A bowl of Paper Mache paste anyone??

My poor son. I fed him the nastiest stuff in the whole world today for breakfast. I feel like a I'm now a worse mommy than I used to be. :(

We have started little David on infant cereal. We tried Oatmeal first. He loved it. He gobbles it up like it's going out of style. Barley came next. He liked that one too. It took a time or 2 before he was scarfing it up, but we've gotten there.

This morning was Rice cereal. Yuck. As soon as I poured the flakes into his bowl, I started thinking we had a bad thing going on. It smells gross. Once I had a bowl full I knew we had a bad thing going. It looks gross. Then I added water. Eww! The finished product looks and smells like paper mache paste. Who remembers that from arts and crafts class???? You know what I'm talking about, right? That white-ish colored gloopy, globby, sticky, pastey mess. If you are ever in the middle of an art project and run out, let me know. I've got some rice cereal you can use! :)

The worst part of the whole ordeal is that he ate it! The whole bowl! And said "Mmmm" after every bite! I don't know if I will be able to keep feeding him this stuff. He may handle it just fine, but I can't. Every time I get a whiff I want to grab my old newspaper strips and a bag of candy and start making a pinata.

A little Christmas song

My mom thinks it is really funny to do stuff with her grandkids that makes her kids roll their eyes. I think it's her goal in life right now. Her latest plan was to "encourage their musical talents" and "spark some creativity" so she bought my nieces (ages 5 and 2 ) harmonicas for Christmas. It was indeed a musical day. Here's a little taste of some of their 'beautiful' Christmas songs.

Time to breathe

Ahhh! *deep breath* Christmas is over. The holidays are almost behind us. It was wonderful to see my family and spend some time with my siblings, but I'm glad the chaos is over. My brother, Mo, was in from Illinois to see us and my other brother, Steve, came down from Holland. We had a great time getting all of our kids together to play. I wish we all lived closer! But I guess that's what the holidays are for, right?

We had a great time celebrating with little David for the first time. I know he has no knowledge of what happened and will not remember it, but I will. We took him to Bronson Park in downtown Kzoo and showed him the nativity seen there. We ran through a quick version of the story of Jesus' birth and chatted a bit and took some pictures. We also went down Christmas card lane and looked at all the cool cards this year. Seems like they've had more in past years, but it was still fun. We got him a Christmas present and wrapped it on Christmas Eve and put it under the tree and took lots of pictures - of course! He had a good time going to Grandma's house (who doesn't) and tearing all the wrapping paper off on Christmas day. He didn't end up eating any of it so I consider it a good day. :)

January will be a hectic month so I am taking every opportunity now to sit still and relax in every calm moment. We will be moving to a different apartment on January 27th. We are looking to spend a little less every month on rent and try even harder to live below our means. Pastor Ron at Agape has been bring some very powerful messages about standards of living, debt and family finances. David and I have really taken it to heart and are trying to live on less so that we have a little more to bless others with. We would also like to be able to live off of David's income alone so I could stop working. Whew! Those are big goals when I stop to think about it! They are attainable, but they do take hard work and sacrifice. It'll be worth it.

I leave you now with the destruction and mayhem that was Christmas Day at my parents' house:

Oh, yeah...

And I forgot the baby updates! David is now six months old. Everyday from now on, he is closer to being one than being a newborn. :( He is sitting up on his own now to play, grab things and take baths. He is also showing early signs of pincher control with finger foods. We have a long way to go with that one, but he's trying. :) *sigh* I'm so proud.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

It's that time again......winter in Michigan. The latest storm front has dumped heaps of snow on my lawn, my wiper blades are frozen to my windshield and the snow plows.........wait a minute......where are the snow plows?!?!?!? I almost got stuck in the middle of the road on my way to work today. That's right - the MIDDLE of the road. Not at a stop sign, not in my driveway, but in the middle of the road with the belly of my car draggin' in the four letter white stuff. Oh well, if my boss doesn't care that I was late then neither do I. :)

December is here and almost gone and I am just realizing that it's started. Where does the time go? This time of year is always such a busy time; life is just a little more chaotic around the holidays. There are cookies to make, presents to buy, decorations to hang, lights to be lit, parties to attend and a wonderful Savior to celebrate! David and I have had a great time so far making memories with little David. It's a good thing we have a lot of memory space on our computer for all the pictures!

Our wish for all of you is that you take the time to celebrate the reason for the season - Jesus! Cherish the moments, enjoy the laughter and take lots of pictures. That's the stuff good memories are made of!

David and Lauren

Prune-y Magic

Being a mom requires patience, love, selflessness and a high tolerence for gag inducing, nose hair curling, eye watering poopy messes. Fun! :)

Little David was, let's say, 'needing some help' so I called the doctor for advice. We were told to give him prunes or apple juice and to go slowly so he wouldn't end up with the opposite problem. The nurse said to keep an eye on him for a day or two because it might take that long for them to take effect. She must not have kids of her own because she was clearly not knowledgeable on the subject. My clean little darling was sitting in his bouncy seat and just playing when he started to fuss a bit. I let it go for a minute or two just to see how bothered he really was. Bad move. After just a few minutes, when he started to fuss more I picked him up and noticed he had finally done it. The prunes had worked their prune-y magic. The diaper I was waiting for was here.

This was no ordinary diaper change. I had to put him in the tub to take his clothes off. He had it clear up to his shoulders! I couldn't even take off his socks because they too were full of poop! I had hose him down in the tub and give him a bath then go to immediatly do laundry (his and mine from picking him up) and scrub the poop out of the bottom of the tub. I was busy for a while, thank you son!

Ahhh, learning experiences. "A day or two" my foot!!! HA!

Growin' teeth and eatin' solids

November 13, 2008 - I have decided to give in and give my boy some solid foods. He has looked like he's ready for a little while now; I however have just reached that point. I started out with some oatmeal cereal. He ate it like a champ. :) He sure knows what he's doing when it comes to food! Everytime he gets in his highchair now, he expects food! He knows what's coming. He took the oatmeal very well for a few days so I threw in some peas on him last night. That was one funny face he made! I don't think he was too sure about those. He did eat a few spoonfuls though.

Here he is with oatmeal on his face:

And this is him trying to feed himself!

November 16, 2008 - We were hanging out at my mom and dad's house when we found his first tooth. Aunt Ashley was playing with him in the living room and started yelling about some tooth. Really?!?!? Already?!??! He's such a little boy! But it's true. Everyone took turns feeling it. We were all so proud of him! He's been feeling ok with it too. I think the beginning stages of teething were the worst on him. He's taken this part like it's nothing. That's my big boy! He is doing some biting though. That's no fun for a nursing mom!

All of this once again proves that my baby boy will not be my baby boy forever. A part of me is mourning........

White stuff alert!!!

It's here! Winter has arrived! The snow is falling, the air is chilly and the prices are dropping for holiday shopping. I love this time of year. The 5 or 6 weeks before Christmas are just the best!

I don't know if I was really ready for the snow though. I am always a little excited about it when it starts falling for the first time every year, but as soon as I have to go out and scrape the car windows I lose some enthusiasm. It was so pretty though! I was at work yesterday, and it was snowglobe snowing. You know, when the snow is lightly falling and it looks like someone turned the world upside down and shook it like a snowglobe. That's my favorite. It's just so cold and messy though!

I must go now.........my hot chocolate is ready! Enjoy this season everyone! It's wonderful.

Sleeping on his own...

Yes, it's true! My precious little baby boy is now sleeping on his own, just like a big boy! He needed a bit more space than the bassinet in our room was offering. When he stretched out, he was touching the top end with his head and the bottom end with his feet. When he moved and kicked he was shaking and rocking the whole thing, so to be safe we moved him. He now has a big crib to stretch out in and move all he wants.

On his first night, he got a little worried looking when I just laid him down and walked away. It's a big crib for a little guy! He calmed down right away and had no problem sleeping. He got up once to eat around 3am, but had no problem going back to sleep on his own. On night 2, he laid down at 9:30pm and didn't wake up until 8:30am. Last night he went to sleep at 11pm and woke up at 8am, never getting up to eat.

I feel a little un-needed. :( He doesn't care that he's all alone in his room. He doesn't need to wake up and eat in the middle of the night. He goes to sleep just fine within 5-10 minutes of laying down. He doesn't have to be rocked to sleep. He's not afraid of monsters under his bed. I am not needed. In case you can't tell, this whole thing has been a little harder on me than him. Maybe someday I'll adjust.......

One year later....

November 1st, 2007. One of the happiest days of my life. David was taking evening classes at Davenport University. I was watching TV and waiting for him to get home. I had been suspecting something was 'different' about me lately so I decided to take another testduring the commercial break. I fully expected it to be negative like all the rest, but that was not to be. It was positive and I was, in fact, 7 and a half weeks pregnant.

I have never cried so hard in my whole life. I had been wanting a baby and David and I had decided that it was time. I had taken several tests over several weeks, but they had all been coming back negative. If I had really thought it would be positive, I would have waited until David was with me! Instead I had to wait from 6:30 when I found out to 9pm when he got home. I am convinced that these are the longest hours that I have ever lived.

It's amazing how much one person can change in a year (and how much one person can change you!). Looking back, I am no where near the same person I was last fall (thank you, Lord!). Being a mommy has changed everything. I live every day for my little guy, not myself. I work harder and sacrifice more for him than I ever would for me. I praise God more, complain less and put my husband and son before myself on a daily basis. I'm not saying this is easy, but I'm working on it. I like to think I'm doing pretty well. :)

Little David has taught me how to smile, laugh, love and be truly happy in a way I never thought possible. He has taught me how to relax and take every day as it comes. He has shown me that doing the dishes, sweeping the floor and doing laundry really don't matter a bit. Playing, reading books, cuddling, peek-a-boo and smiles do. I never thought my biggest lessons would come from the smallest person I know.

Overall, I am very happy with the last year. It's been a good one and I wouldn't trade it for the world. My only hope is that I can say that again on November 1st, 2009.

Lots of little updates.....

#1 - My boy is now showing signs of sitting up on his own AND rolling over. What the heck! He's growing up too fast! It's happening overnight. Literally. On Wednesday he just toppled over if you let go and he woke up on Thursday morning and all of a sudden didn't need me to help him sit! So far the longest that he's held it is about 5 seconds, but he's getting stronger every day. Teething is still in the works. Nothing has cut though yet, but you can see a little white spot where the tooth is coming in at.

#2 - My Mom had surgery on her wrist on Tuesday (carpel tunnel) and is doing great. Everything went as planned during surgery and she really hasn't been in pain since then - just some mild discomfort. Her next surgery is on Nov. 11th (same thing for the other wrist).

#3 - David had his first deer/car run-in. We were driving home from my parents house on Sunday evening and there was a doe just standing in the road. We were driving around a curve so we couldn't see her until she was already in our headlights. By then it was too late. David was able to swerve a little and hit it with only the front corner of the car. There is very little visible damage - nothing we have to repair - and the deer got up and limped away. It could have been a lot worse I guess.

#4 - I am cutting back on my hours at work. I just CAN NOT work 40 hours a week and keep up on cooking, cleaning and baby raising. I will only work 3 days a week now (about 20 hours) so i will have more time at home with my family and more time to hang out with friends.

Speaking of work.....I have to do that today. It's time to go. :( More updates to come later.

This outfit is a gift from his Uncle Steve. He looks like such a big boy!
His hat says "My first SUV" with a picture of a little red wagon.



















Daddy is teaching him all sorts of stuff already! This little lesson came during the Packers game on Sunday. Now he can channel surf with the best of 'em!

Finally feeling better!

We are finally starting to feel a little better. Whoo Hoo! I now have my voice back and my throat is hurting much much less. I am still very low on energy and need a nap and a little down time to get through the day, but I can deal with that. David is doing much better as well. He is still very low energy too, but the strep throat symptoms have disappeared! Praise God. We are looking forward to getting back on our feet! Thanks for all the prayers!

There should be a magic pill

There should be a magic pill reserved just for Mommys & Daddys. This pill should have the ability to cure any illness or disease in less than 12 hours, keep any illness I have from becoming contagious to my child and restore me to full health. It should also be free - parents, as a rule, don't spend money on themselves. It should be delivered to my front door. Parents don't have the time to "go to the doctor". That is also defined as 'doing something for yourself' and that is against the Parent Rules too. (chapter 13, section 7, paragraph b. Look it up).



That being said.........I have been sick for a week and David started getting sick on Friday. This prompted us to give in and go see the doc on Saturday. The diagnosis? Strep Throat! For both of us! What the heck?? We are parents now. We have a teething child who doesn't feel well. We can not be sick! And not at the same time!!! On top of taking care of me and my poor son, I am taking care of my hubby (let's be honest, men don't handle being sick very well). :)



This is not as hard on us as it could be though. Even though little David hasn't felt well, he was amazing yesterday. He sat in the waiting room at the doctor and went shopping at meijer while we got our medicine WITHOUT MAKING A SOUND. This all lasted about 3 hours (1 and 1/2 of which was supposed to be nap time) and he was so good. He just sat there awake, looking around and smiling the whole time. We are now completely convinced that we have the most perfect baby IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!!

In the beginning.....

.......Lauren created a blog.......and it was good.

Hello family and friends!! Long time, no see! David and I are branching out into the blogging world in hopes of staying connected with you and updating you on the happenings of our family. We'll try to keep updated stories of our adventures as new parents and recent pictures of our little man. Give us feedback & let us know what you think! :)