failed attempts to conceive and more treatment, we surrendered that apparently two was our maximum number of children for the time, and adoption would have to be considered again later if we decided to grow our family more. We were fine with that, but just knew it was time to wait and renew our joy with the blessings we already had.

God's so funny. Within 2 months of that clear surrendering our plans to the Lord, I was pregnant again. It was quite an adjustment to start all over with a baby again, after a 5 and 8 year gap. We loved getting to know Elijah and his special place in our family. Settling in with him added to our routine was harder, though he was a sweet, easy baby, just because we were out of practice. When he was 18 months, I remember feeling like we'd turned a corner. Then, I was shockingly pregnant again, and incredulous. We still cannot explain how impossible this was medically and physically and yet, God had put that baby there! The up and down roller coaster of pregnancy with Owen, fear he was not going to make it early on, then his crazy long gestation, made it such an adventure. (All of these stories have been well-documented on this blog and the individual baby blogs for Elijah and Owen linked on the right, if you would like to read more!)

I have pondered all of this history and all I can say is that God's plan was so much better than ours. Waiting on our children hurt so deeply at the time, and that pain is obviously just below the surface still. It sounds silly to be crying over my struggle getting pregnant way back when, especially since I now am a mama to four children. I just know that He uses even that pain to help me be more sympathetic to others, and sharing our story yesterday just further pointed to Him - His great love, His sovereignty (even over endometriosis and an ovary removal), His grace showered on us, and I am so grateful. A class member messaged today to share how our story helped her in her own journey, and that sure made me glad we had been vulnerable, even when it felt awkward and embarrassing.

Above all, I needed the reminder and am so very grateful that joy comes in the morning.

Elijah is 3!

I'm still not finding the time I wanted to for blogging. Life has taken some unexpected twists and turns lately, and I'll blog on that later. Today though, I have to write about one of the greatest blessings of my life. In May of 2007, we were shocked with the news that we were going to become parents again. For those of you who know the story, Elijah was a long-hoped-for baby. God surprised us with him when we had finally resigned ourselves to not having more kids. The sweet baby to the left is one day old in that photo, and turns three years old today.

Like all of our children, I cannot imagine what our lives would be like without Elijah. He has a special place in our hearts, with his chocolate kiss eyes that disappear when he smiles big, chubby cheeks, and extremely lovable self. I often say that Elijah is an aggressive snuggler, because he attacks with hugs and kisses and wraps those he loves up in tight snuggly arms. He is smart and witty, and really easy-going in general. He loves to play Legos with Isaac, read with Abigail, and play with Owen. He was only 18 months old when we found out we were having another surprise baby, but accepted the idea of a little brother without a hint of jealousy. His main concern when Owen arrived was just that I could hold him too.

We are so thankful for precious E. He brings joy today, even with a 102 degree fever and feeling puny, because he is still snuggly and sweet and himself. We celebrated him Sunday afternoon, and I'm so thankful we had the party then, since today he would not enjoy it nearly as much. He loves being on a farm, and playing with heavy equipment, and has asked for a 'tractor birthday' since last spring. So, we rented a John Deere tractor for the weekend, and he loved riding on it so much. He was less than thrilled when the man came to pick it back up and cried, "Why they take my birthday tractor away?!" When we reminded him that we'd warned him it wasn't ours to keep, he settled down pretty quickly, but boy, that sad face would make a person want to go buy a tractor immediately....Someday, sweet E, someday, we're going to have that land and a tractor of our own. Here he is in one of his first rides with me on the lawnmower. It's still one of his most favorite things to do. He even sleeps with the keychain that holds the lawnmower key sometimes, in anticipation of cutting grass the next day. Oh, I love him and his passion for the simple things.

Elijah's name means, "The Lord is my God." We chose this name carefully, because God had clearly shown who He is when he decided to gift us with this child. He is a loving, generous Father who has temporarily given us a little boy to raise, love on, and teach, and we take the responsibility very seriously. The fact that Elijah was given life, then born healthy despite a rough delivery, and has been sustained to this age is all due to the Lord's sovereign plan for him. We don't know how long we will be entrusted with him, but cherish every day. Thank you Lord, for unexpected blessings, in your perfect timing. Many moments in these three years have been savored, but they become more precious as we have friends who have lost children at young ages recently. Every milestone, and special occasion, are treasured even more than they would normally be, when we realize what a gift they are.

This is the verse we used at Elijah's dedication at church 2 years ago. It's so fitting today, when we need a reminder of hope there is in God, because of some weighty things going on in our family. We pray that E trusts the Lord to guide him all his life, and that we are an example by doing the same:

Psalm 25:4-5 Show me your ways, O LORD,

teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.

Still here!

Just a quick post to say we are still here and are doing great! We have our new baby boy with us and are adjusting to being a family of six. Until I can post again, here is some silliness courtesy of Elijah. Thanks to Aunt Lisa for fun Valentine gifts, including this hilarious singing bear. I love E's comment at the end, as he stands on his head, too, as if it's the floor's fault for his hurting head!

Elijah is 2!

I figured before the littlest brother appears, I should try to cover Elijah's second birthday on this sadly neglected blog. He is such a charming, precious boy, and has grown up a lot lately. I want to be sure and remember these moments, because life is way too busy to write it all down, and this format somehow seems easier to document.

As the baby for the past two years, Elijah has been a ham, and enjoyed that position tremendously. He is quick to show off a new trick, or don a goofy hat, just to get a reaction. His many silly faces, expressions, mimicking others' phrases in perfect tone, and his willingness to entertain us keep us laughing a lot around here. It's hard to explain the delight he's brought to our family. Isaac and Abigail, being a good bit older, really love and care for him so well, and by this point of the pregnancy with Owen, when I'm large and struggling, they have been a huge help. He trusts them, and I love to watch them interact. Waiting for a baby for so long may have helped to prepare them to adore Elijah, but I think his sweet personality has a lot to do with it too.

Lately, I've been noticing traits that make him unique in our family, and shared some of these with my Mom. She reminded me I needed to document them now, or I'll never remember, and that's true! He is very neat and precise when eating, using his fork and spoon so well, and has for months now. He really wants to be as big as Isaac, I think, so maybe that motivates him - I don't know. But, he does a great job feeding himself, and can help dress himself too. He doesn't like to be messy, and if he spills something or gets food on his clothes, he really is disappointed in himself. It's funny - he doesn't have a fit, but is genuinely so sad. He'll say, "Oh no - spill!" or "Oh, mess" in this sad little voice. He asks for a straw and bib at most meals to help prevent getting dirty too, though he can drink without a straw or sippy cup.

Elijah also knows a lot about our household organization and routine. He can put silverware and dishes away when they're clean, like we trained him or something. He just pays attention, I guess, but notices where things belong and takes great pride in helping. He loves to throw his diaper in the trash when he's changed, and has done that since he could walk probably. He tries to go in the potty some, and hopefully we can cross that behavior hurdle after Owen arrives and we can settle down into a new routine. Reading is one of his favorite things to do, with any of us. Many times a day, he'll grab whoever is available, and ask, "Read? Story me? Pleeease?" and we read happily as he snuggles in our laps. He's starting to learn parts of stories and copy us, which is hilarious too. He's learned a few colors, and is starting some simple counting, which is very fun. Isaac and Abigail didn't love to sit and pay attention for any length of time, so this is all new to me, but it sure helps school go more smoothly now that he can do short activities like puzzles, painting, blocks, looking at books, etc. while we're working. He is so sweet at mealtime, if we are ready to eat and haven't said the blessing yet, he is eager to remind us. He'll squint his eyes, and reach out his hands for us to hold, and whisper, "Father?" since Abigail usually sings "God our Father" for our blessing. :-)

The emotions of a pregnant woman are strange, no doubt. Lately though, I have had such a bittersweet feeling about how things will change when Owen is born. In our heads for quite a while, Elijah was our baby, and until we would adopt again, he would remain so. We figured when we adopted too, that the child wouldn't be an infant, so we have all just soaked up having Elijah in that role, relishing every moment and milestone. Now we'll have another baby boy, and though we are thrilled, it still feels odd, somehow. So, these weren't the LAST times to experience slinging a tiny little one, or nursing a newborn, or seeing first steps taken, after all?! What a blessing. It's just still hard to comprehend, after the years we struggled waiting on babies, to think we're having one as a surprise, not begged for, and anguished over. God is really too good.

Here are some fun photos to recap his year. What a blast we've had, and we have so much to look forward to, with him! We love you, buddy!

Elijah is 13 months old!

Disclaimer: I have to post all these things here, because some day I'll actually catch his baby book up from these notes! Please feel free to scan quickly or ignore if you're bored to tears. I know grandparents do enjoy reading these milestones though!

Mama and sweet E
Elijah is now walking everywhere and it is so great! He started slowly, back in December, but was still more comfortable crawling for a while. The first week of January was when he really decided to take off. He is so cute, and very funny with his little wide stance-waddle. You should see him dance. I'll have to post video of him on here. He is eating well, finally, and likes to try what we eat, after first resisting most textures. The only thing I buy just for him is Yobaby yogurt, and he loves it! He eats grapes, bananas, apples, cucumbers, beans, sweet potatoes, pickles, yogurt, and cheese the best. He enjoys cheerios, crackers, and goldfish too. He will try most anything, and so mealtime is easy now, as we just give him samples of our food. He had steamed broccoli and carrots when I made Chinese this week, and those were a big hit. He isn't a fan of milk or juice, still preferring Mama for now. He seems insulted by a sippee cup, and throws his head back or pushes it away. Our baby boy has a bit of a temper, but his outbursts are short-lived. He tends to be dramatic, like a certain girl we know, and will melt when I put him down sometimes, sobbing into his hands while he lies face-first on the floor. We are working on nipping that in the bud.

Drama King

Thankfully, Elijah is communicating a little with words like more, bye bye, and does signs for both of those, says Mama, and Dee for daddy, and has a word for milk now ("meh!" said in a very happy voice when it's time to nurse), and he has expanded his animal sound repertoire too. He is hilarious calling Merlin, our sweet, big, old cat. He "meows" for him, and pats his leg, like he is calling him, and over and over will say, "Mer, mer, mowww, mowwww..." That crazy old kitty comes too, and just lets him love all over him. It is precious. He loves Sugar, our lab, and calls her too, saying "Woof woof, woof woof," for her. He's thrilled to see her from a distance, but when she gets close, he freaks. It makes me crazy, because she's so slow and gentle, and doesn't do anything to him, but he screams and acts like he's going to die if she comes up to him.

Based on our last appointment, Elijah weighs about 24 pounds, and is the 95th percentile for length, and just above average for weight. He does seem to have slimmed down some, or maybe it's that he's just longer. His belly and legs are where he's the chunkiest, and so he is still "hammy," as James says. Those little chubby hamstrings earned him that name, and since he is such a cut-up, he's a ham in other ways as well. :-) He is cutting some new teeth, so will have 10 soon!

This past week, Elijah moved up to the toddlers class at church, and is doing well playing with other folks a little bigger than him. Having a big brother and sister around probably helped that transition be a relatively easy one. We still marvel at how precious he is, and Isaac and Abigail are amazingly kind and patient, even as he is getting into their things more. He has totally earned his various nicknames, such as "The Destroyer," "Bulldozer," and "Wrecking Ball." He's the cutest destruction crew I've ever seen!

Pre-Destruction














Dancing machine

The Week of Elijah: Reminiscing

I've been pondering a lot these past few days, recalling memories of the past year with Elijah's birth, and the events that led up to it. There are a lot of details that are already fuzzy in my brain. I'm so thankful that I documented so much of the pregnancy and the journey toward becoming a mama to 3. Re-reading his birth story tonight again reminded me of the blessing we've been given, and how truly amazed I am that God chooses to answer our prayers so beautifully. The picture of grace that our children are in our lives overwhelms me again and again.

Seeing those pictures that we took just over a year ago, with the word hope meaningfully included, so clearly parallels and illustrates the other Birth that we are celebrating in this season as well. Both lives began with a surprising pregnancy, a difficult entrance to life on earth, and both children were born into a world that is full of fear, beauty, wonder, and disappointment. However, I'm even more grateful for that other Baby's birth, that gives us HOPE through the triumphs and trials to come for my little ones. I think I disagree with those who say it's a shame to be born at this time of year, due to the "competition" with Christmas festivities. What an honor to share a birthday season with the time we focus on celebrating Christ's birth. I pray that Elijah, whose name means The Lord is my God, will live up to honoring the One who has given him life. Happy birthday eve, sweet son. My heart is overflowing with gratitude for you and all God is teaching me through you.

The Week of Elijah: Birthday party!

What a fun day we had! Family and friends gathered to celebrate Elijah's birthday, and it was great. We are so thankful for the many people who love us and enjoy life with us. Here's a slideshow of the fun. Click on the frame to enlarge it.

The Week of Elijah: The celebration begins

My baby boy is turning 1 on Monday. When we ask him, "How old is Elijah?" he does this. So smart! :-)

We are beginning the celebration early, and having his party today. With the holiday festivities, it's a hard time to devote attention to one more thing, but Elijah is definitely worth it. I'm so excited to have friends and family come and enjoy treats with us, and view a slideshow of his life thus far, as we thank God for this precious blessing.

Dearest Christina, my first college friend and former roommate, volunteered her time and talent to help create the most amazing birthday invite ever. It's a spinner card, so the little plane "flies" across the card, with the weight of 2 pennies that are attached to it. Amazing... We had great fun choosing colors, patterns (I love this paper so much), and embellishments, and putting the cards together. She also got more than she bargained for with my demanding requests for extra help with letters and punched items I wanted to use on a banner. I am so pleased with how it all turned out and am forever grateful that such a longtime kindred spirit was part of this momentous occasion. Gracias, mi querida!!

If you're in the area, come on by today, and enjoy a cupcake and some other sweets and salty stuff too!

Sweet love

Elijah loves babies. He excitedly, and sometimes not so gently, loves on them when we're with friends, or in the church nursery. He pats their heads and kisses them, without being prompted. (He often removes their pacis and throws those down with lots of emotion as well, which is also unprompted, and strongly discouraged...)

Anyway, this week we met our dear friend's baby, sweet Abigail Faith. He kissed her on the head and was very happy to see her. He let me hold her without getting too upset or anything, as long as he could be close by. Later on, we were home, and my Abigail was playing with a baby doll of hers in a makeshift manger (rubbermaid storage container). She left the baby in the kitchen (neglectful mama), and this is what I saw. The chubby hand, the open mouth, the "mmm" sound when he kissed Rosebud, oh how precious is that?! He just makes me smile. And, to think, our baby will be one year old in 11 days...not a baby much longer.

Amazing Grace

Make a Smilebox slideshow

It's been a full day for the Vines' family. We had some awesome stuff going on today that I have to share. It was another reminder that our kids aren't ours, but that God has just entrusted them to us temporarily. We dedicated our precious Elijah during this morning's church service, and our sweet faith family witnessed our desire to raise Elijah in a godly home. It was very powerful to be able to have those who love us, surround us and share in our joy that God has given us our children to raise and enjoy, for as long as we do have them. It was extra special that the Cottons were also dedicating Gabe in the same service, since Sandi and I have journeyed down some similar paths as God put our families together in His timing. The verse we chose for Elijah's dedication is our desire for all our kids. The word hope was a recurring theme for our family for years before Elijah was here, and our hope remains in Jesus, as we raise him.

Psalm 25:4-5 Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.

Another blessing was that after a long wait of two years, Abigail was baptized today! She accepted Christ here at home, in September of 2006. At the time, I did feel she really knew what she was doing, because she initiated multiple conversations, and had serious questions about how Jesus comes into our lives, and she really struggled with conviction. We prayed one night, and she voluntarily repented and asked Jesus to help her change. I was thrilled, but also a little hesitant at first, wanting to see if there was true change and fruit evidenced in her life. Very quickly, James and I both noticed a change in her. Though she remains a precocious, strong-willed child, there is definitely an awareness of the Holy Spirit guiding her, a gentleness growing in her, and a desire to do right, that we can only attribute to her faith and the fruit of a maturing believer. It's been exciting to watch her grow.

So, after some delays, we finally found a date that we could combine both these occasions, so our family could come from out of town and be a part of the celebrations. I love that our church gives fathers the privilege of baptizing their own children, and James did a wonderful job explaining the awe we feel that our family of believers stood with us as we dedicated Abigail 6 years ago, and promised to see us through on the journey toward her salvation, and then Sunday that prayer was answered publicly, as the same people witnessed her declaration of her acceptance of Christ. What a great week of Thanksgiving for our family! Thank you to all who celebrated and worshiped with us. Life on earth doesn't get much better than this!

It was fitting that one of the songs we sang today had these lyrics:

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I'm found
Was blind but now I see so clearly

Hallelujah, grace like rain falls down on me
Hallelujah, all my stains are washed away, washed away

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

10 months old!

This sweet pumpkin of ours is 10 months old! He is growing so quickly, and changing all the time, but is still a sweetheart that we all love tremendously. Elijah is becoming more dramatic and expressive, and in that respect, is taking after his sister in more ways than just having lots of cute dimples. He loves to wrestle with Daddy and the big kids, to play outside, adores our pets, and lights up when he sees the camera. He weighs about 23 pounds (75%), and is taller (95%) than he is chubby, but he's still plump enough for lots of squeezes. We've had lots of outdoor time lately, and this quick photo shoot the other night was for fun, with our pumpkins from the farm. Our kitties got in on the action a little too, and humored him. We're very grateful for every day we have been able to spend with our precious pumpkin. What a joy he is!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

For your viewing pleasure

Here are a couple of videos of our sweet silly boy, zooming around in Daddy's hands after dinner, and practicing "Mmmm" for the eventual "Mama."

Elijah is 8 months old!

I can't believe this baby boy has been OUT of me longer than he was IN me. The time is flying by so fast. Here's the update on him and some recent photos.

His royal chunkiness :

* has 6 teeth.

* can crawl very quickly.

* is pulling up and cruising around furniture everywhere.

* says some suspiciously "Mama" and "Daddy"-like sounds ("Mmmmmam" and "Dee" and "hey!"), and babbles and sings a lot.

* doesn't seem to ever want to sleep through the night again since he started teething with a vengeance, and unfortunately forgot how to sleep more than a couple of hours in a row.

* is eating some baby food again, after being on strike for a while (teeth, again).

* is quite a fan of Mama (and her milk). Yes, we've entered Separation 101. :-)

* loves to stroll around the neighborhood, and love on our pets. Sugar makes him so happy.

* has a huge fanbase, but no one can compare to his parents and adoring siblings' love for him.

* is a constant reminder of God's goodness and grace.

Seven months old!

Elijah turned 7 months old last week. He has been growing like crazy and adding new tricks rapidly these days. He had already gotten in 4 teeth before last week, was sitting up well independently, and then started crawling. Today, he stood alone, for 10 seconds or more, repeatedly! He is so proud when he does, and we have to laugh. We had his first professional photos taken last week on his 7 month birthday, and he put on a show. He's such a sweetie, and the photographer loved how cooperative he is. You'd never know he'd had his pictures taken at home a few times...

God is so good to have given us this baby we longed for, and we try to celebrate his life every day, and the gift he is. We just cannot take him for granted. Our whole family constantly says how much joy he brings us. That's something that just confirms to me that the desire we all had individually, and as a family, for another member of our family was something God placed there, and fulfilled. We're so grateful. Now, as Abigail reminds us often, she needs a sister to even things out, and we do feel that someday God may open the door for us to adopt again. We're prayerfully hoping that can happen. For now, though, we're certainly enjoying our Elijah-bear. He is marvelously cuddly and sweet-natured, and I think that comes through pretty well in these photos!

Most lovable baby

Elijah is in a cheesy contest at CBS 42. You can go to www.cbs42babycontest.com and vote for him if you have nothing better to do. :-) Scroll through till you see this picture. You then have to go the end of all the babies to submit your vote. The contest ends on July 16th. Apparently, you can vote often, each day. We're having fun with it. He's already won our own family contest for lovable-ness!

Wanna kiss? (How can you resist?)

At least he's proportional

Tuesday was Elijah's 6 month check-up. He did great. He is quite possibly the most amazingly sweet baby ever. Well, no - actually he IS the most amazingly sweet baby ever, and charmed everyone who saw us.

The facts: He weighed just over 20 pounds, and measured 28" long. Can you say 97th percentile? No wonder my back gets tired of carrying him!

His head is in the 75th though, so at least he doesn't take after his sister, who was sent for a CT scan at this age, because her head circumference had increased so much the doctor thought she may have a brain tumor. No, I'm not joking. Thankfully, she was diagnosed only with genetic maximus cranium. The neurologist really said that. I replied, "Are you saying she just has a big head?!" He replied with a grin, "Yes, and it's a hereditary condition." (Have you ever?!)

Elijah is really so solid and snuggly and cute. He grinned a lot, and charmed the doctor's socks off with his awesome baby skills: removed her stethoscope, grabbed at the light on the otoscope, and touched her face. The pediatrician (not our usual one) loved on him, and just held him for a minute, complimenting his sweet chubbiness. She has great taste, and you know, she should be an expert since she sees lots of babies. :-)

The funny physical comparisons between my boys (which parents should never do, yet do often in spite of themselves) don't really matter, but are interesting. They are equally loved, and adored, and it's fun to celebrate the differences. God isn't boring with His creation, ever, is He?

At 6 months---

Isaac:
10 pounds, 1.5 oz.
22 1/4" long
tiny and slender
blond hair/blue eyes

Elijah:
20 pounds, 1 oz.
28" long
thick and juicy
brown hair/brown

Splish splash!

Elijah enjoyed his first trip to the pool last week, and here's proof:


He is so cute, kicking and splashing with his arms. He would buck like a little bronco when we held him on his tummy or back, like he thought he was really going somewhere. He had a wonderful time, and played hard for over an hour. We loved swimming at the Alabaster Y, since it's a smaller pool, wasn't crowded at all, and has some shade around a large portion of it. What a treat to be able to escape the heat for a little bit!

6 months old!

Little Elijah is 6 months old tomorrow!! We can hardly believe it. Time is flying by way too quickly. He is still the sweetest, easiest baby I've ever been around. People who don't even know us remark in public about his sweet smiles and easy-going nature. We just absolutely never get tired of looking at him, playing with him, and talking to him. All of us adore Elijah's squeezably soft self. He gives the best kisses and snuggles. I love that Isaac and Abigail still find him fascinating and ask to hold him many times a day, and are so great at occupying him, caring for him, and entertaining him when I need help. They are a wonderful big brother and sister!


Here are pictures of E. exploring his new tooth and helping to hold the spoon while chowing down!

He has earned many nicknames in his half year of life, including:
- Michelin man
- chubby cheeks
- roly poly
- chunky monkey
- ol' cuteness
- potbelly piggy

Do you detect a theme? :-)

His recent talents and accomplishments:
- sitting up unassisted for brief stretches of time
- tiny bits of kicking/scooting on his tummy
- 2 bottom teeth came in this past month!
- weighs around 19 pounds, as best we can tell
- pulling our faces close with his chubby hands to give big
open-mouth kisses
- jabbering and squealing to get attention and "talk" to us
- reaching for everything, especially Mama and Abigail's hair
- chewing on a paci every now and then for comfort
- still nursing great, and sleeping 6-8 hours most nights!
- having fun eating peas, carrots, pears and apples with much
delight (rice cereal, not so much)
- attempting to drink water and Mama's milk from a sippy cup for
fun
- his eyes are dark brown now, and his hair is coming in light brown

A few of my favorite things

Cutting grass on a spring day, with my Elijah in a Maya wrap. Can't get much better than that.