Marked by Love

Still here...

2011-12-30T13:22:00.001-05:00

Hey blog peeps, long time no blog. We are here, doing well, and finally unwinding after the holidays. December was kind of a weird month for us. Josh was working nights and when he wasn't working or sleeping he was studying for boards (step 3). His board exam was the Wednesday before Christmas and last night was his last night shift! Can I get an AMEN?!! Josh is working all this weekend and then starts surgery rotations for the next 4.5 years! There really isn't much to complain about the first half of his intern year, it's been a pretty smooth transition for us. I'm praying for another smooth adjustment into his surgery schedule and a regular on-call schedule. So there's a little update on one of my boys.

And now a little update on my favorite 13 month old. Jonah is doing great. This is a really fun stage but it isn't without its challenges. We're also struggling with chronic ear infections. Poor little guy keeps getting a cold which leads to an ear infection. His pediatrician just gave us a number to call an ENT for a consultation so we'll see what they say. I'm praying for no tubes.

We had a blast celebrating Christmas with Jonah this year.

He doesn't get the whole Christmas thing but we it was

still fun together.

And there really isn't that much new with me. I love my job of taking care of my boys. It's hard work but extremely rewarding. I'm also staying busy with BSF (Bible Study Fellowship). As much work as it is I'm so thankful to be studying God's Word through through BSF. I've also met some really women through my discussion group.

So far our first seven months of living in Canton has been pretty good. We've had ups and downs but God has remained faithful and we continue to look to Him as we embark on 2012.

Merry Christmas

and

Happy 2012!

May your new year be filled with the Lord's peace and

knowledge of His love for you.

Jonah's 1st Birthday Party Pictures

2011-12-08T23:02:00.001-05:00

About a month ago we celebrated Jonah's first birthday in Dayton at my parents' house. It was quite the celebration with a lot of family and friends. I really enjoyed the planning and putting this party together, and of course celebrating Jonah. I definitely couldn't have it without the help of my amazing family. I of course have a lot of photos from his big day but here are just a few highlights from his day.

Jonah wasn't quite sure what to think of his cake. He acted like he didn't really care for it. He was more concerned about it being all over his hands than actually eating it. Not sure how he went from the pictures above to the pictures below so quickly.

We actually gave him a quick bath before he opened up his presents.

I told Josh if our next baby is a boy (good Lord's willing we're able to have another baby) he will be having the same first birthday party that Jonah had. :)

Thank you again family for all of your help, and thank you to Josh's family who drove five hours from Michigan to celebrate Jonah's first birthday. I can't even begin to tell you how much it means to me to have had so many of his cousins at his party. And I certainly can't forget to thank my Aunt Toni and cousin Jessika for flying up from Atlanta, GA just for the party. Thank you all so much!

It was an great day of feeling loved and blessed by our family and also by many of our dear friends. There is something about seeing other people love your children that warms your heart.

Jonah is 1!

2011-11-30T23:36:00.001-05:00

Sorry this is a week late, we've been a little busy around here celebrating our one year old, traveling to North Carolina for Thanksgiving, and decorating for Christmas. And sorry again for the incredibly long slideshow, I seriously deleted so many pictures to make it not so so long. Thanks to those who watched it. Jonah and I watched it again today. He actually cuddled up close with me and watched the whole thing. He does have a cold so he has been super snuggly. And also, these are probably the last of the monthly pictures. Don't worry, there will still be lots of pictures of Jonah. I just don't think we need to do it anymore and I kind of promised him during our last mini-photo shoot (below) that if he sat still and smiled for momma that I wouldn't make him do this again.

Discovering Jonah:

weight: 20.6 lbs (20%)
height: 29.5" (40%)
head circumference: 18" (30%)
favorite food: cheese (particularly pasta and peas with a little cheddar cheese)
you take two naps during the day and sleep about 12 hours at night (on a good night)
you are pretty chatty but "dada" is about the only thing we can make out right now, I'm still waiting for you to say "momma"
I don't think you have a favorite toy though you do love your stand up keyboard (which thankfully plays really nice classical music). You prefer to play with anything that hasn't been Jonah-proofed like book shelves, the printer, or our scale in the bathroom. You also love books. You love us reading to you and you have been enjoying looking at them too by yourself. You particularly love to be able to turn the pages yourself.
you're not walking yet but you are cruising along the couch and I can see you get more confident every day.
you have six teeth but only four that are visible right now.
you have been getting upset if someone else is holding you and you can see me or your father. And we got paged for the first time to get you out of the church nursery at a church we were visiting for the first time two weeks ago.
you understand when we say "No touch" and "sit down" and you listen about 60% of the time. I can see you learning and trying to process these instructions. Many times a stern no really hurts your feelings and I hate that but it is truly because I love you so much. I wish you understand why we tell you no (like don't like the trash can because it's dirty and has lots of germs), but your Kika reminded me there are going to be many more times when I will tell you no and you won't understand it, it will be because I said so.

Jonah, this past year has been wonderful! You have taught your father and me so much and we continue to thank the Lord for blessing us with you. We will continue to pray for your heart to know the Lord and to desire Him above all else.

We love you Jonah, we couldn't imagine our family without you.

And a recap from the past 12 months...pretty sure month 5 was your chubbiest and baldest. =)

Happy 1st Birthday Jonah!

2011-11-22T16:01:00.001-05:00

Jonah is one year old today!!! We are excited to celebrate our son and also celebrate getting through our first year as parents! Thank you Lord for blessing us with a wonderful baby, Jonah truly has been such a good baby. I know there were things that challenged us (like Jonah's 45 minute naps up until 6 months), and there will certainly be more challenges. But we welcome them as we welcome this next year of Jonah's life.

Here is a long (sorry) slideshow of pictures from Jonah's first year of life. I tried so hard to keep it short but I failed. So sorry friends for the long photo-montage of our baby boy. Family, I'm sure you will enjoy every bit of this. =) Grab some tissues because I was a mess making this. This year has flown by. I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around being a mom with a one year old.

Happy 1st birthday Jonah! We hope you know how special you are to us.

After Thanksgiving I will post pictures from Jonah's birthday party and his 12 month picture.

Until then, happy Thanksgiving!

photobooth pics

2011-11-17T15:09:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we celebrated Jonah's first birthday (his official birthday is next Tuesday the 22nd). We had a wonderful time celebrating our sweet boy. We of course took lots of pictures and I will be sharing those very soon. But as I was going through the party pictures I couldn't help posting these pictures now. We set up a little photo booth and it's hard to tell from the pictures but I think the kids (and grown-ups) had fun.

A special thanks to Jonah's grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncle from Michigan for driving down for Jonah's party. It was such a blessing to have you there and I loved that Jonah had many his cousins at his first birthday party.

This one is from the night before the party, we were testing out the photo booth

making sure it was all set for the party. By the way, I love married Marcky. Aren't he and his wife Shelly, so cute?!

I don't know what I would have done without these beautiful girls, thanks so much ladies!

Another thanks to my Aunt Toni and cousin Jessika for flying up from Atlanta just for the party.

Jessika just started med-school and even had a test the following Monday, and she still came! She is such a sweet girl and I love how much she loves Jonah.

Thank you again Josh for putting up with my crazy, being so helpful, and for making our son's first birthday party amazing. I love sharing these memories with you.

And thank you again to everyone (mommy) who helped me make this party happen,

I seriously couldn't have done it without you (mommy).

Party Time

2011-11-10T09:54:00.001-05:00

This weekend we will be celebrating Jonah's first birthday at my parent's house in Dayton!

(His birthday isn't until the 22nd but this is when we were able to get the whole family together.)

I am so excited to celebrate my sweet boy, watch him eat cake for the first time, and see his family come together to love on him (even Josh's family from Michigan is coming down! I feel so blessed that they would make the drive for his party.) And of course at the same time, I feel a little sad that all of this is happening so quickly. I'm praying I will fully be able to enjoy this celebration and not get caught up in the details and constantly worrying if everyone is happy (just call me the party people pleaser).

I ordered his invitation from this shop on Etsy. The seller was super great to work with.

And for your viewing pleasure, a t-shirt I had made for my brother's 30th birthday.

A few Halloween pics

2011-11-02T21:30:00.002-04:00

Halloween....Jonah's last first holiday. And we celebrated by dressing him up as a cheeseburger!

Seriously, the cutest cheeseburger I've ever seen!

"Can someone please get me out of this cheeseburger costume?

My parents are embarrassing me."

Aren't both of my boys so handsome?

Josh and the interns organized a little Halloween party last Saturday. We went as cheeseburgalurs! The party kicked off right around Jonah's bedtime so he was a little sleepy but actually did amazing for us. So proud of that little cheeseburger. The party was fun, it was really nice to meet more people in Josh's program. But the party did not compare to the Girls' Group Halloween parties. It was kind of a sad day knowing that I wasn't able to be there this year.

And we didn't go trick or treating this year. We thought it would be kind of weird if we went when Jonah is clearly not eating any sweets. Maybe next year. Hope everyone had a fun Hallowizzle!

11 MONTHS

2011-10-26T16:00:00.001-04:00

You look like you're too big to fit into the picture. Which you are getting to be

so big and I'm gonna need you to stop it, okay?

So fast, you getting bigger is just happening way too fast for me.

I mean, I know you aren't heading off to college anytime soon, but I can't believe in less than a month you are going to be 12 months. A full year! If I'm not okay with you getting so big so fast (I totally realize there is nothing I can do about that) this month, not sure how I'm going to handle you turning a full year next month. But like always, I'm jumping ahead of myself.

I will try to embrace today and cherish every moment I have with you.

This is seriously the name of your game, let's pull up on anything and everything.

And you continue to be a ham in front of the camera, which makes for a lot of smiley pictures. =)

I don't know how you know it but every time I pull out the camera (which is a lot) you give us the biggest smiles. Your father standing behind me making silly noises and faces might have something to do with it, you happen to think he is pretty funny.

Yes, you love your Dada and I'm kind of okay that you've been saying "dada" and not "momma", because I know where I stand. You are just starting to have a hard time if someone takes you that is not as familiar to you, you get a little sad and point to me. And if you realize I'm not near you while you've been playing, you get a little fussy and try to come find me. I never ever want you to be sad but I kind of love you crawling up to my legs and pulling on my pants to get me to pick you up. The first time you did that my heart just melted. You are very much a momma's boy and I'm perfectly okay with that.

A picture from your first wagon ride last Sunday. Thank you again Grandma G, for such a great gift! We love it and hope to get in lots of use before it's too cold.

Another fun gift from Grandma G, an IKEA tool belt. It's a little big but it's not stoppin' Jonah. So cute!

I love that you love reading books and hope you always love reading. You don't always want to sit on our laps and snuggle but if we grab a book it is guaranteed snuggle time.

Your father has been mentioning that you might need a hair cut soon. Your hair can be unruly most of the time but I'm loving seeing the curls pop up and I want to wait and see if we can get some floppy curls. I promise to trim the back to take of the rat tail/mullet if that gets out of control. Don't you just love this awesome front wave? And check out those curls in the pic below, I love them!

Thank you again Jonah for bringing so much joy into our lives. Seeing God's grace through your life has been an amazing blessing and gift to our entire family. You are loved and adored by so many sweet boy. And thank you for taking an amazing nap today so I too could rest and write this blog post for you. =) Love you so so much Jonah!

New Tricks

2011-10-17T21:46:00.000-04:00

I call these first two pictures his 'downward facing dog' pose.

This little boy is on the move.

He is loving the new world he is discovering now that he can pull himself up

and crawl for real and real fast.

I love how he gets excited every time he pulls himself up, it's like he is so proud of himself.

Imagine if for your entire life (all 10 months of it) you only laid on your back or belly or sat on your toosh to play, and now all of a sudden you are realizing there is a whole new world (the bathroom, laundry room, windows, our closets, the kitchen, outlets, etc.). You would be pretty excited too when you pulled yourself on the coffee table or couch.

I absolutely love that he is developing physically but it is seriously happening so fast. Everyday I am seeing him getting a little more coordinated and problem solving when he gets stuck somewhere. The best has been watching him learn how to get down when he is standing up. He starts slowly with a little squat with his hands still on the couch, and just before his bottom reaches the floor he plops himself down. This kid is amazing and I am one really proud momma.

And with all of this new physical development, diaper changes are extremely challenging with a little boy who does not like to sit still unless you are reading to him.

And we also have our fare share of bumps and bruises. But if he is anything like his boy cousins,

I'm sure this is only the beginning.

10 Months

2011-09-30T22:45:00.002-04:00

Oh boy oh boy! Double digits!

This has been a great and challenging month, but I love it! You have been changing so much and love seeing all of the things you can do now like point to things and wave but it is happening so fast. I'm trying not to get ahead of myself but I can't believe in two months you are going to be one! Time to start planning your birthday party!

Jonah and the whale

I solemnly swear I am up to no good. - Harry Potter

What have you been up to this month? Getting into trouble. You have a knack of getting into things you're not supposed to and you laugh every time we say "no no no".

Not sure if we need a new strategy but I know it's only the beginning.

And we usually know you are getting into something you're not supposed to because you

have a little staccato laugh that gives you away.

Within one weekend this past month you woke up every morning with holes in the feet of your pj's.

I guess you went through a growth spurt that weekend.

This past week you started crawling on your hands and knees instead of on your belly.

You prefer to crawl on your belly as you can get where you need to faster. I love the expression on your face when push up on your hands and knees, you get so proud of yourself it's so sweet.

You continue to do a great job eating as long as you can feed yourself. Your diet is slowly growing, but you could eat pasta, cheese and bananas all day long. We're still working on getting you to eat meat, without mixing it into your other food. It takes you a while to get used to new textures.

This is what we usually find when we get you up from your naps.

This month we started going to Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) and I am so excited about the program you get to be a part of. EVERYONE I have spoken to about it says it's AMAZING for children. Even the babies in the nursery (that's you) are hearing the lesson, they sing hymns to you, and pray for each baby. I love that you are already hearing about God's Word and the Holy Spirit. Before you were born I was praying for your heart for when you would hear about the Lord, and this month I continue to pray for your heart to have a saving knowledge of Jesus and a deep desire to love and honor him. I am so excited for what the Lord has in store for you sweet Jonah.

How Long Oh Lord? Part two

2011-09-01T21:25:00.001-04:00

And here is part two.

Thank you again Erica for asking me to be a part of your series, it has been so healing for me and truly an honor.

Thanks for reading.

How Long Oh Lord?

2011-08-31T23:32:00.000-04:00

I know I know, two posts in one day. Crazy!

My friend Erica asked me if I'd be interested in sharing my story for a series on her blog called "How long oh Lord?" I just wanted to let you know that you can read part one of my story on her blog now. And I believe she will be posting part two on Thursday.

It was difficult for me to write but oh so therapeutic and healing. Thank you again Erica for asking me to be a part of this series.

9 Months

2011-08-31T10:34:00.000-04:00

My sweet little wiggly, ever-moving, no-longer-want-to-be-held nine month baby boy.

Last Monday was your nine month birthday and Tuesday at your nine month check-up (with a new pediatrician that we really like - praise the Lord) you decided you did not want to be held. You were trying to do everything you could to not be held and the people in the waiting area at the doctor's office were staring at me as I was trying to wrangle you in my lap. I told them you had never done this before, and looked at me like "ummm, duh, he's a baby and babies do that." But when I told them you had never done that before they looked at me like I was crazy. I feel like it was seriously overnight that so much has changed, and definitely wasn't ready for it.

Before I get into the new challenges, here are some Jonah stats:

weight: 18 pounds (15th percentile)

height: 28 inches (44th percentile)

head circumference: 17.75 inches (15th percentile) - your Aunt Britt and Papa-doc still do not believe this because your head looks so normal. I can't imagine what your head would look like if it was in the 50th percentile. =)

- Eating solids has been good, sort of. I feel like you do really well every two meals and then on the third it seems you're not that interested or you don't like what you are getting. Starting new textures has not been your favorite, which has made getting you to eat protein a little difficult. I usually shred chicken into your veggies and you LOVE cheese. I think you could eat orzo pasta with melted cheddar cheese all day long (our version of mac n' cheese). You do not like yogurt, which is strange to me. Basically, as long as you are able to feed yourself you are one happy little eater.

- You are starting to nurse a little bit better, which is makes me happy because I am not ready for you to be done nursing.

- You have been getting faster at your army crawl. You are able to get your knees under you but you haven't pushed up yet on your hands. As much as I want you to master this skill I'm okay that you haven't yet. Once you are for real crawling you are going to be hard to keep up with.

- You're starting to get interested in pulling yourself up but still not too sure about standing up.

- And I know I shouldn't post about this but I want to remember how sleeping was for you at nine months. Our nights are getting better, praise the Lord. We are having some pretty early mornings but I'll take those if we're able to get through the night. And napping has been good too. You've been taking a longer nap in the morning (almost two hours) and about an hour and a half nap in the afternoon. You still wake up after about 40 minutes but you've been doing great with putting yourself back to sleep.

I love your half moon eyes, definitely like your fathers.

Over these past couple of weeks we have been seeing a lot of your personality develop, and I love it! But I guess I wasn't quite ready to see you become so strong willed (clearly you are my son, just ask your Kika about my strong will as a child...and still).

At nine months you have already mastered the throw your head back and arch your back at the same time. This usually occurs when you aren't getting what you want because I've had to pull you away from something dangerous.

At nine months you are shaking your head no while you're eating if I'm offering you something that you don't want. Not exactly sure if it is indeed a no, but your lips are sealed and there is no way food getting in there if you don't want it. You also want to hold the spoon while you're eating which is great so you can learn how to feed yourself, but your interest in your spoon is purely for playing with and you've gagged yourself a few times. I even got you a big fat spoon to hold while you eat, but that didn't work out so well either. Your world and meal time is over the moment I take your spoon away from you and I hate that. I want you to have everything you want but not everything is good for you, and that is a tough lesson to learn at nine months....and even still at 27 years old.

Even with the new challenges of being a parent, your father and I are so glad we are your parents. Thank you for keeping things exciting and for keeping me on my toes.

I know there is so much more in store during this next month.

picture by Brooke

Can you believe this was just nine months ago?

I love love love love love!

Starting to get a lot emotional over here so I better end this post.

Thank you for continuing to bless me and love me even though

I take your spoon away from you.

Love you Jonah-bear!

picture by Brooke

Monday Things

2011-08-29T14:08:00.002-04:00

I'm currently watching Jonah on the video monitor looking around in his crib. He's only been down for a nap for about an hour and I know he needs to sleep longer. Poor little guy is trying hard to get comfy to go back to sleep.

I know I still need to get Jonah's 9 month post out (preferably before September), but that little nugget just won't lay still for the picture. And the ones I do have are of him crying. I will attempt another photo shoot when Josh gets home but if it doesn't work out then I'll just have to make what I have work.

Right now Jonah is putting his blanket over his head and playing peek-a-boo. So cute.

Not sure when but I am guest writing for one of my friend's blogs soon. I'm sharing my story of loosing Leyton and the Lord's grace through it all. It's going to be in two parts because there was so much I wanted to share.

Josh is finishing up his ICU rotation on Wednesday and starting ER for the month of September. I'm not sure what to think of him working in the ER, I guess it will depend on what shifts he has. But he has a total of 22 (10 hour shifts) this month when I think the norm is around 15ish. Josh is working so hard and we are so proud of him.

I know summer is coming to an end quickly but if you love s'mores you are going to love this super easy s'more cookie recipe. I made them this summer when the Ruiters came for a visit.

Chocolate Marshmallow Meltaways (from Parents magazine - but I just call them s'more cookies)
1 1/4 cups graham-cracker crumbs
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
7 oz. marshmallow cream
nonstick cooking spray
chocolate syrup (I used chocolate chips)

1. In a large bowl, mix the crumbs, peanut butter, maple syrup, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Shape into 24 1 1/4-inch balls and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet or tray as you shape. Use a fork to flatten and make a crisscross design on each ball.

*I could probably stop here and just eat these cookies as is, they are so good!*

2. Before serving, spoon 1/2 tsp. of marshmallow cream onto each cookie (wait to spoon the marshmallow cream on the cookies until you are ready to eat them). Coat the spon with nonstick spray to make it easier. Then drizzle the cookies with chocolate syrup (I just put a couple of chocolate chips on top).

Enjoy!

And my little munchkin is back to sleep, hopefully for another hour or two.

Happy Monday!

DIY projects

2011-08-03T22:02:00.002-04:00

I love love love having a garage. It is such a great space for painting furniture. I'm sure this winter I will love it even more for its intended purpose but right now I'm loving it as my prime painting space (get it? prime? bad painters humor, I am my father's daughter).

Here are the before pictures of our bedroom furniture (Josh's furniture he had when he was younger).

And here are the after pictures...

The color is Martha Stewart's Bedford gray, it might be my new favorite color.

I need to put something on top of this wardrobe, any suggestions?

One of our other DIY projects this summer was to make a chalkboard. It took us a while to get it all together but I'm really pleased with how it turned out. The whole idea was to make a large chalkboard for very little but we had a hard time finding a frame. We almost gave up our search and almost purchased one but one day at a flea market we found a $2 frame that was exactly what we were looking for.

Hey Amy, see that green bottle on the bottom right? That's my Ace juice bottle I have saved since '03 trip to Italy to visit you. Wish we could have some Ace juice together in your lovely hammocks. =)

This was the sign Jonah and I came home to when we returned from my reunion trip with my girlfriends.

Basically, we got a $6 board cut to fit the frame, some chalkboard paint $13, and I had left over paint from painting our bedroom furniture. Easy-peasy!

I also painted this make-shift cabinet I made after we lost Leyton.

Sorry no before pics, it was painted black.

Color: Whetstone Gray by Martha Stewart

A little leftover chalkboard and a small stool I picked up for $5 that I also painted (basket from World Market). The art is from one of my nieces when they were driving through Canton on their way up to Michigan, and I can't seem to erase it. I love have little reminders that they were here.

Lastly, I painted this mirror and bookshelf that sit in our bedroom. Sorry no before pics but they were both dark brown. Color is also Whetstone Gray by MS. And I have two gray candles to go with those candle sticks that are supe cute but I can't seem to find them. They're most likely in one of my unpacked boxes. Can you tell I'm loving the color gray right now?

I have a few more things I'd like to paint like an end table in our family room but that is going to require sanding. We also need to find a tv console table and if I find something that is gently used I can paint both tables at the same time. And I have a few more projects underway that I'll post those

pictures once they are completed.

And a big thanks to my friends Sarah and Brooke for inspiring me to spruce up my things! I'll be coming up to Erie to visit soon to get some more inspiration. Love you girls!

8 Months

2011-08-01T15:16:00.000-04:00

I tried to get this post out before August since your background was chosen to reflect Independence day and that was in July but alas it is August 1st....and you don't really care.

~ This picture was chosen in honor of his father and his Uncle Marcky ~

Oh my oh my, my precious boy you are 8 months old. I am still trying to figure out how that can be possible. It seriously feels like just yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital. And now you are hitting your milestones left and right.

You are sitting up really well now. You still have a full tumbles so we make sure we arm your play area with pillows or your bobby but even in the past few days I have seen your confidence grow and you're learning to right yourself if you begin to topple a bit.

Just this past weekend you have started to army crawl. I knew you had it in you, you just needed the right motivation to propel you forward. And the tv controller is just that. I feel bad for teasing you with the controller so this morning I stuck almost every single toy in front of you and you wouldn't budge. So I grabbed the remote and off you went. Not quite sure how I feel about you lunging for the remote this early.

Your diet has been expanding and you continue to be a great eater for us. You love bananas and you could probably eat puffs or cheerios all day long. I think you just love being able to feed yourself. We're already seeing your autonomy as you were grabbing the spoon this morning and attempted to feed your self. Even though by the end of breakfast we were both a mess I love seeing you develop new skills, it makes me so proud of my boy.

Along with all of your new developments this has also been a challenging month for us. Ever since we came back from my trip with my girlfriends and you stayed with your Kika and Papa-doc, you have yet to sleep through the night. I know this isn't incredibly out of the ordinary for babies but ever since you were about 10 weeks old you were making it through the night like a champ. So this is just a little foreign to me. You would often wake up during the night but you always knew to go back to sleep. When you wake up now you start crying and can't seem to get yourself back to sleep. I know there can be lots of reasons for this like you recently had a little bug last week and weren't feeling well, it could be teething, you could be going through a little growth spurt, but my main worry is that you actually aren't getting enough milk from me during the day. I've never had a milk supply issue but lately you haven't been nursing well. I really hoping you aren't done breastfeeding because I certainly am not ready for you to be done. We're praying this is just a phase and that we can figure out why you aren't able to get back to sleep.

check out those two teeth on the bottom! Very cute and very sharp. =)

Thank you little buddy for being such a joy to me each day as we are still getting settled in to our new home and new town. You make each day so much fun. Yes, we do need more friends but I kind of love it right now just being you and me, you have been excellent company to me. I am cherishing these days we get to spend with one another. Love you Jobu!

Hope Street Reunion

2011-07-29T22:50:00.014-04:00

First...read this...

October 2007 at Britt's wedding shower

Karyn, Britt, Libby, Ruth, & Beth

In college my girlfriends and I lived on Hope Street for our last two years of school. We were called the Hope Street girls and because we'd like to think we're still 22 we still call ourselves the Hope Street girls. This year's reunion trip was amazing. My girlfriend Britt's (who I've known the longest, we also went to high school together) parents hosted our trip at their house in Urbana, Ohio (about an hour north of my parents in Dayton). Her parents were wonderful and I would be perfectly happy if we met there every summer for all of our reunion trips. They have an amazing house with a pool in the middle of cornfields, it was so peaceful.

I wasn't initially planning on this but I ended up leaving Jonah with my parents for part of my trip. He was with me from Wednesday to Thursday and with my parents from Thursday evening to Sunday afternoon. I did see him on Saturday to deliver breastmilk and get some quick snuggling in. As much as I hated not being with him and felt like I was missing a part of myself, it was REALLY nice to be able to have uninterrupted time (aside from having to go and pump) with my friends and to be fully present with them. And catching up on sleep was pretty great too. I don't even have to thank my parents for watching him, they were so excited when I asked. Thank you Aunt Britt and Uncle Jason for coming up from Cinci to hang out with him, and Uncle Marc and Ya-ya for making sure Jonah didn't miss me too much.

This is pretty much how we spent our days together. Soaking up a lot of sun and lots

of great conversations in the pool together.

So basically, this is what every meal was like, amazingly delicious. Britt's mother prepared all of our meals from beef tenderloin, twice baked potatoes, ribs, freshly picked sweet corn, strawberry cake, asparagus casserole, spinach salads, croissant breakfast sandwiches, cheesecake, plus so much more. She wouldn't let us give her money for the groceries or even let us help clean up. We seriously felt like we were at a bed and breakfast, especially when we found our beds were turned down when we went to bed each evening. Britt's parents served us so well, we couldn't say thank you enough.

Now for lots of pictures of my beautiful friends...

Libby, Ruth, Beth, & Britt

(sad that we are missing our friend Karyn who couldn't make the trip this year)

These pictures were taken in my parents back yard when we went to drop off Jonah.

Enjoyed a great dinner at Adobe Gilas at the Greene.

Enjoyed some live music after dinner. The singer was pretty good but I don't think anyone should be singing Lady Gaga acoustically.

Hung out in Yellow Springs one evening.

A guy outside of a grocery store asked to sing us a love song.

We couldn't possibly say no.

A little wine tasting in a cute wine shop.

for all you Modern Family fans...Dunphy Real Estate

Britt took us on a walk around her parents property. Lots and lots of cornfields.

There was something really peaceful about being out there. Everything that I have been rushing to do was put on hold. Such a great reminder of God's glory through creation and also through the lives of my friends.

It probably wasn't the best idea to go for a walk late in the day when the heat was pretty intense, but nothing a nice soak in the pool wouldn't fix.

I think many of you remember me posting about my friend Libby a year ago when she got cancer. Praise the Lord she is now cancer free! The girls and I wanted get her a special gift to honor her and continue to encourage her for how she has been faithful to the Lord during this incredibly rocky year for her family. When I lost Leyton the girls gave me a Tiffany necklace of a key with Leyton's initials on it, so we wanted to do something similar for Libby. We got her a necklace with a key and a heart and had "DWYC" engraved on the back of the heart. That stands for "Don't Waste You Cancer". You guys should seriously read her blog, she is amazing (especially this post, it's a must read). Throughout this entire journey she has been pointing to Christ and giving God the glory. I am so honored she is my friends.

This trip came at such a great time for me. I was definitely needing quality girl time with close friends who love me and who I can share my heart with. I am so thankful we were able to have this time together and be intentional about encouraging one another. And even though we may not do the best about keeping in touch with one another, I love that we can all get together and pick up right where we left off.

His faithful steed

2011-07-26T22:26:00.000-04:00

Jonah received this horse for Christmas from his grandma and grandpa (Josh's parents). We kept it at my parents house due to lack of space in our old townhouse, and recently brought it to our new home and he loves it. This is such a great gift because when he is a little bit older we can take off the safety seat and flip the base of it upside down and get even more use out of it.

Hard to believe this was 7 months ago. And now my baby boy is already 8 months old! Stay tuned this week for his 8 month post. Also, Jonah and I just returned from a reunion trip with my college roommates and I will be posting about that too. Basically, I have not been the best blogger (which isn't anything new) and I have a lot of blogging to catch up on.

Family Pictures

2011-07-18T22:54:00.000-04:00

Jonah and I are getting all packed up for my annual reunion trip with my college girlfriends. This year we are going to be spending the rest of the week at my girlfriend Britt's parents' house in Urbana, Ohio. I am so thankful it's not too far away this year and we'll only be about an hour from my parents if I need them to watch Jonah. I am really excited to see these girls. I'm actually going early tomorrow to pick up Libby and her daughter Ava from the airport in Dayton. We get to have an extra day together and I'm so looking forward to hugging her and loving on her daughter and celebrating her being cancer free!

But I will leave you with a few family pictures we had taken mid-June while we were in Michigan. A friend from college took them (see her blog here) and I'm so happy with how they turned out. Hoping to have her take more pictures of us, maybe even this fall??? when Jonah turns one, if Josh's schedule allows. I just LOVE Michigan in the fall, so many great memories of college, I get all nostalgicky (I know that's probably not a word) when I think about the fall. I digress, enjoy the pictures...

true joy

2011-07-13T22:29:00.001-04:00

Monday was harder for me than I had expected. I don't know if it was harder than last year but just different. Different because we have Jonah, which makes it harder and easier at the same time. He was a great little snuggler during my low parts of the day, which was so nice because there were a lot of bad storms all day, perfect weather for staying home and snuggling.

Thank you to everyone who prayed for us, called, emailed, and sent texts. Remembering Leyton is a huge blessing to us. There are times when we feel like we're the only ones who remembers we have another son. So you reaching out to us on Monday was really special to us and we so much appreciate it.

This is how my day ended...I always have quiet, calm down time with Jonah right before I put him to bed, but like usual, Josh gets him riled up just as I've settled him down. Josh was hitting his head against a pillow and Jonah thought it was the funniest thing he has ever seen, he can hardly stand himself. A great way to end the day.

Grace, abounding still...two years later

2011-07-10T22:53:00.002-04:00

quick disclaimer...sorry if this blog seems like I'm rambling, having a hard time getting all of my thoughts together into a nice cohesive post...

I just went back and read this post I wrote a year ago. Even with two years having gone by and so much having changed in our lives (having Jonah, graduating from med-school, moving to Ohio), sometimes the pain of loosing Leyton is still really fresh for me. I guess that's understandable now even having a son, I am able to see everything I didn't get to have with Leyton with Jonah now.

With all of the change that has been happening in our lives and thinking about Leyton and how I would have a two year old, I've been kind of a closet emotional mess (does that make sense?). We just got back from a short visit in Dayton to celebrate my Pop-p-'s 70th birthday, and with a busy and full weekend my mind wasn't always thinking about Leyton and the day that we lost him. I guess that I am thankful for the distractions (but then I of course start feeling guilty), as I remember last year I tried to stay busy to help keep my mind from going to a dark place. But today during worship at church my thoughts were definitely on Leyton (that happens often during worship).

As embarrassed as I get sometimes when tears start streaming down my face during worship, I love that moment when the Lord touches my heart and reminds me so much of His love for me. It is such a sweet moment of grace.

When I thought my broken heart could not possibly be put back together after loosing Leyton, the Lord has been faithful to hold every single piece and slowly but surely mend it back together. I know I have said this before but will continue to say this, the Lord's has been so faithful to bless me with His grace every single day. With new mercies every morning, Jesus remains faithful.

I'm not exactly sure how the day is going to go (emotionally). Part of me just wants to sit and and be sad but I know that is from the Enemy who does not want me to feel happy and gives me those guilty feelings. I'm sure I will have sad moments but I will also rejoice in the blessings of grace the Lord has given me, my wonderful husband and my sweet sweet Jonah. Oh how my Jonah fills my heart with so much joy.

I really want to share this song called "Beauty Will Rise" by Steve Curtis Chapman. I can't listen to it without crying. My friend Teena gave me this cd back in February 2010 when I wasn't even pregnant with Jonah yet. You don't really have to watch the video as it is an unofficial music video.

If you remember, Josh and I would certainly appreciate your prayers today. And thank you to our family and friends who continue to lift us up in prayer. Experiencing the Lord's love and grace everyday is a direct result of the many people who have been so faithful to pray for us.

Marc & Shelly's Wedding

2011-07-05T21:09:00.000-04:00

Oh my goodness my big brother is married! I am so excited for my brother and Shelly and their wedding was so much fun! I loved our wedding (and your's too Brittany but I think I had more fun at their wedding. It was definitely different than a traditional Belcastro affair but it was so Marc and Shelly and I think that is what made it so special. And even with their outdoor ceremony getting rained out, everything turned out great. Shelly you handled that beautifully. I might have been a bit upset about that but you were totally calm, you just wanted to marry Marc, you didn't care if it was inside or out, I thought that was pretty great.

Click here for their wedding highlights video. I cry everytime I watch it, so don't say I didn't warn you.

The rehearsal dinner...

the centerpieces my mother put together. don't you just love the large hosta leaf? great job mommy.

Jonah sporting his "I heart Aunt Shelly" bib

the groom and the bride

my brother's best friend Xan and his fiance Serena drove all the way from Wisconsin

Jason (Brittany's husband), Marc, & Xan

aren't they so cute?!!!

The wedding...

Shelly is incredibly creative. She made all of the centerpieces, the flowers were made out of paper. And the bin behind the flowers was full of games and books for Jonah. Everything was so thoughtful. And they didn't have cake they had doughnuts and I'm so mad I forgot to take a picture of the doughnut they cut together, it was pretty cute.

Jonah in his studly vest Shelly's mother made.

He did such a great job for being up so late and for getting passed around a lot.

Thank you again to all who helped take care of him during the reception, that really helped so

Josh and I were able to really enjoy ourselves.

Mr. & Mrs. Belcastro!

My goal is usually to get Josh on the dance floor with me and of course when I'm not out there,

I turn around and this is what I find.

sisters! and I love love love Shelly's dress!

They had a photobooth and it was so much fun! they used all of the pictures as their guest book.

I'm not quite sure what I'm doing in the third picture but the last on is our favorite.

family photo

fail

win

Marcky - Josh, Jonah, and I love you sooo much and are so excited for and Shelly. You have always been an incredible big brother to Brittany and I and I know you are going to be one amazing husband to Shelly. Congratulations again!!!!!

Seven Months

2011-06-29T21:54:00.000-04:00

close contenders for your seven month picture...

when you get really excited you scream (we thought it was pretty cute....at first) and pump your legs really fast. I think you are mid-scream in these pictures. I had to post these pictures for your Uncle Marcky.

When people stop and ask me how old you are I have to catch myself and think...there is no way you are already seven months old. As sad as I get sometimes when I look back at pictures from when you were born, I am loving watching you grow and learn to do so many things.

I think one of my favorite things has been to watch you eat. We're still pretty much on baby food but now that things are finally starting to settle down for us, I've started making your food and I'm slowly introducing some lumpy food to you. I think bananas are your favorite (I believe that is what you are eating in the picture above). I have really enjoyed making your food and I love knowing exactly what you are eating and it is so much cheaper! And I thought your high-chair was helping to prevent you from sucking your thumb but you are still pretty persistent in following each bite with your thumb. This morning in fact you had your left thumb in your mouth and your right index finger.

You definitely let us know when you want more food by either slapping your arm on your high-chair tray or by grunting/moaning. And we know when you are finished when you perse your lips and start blowing razzies at us. It's a good thing you're so darn cute cuz those razzies make you

(and those feeding you) so so messy.

You are not quite sitting up on your own but we are working on it. I have noticed during your play time you are very focused and determined to get every one of your toys in your mouth, preferrably at the same time but you're learning that is just not possible.

This was your outfit for your Uncle Marcky & Ya-ya's wedding. You were so-O AD-OR-ABLE!! (Shelly's mom made the vest)

Don't tell Baby Wise, but sometimes in the morning right before your first nap, you and I snuggle up and I let you fall asleep on me. I know you probably aren't going to be doing this for much longer, so I am trying to soak up while I can.

You are now rolling in both directions, yay! You still prefer to roll to the right and your technique to roll to the left is quite interesting as you use your head (instead of your arms) as your pivot point, but hey it's what works for you. As much as we are loving you rolling around,

diaper changes are sometime a two-man job.

Thank you so much for being so flexible and patience with us this month as we were getting settled into our new home and traveling, traveling, and traveling some more. I know you don't love being in your car seat for so long so your Papa and I really appreciated how great you were during our long trips and even our late nights out. It has been such a joy being your mother. We are continuing to pray for you and your heart to love Jesus and to serve Him. We love you and look forward to seeing your grow more and more (even though it I sometimes wish you were teeny-tiny again). =)

Happy Birthday Josh!

2011-06-22T21:47:00.000-04:00

Happy birthday to my favorite baby's daddy! Today is definitely one of my favorite days of the year, the day that you and I are actually the same age (at least for the next four months). Not that being a couple months older than you is a big deal or anything, but you do like to remind me so I'm enjoying us both being 27 today (and until October)!

I'm going to try to not be too frustrated with you today for not letting me make your birthday more of a big deal, but it is your birthday so I guess I can't be mad at you. Jonah and I have been wanting to celebrate you, honor you, tell you how proud and how much we appreciate and love you for ALL you have done and continue to do for our family. These past couple of months have been pretty significant milestones for our family, throw your birthday right in there that's cause for some serious celebrating!

You are an A-MA-ZING papa to our Jonah. I remember when we first had Jonah, I was questioning every single little thing (even what to name him). You always remained calm and helped me work through whatever mess I was creating in my head, and you were always right. I know that I can always count on you to continue to help me with that (because Lord knows I have been kind of all over the place). I know that I can always count on you period. You have always put your family first, you have always shown that Jonah and I are a priority. We are truly thankful to you for that.

the bluriness is actually some smoots on my camera lens,

but it's kind of artsy so we're just gonna go with it.

I love that I have been seeing you more and more in Jonah. Incredibly handsome and adorable.

And you were so great with our nephews and nieces this weekend. They know they can always count on their Uncle Josh to be there to play with them.

This might not have been the safest activity for a 4 and 2 year old,

but I know you are always watching out for them.

As our new chapter of residency begins (in one week!), please know how much Jonah and I love and appreciate you for how hard your work for our family. We will be there for you to encourage you, to love you, and pray that the Lord continues to go before you in all that you do and keep His hand on you as you lead our famly. We don't know what we would do without you.

Happy birthday Josh!

Almost back....

2011-06-20T21:32:00.000-04:00

I know I have been promising lots of pictures and lots of updates but we have been on a little vacation in Michigan. We leave tomorrow morning for home (which doesn't quite feel like home yet) where we will finally be there for more than four days, finally settle in, finally establish somewhat of a routine, and spend as much time together as a family before Josh starts his residency. Even though June has been so busy for us and at times we feel like all we've been doing is driving, we are so thankful for all of the time we got to spend with our family. So I promise pictures are coming and there will be lots and lots of pictures.

superfast re-cap

2011-06-12T08:06:00.000-04:00

Josh graduated from LECOM May 29th, he is officially Dr. Glupker! Way to go babe!

We moved back to Ohio Memorial weekend. (thank you again family for all of your help!)

My little sister also graduated from Ohio State's med-school!

Josh and I celebrated our four year anniversary but we were so exhausted from a really late night of celebrating and Jonah waking up at 4am that we both forgot and my mother reminded us. We plan on doing something special together before residency starts.

My brother got married!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! More to come on this later but their wedding was so much fun!

This has been an incredibly busy month for us. We are exhausted but we're trying to get as much in as we can before Josh starts working at the end of this month. Next week we'll be heading to Michigan to go to Josh's parents cottage and then hopefully we'll have some down time as a family in our home before residency begins.

Hoping to have some time to post more pictures of each event soon. Especially the picture of Jonah at my brother's wedding, he was adorable in his little outfit!

6 Months...2 weeks later

2011-06-06T11:02:00.024-04:00

Sweet Jonah,

Thank you for not caring that your six month post is just now getting posted two weeks late. And thank you for not caring if I've taken a shower, done my hair, make-up, or even brushed my teeth. I will try to not be so crazy about getting all of the boogers out of your nose because I know you absolutely hate me coming near your nose.

You had a great six month appointment, your last one with Dr. Z, we will miss her. You weighed 16 pounds 15 ounces (41st percentile), 26.25" in length (45th percentile) and I can't remember your head circumference but you are still on the small side (9th percentile). Looking at you one wouldn't say you have a small head but I guess your head would look huge if you were in the 40-50th percentile. Your Kika came with us to your appointment (and even Uncle Michael got to be there for a little bit) and I so appreciate her helping you with your shots, which weren't great but not totally horrible. Thanking and praising the Lord for another healthy report and praying we can find another great doctor in Massillon/Canton.

You have been rolling all over the place. You prefer to roll to the right so we're working on that. Diaper changes have become quite a challenge for me as a toy hardly keeps you distracted.

Oh my goodness, I love those deltoids!

The week of our move (the week you had your six month shots) your night sleep started getting a little funky, and by funky I mean you were waking up every couple of hours. Between the shots, teething, moving, and late nights due to different graduation festivities, I can totally understand your sleep habits getting disrupted. You are starting to get back on track to sleeping through the night and your naps have been getting better too (praise the Lord!)

I love this picture of you with your Kika. This was the day of our move and it was hot! Your room wasn't set up yet but I know your Kika didn't mind one bit for you to take your nap on her shoulder.

I LOVE how your whole face lights up when you smile and your eyes

turn into little half moons. So sweet!

Your papa and I are always talking about what an A-MA-ZING sweet boy you are. We are so blessed and love love love you to pieces! And I'm trying to not take it personally that you have

started saying "da-da-da-da-da" before "ma-ma-ma". =) I know you love your mama.

Eating solids has been going really well, especially now that we got out your highchair. It has really helped with you not sucking your thumb after every bite, but you still sneak it in there while you're eating. You just started eating green veggies again, I was getting a little worried you were getting a tan from all of the sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash you were eating. I'm hoping to start making some of your food now that we are a bit more settled from the move.

So much has happened already during your sixth month. Your papa (and your Aunt Britt) have graduated from medical school, you moved from your first home in Erie, PA to Canton, OH, and in a couple of days you get to be a part of your Uncle Marc's wedding. With all that has been going on you have been so flexible and so great about us adjusting your schedule and your routine. Thanks for always being so chill when your mama and papa (mostly mama) are a bit on edge.We love you so much sweet Jonahtello and continue to look forward to each new day with you!

The Move/No Internet

2011-06-01T19:53:00.000-04:00

Never really appreciated the Internet (& cable) until we don't have it. But we truly have so much to do we don't need those distractions. But hopefully when we get it hooked up on Friday I can do Jonah's six month post. :) Overall, I'd say our move was pretty successful. I don't know what we would have done without our family. I still feel like everything is such a blur. I think things were moving so fast and I was fighting back tears all day from having to say goodbye to our dear friends and our first home together. Our entire married life and my babies were born in Erie so Erie will always hold a special place in my heart. Better get back to organizing so I can enjoy a nice long bath in my new garden tub, I'm so excited about our new bathtub!

The Weekend Ahead...

2011-05-27T09:07:00.000-04:00

I really should be packing right now since Jonah is sleeping but I just wanted to give a quick update on the craziness happening around here...

First, I drove to Dayton last weekend with Jonah for a couple wedding showers for my brother's fiance Shelly. I left Erie around noon and after many many stops I finally pulled in my parents driveway at 9pm (should have been just a little over 5 and a half hours). My mother drove back with me on Monday and we made much better time.

Second, Josh had his last day of med-school rotations on Wednesday! He is graduating on Sunday!

Third, we've been packing up our townhouse because we are moving to Canton on Monday. Never thought it would happen but I am really sad to leave Erie. I love Erie in the summer time. I kind of wish graduation was in the winter time cuz maybe I wouldn't be as sad to leave Erie. Saying goodbye to friends has been hard. I had my last girls group on Wednesday and it was definitely emotional for me. But I'm only a little over two hours away so I'm hoping to come back for lots of visits.

And fourth but certainly not least, Jonah is six months old! He had his six month appointment yesterday and my big boy weighs 16 lbs. 15 oz. (41%)! Shots went just okay, kind of had a rough night last night. Shots and teething are a bad combo, poor little guy. Hoping to get his six month post out soon.

Better get back to packing. Please pray for our family who will be traveling here this weekend to celebrate Josh. He has worked so hard for our family and I am incredibly proud of him.

Moving is hard

2011-05-19T12:01:00.000-04:00

Josh, Jonah, and I are on our way to our new condo to have the gas turned on (which explains the lack of hot water last time we were there), finish cleaning, and move some of our kitchen things. As stressful as moving is, I'm thankful we aren't moving that far away that we are able to have these little day trips to get some things moved and to clean. But I am feeling really overwhelmed with everything that needs to be accomplished before next weekend. I just want to hang out with all of my friends here until the very last second and worry about moving later. The emotions of moving and leaving our friends is starting to hit hard. I remember when we first moved to Erie and my thoughts were "How long do we have to be here?" I definitely feel the opposite now. I'm excited about our next chapter and I love seeing how the Lord has abundantly provided for us during our time in Erie, but at the same time this is just really hard.

Catching up...

2011-05-10T15:19:00.000-04:00

So much has been going on with us and of course I am way behind in blogging. First, I had an amazing Mother's day. Jonah was so excited to start celebrating he woke up before 6am. I was getting a little upset when Josh wasn't getting up to get him (not that I feel entitled but it was Mother's day and I thought it sure would be nice for Josh to get Jonah so I could rest a bit), but when I went in to get him I found my Mother's day gift in his crib. Josh conspired with my mom to find me a ring with Jonah's birthstone (citrine), let me just say I was completely shocked. Josh and I have a knack for not being able to surprise each other and I was completely surprised, I had no idea. The rest of the day was great, Josh made me pancakes, we went to church, Chipotle, and Jonah took the most amazing 3 hour nap for me! It was a great day full of wonderful blessings by my favorite boys.

Josh's mom was here last Thursday to Saturday to help us start packing. She will tell you that she didn't do anything while she was here but let me tell you, she kicked my butt into gear! We got so much packed! We've pretty much packed up our entire basement, half of our kitchen, books, and lots of decorations like picture frames. It feels so good to have a lot of this done. I feel a lot more motivated to continue packing.

Jumping back a couple of weekends...our Girls Group here had our third annual GG slumber party! It was such a blast and I would like to say I was the only girl to sleep over! I'm one wild mama! I didn't take many pictures because I was too busy making friendship bracelets, eating amazing food, listening to our mix tape (vol. 2), and playing Just Dance2 on the Wii. But click here to check out Brooke's awesome photos and here to see the decorations by the host our very talented friend Sarah. You definitely want to check out these pictures, see awesome photo below. Yeah that's right, the Biebster made an appearance at the party, awesome!

The next day we had a surprise party for Sarah and her husband Drew. They are on the road to adoption and we wanted to celebrate and honor them before graduation. Please click here to check out Brooke's pics. Brooke did an AMAZING job setting up and decorating for the party. My friends seriously need to start a business, they are so creative and talented.

It was a little windy and super sunny at the party. Thanks again Brooke for letting us borrow your Bjorn and cowboy hat.

Did I mention my brother is getting married? In exactly one month! I'm really excited for big brother and his fiance Shelly. Here are two of the pictures that will be used on the tables at the reception with the table numbers on them.

Lastly, did I mention we found a place to live when we move to Massillon? We found a really nice condo to rent in Canton. I'm not super jazzed about continuing to rent but I know we most likely will not be staying in Massillon long term and who knows what the housing market will look like in five years. I'm just so thankful we have a place to live next year. We have seen the Lord bless us and take care of us over and over again. We will continue to look to Him as we begin a new chapter in our lives.

I think I'm all caught up. I'll try to post again soon and not wait until Jonah's 6 month post (on May 22). And praise the Lord for the amazing weather Erie is having! I think Jonah and I will be going for another walk today!

A Mother's Day Tribute: by Jonah (and Papa)

2011-05-08T21:17:00.000-04:00

This is a tribute to my Mommy on her first Mother's Day. I hope I made it a special day for you, because you make every day a blessing.

Here are just a few reasons why my Mommy is so special:

1. She gets dressed up every day, even from the first day we met:

2. She is always willing to snuggle me and keep my buns warm:

3. She always gets me drunk on love:

4. She is always perfectly honest...especially in this case:

5. She always teaches me and has me deep in thought:

6. She always takes flattering pictures of me:

...well at least most the time.

7. She lets me watch TV, especially when she isn't paying attention to what I'm doing:

8. She is always willing to give me a kiss, even when I don't ask for one:

9. She always watches over me:

10. She puts up with this guy (this might be the most difficult task):

11. She teaches me the ways of the most holy blogging:

12. She lets me eat anything I want, edible or inedible:

13. She brings me to cool parties with my friends:

14. She let me have a GUN!!! (Probably the coolest thing about her):

15. She always keeps me squeaky clean:

16. She keeps me up in to date in the fashion world:

17. She taught me how to sing every Justin Bieber song:

Mommy,

From this day that we met, I knew we would have the most special connection anyone can have. You have treated me and Papa with nothing but love, and for that, there are not enough words we can say (even if I COULD talk). I hope you truly realize how grateful we both are to have you in our lives and pray that we can give you back even an ounce of blessings you pour on us. We know God will bless you in the future!

We love you soooo much,

Jonah & Papa

Easter 2011

2011-05-02T11:08:00.000-04:00

I know Easter was a week ago, but the we celebrate Christ and His resurrection every day!

Here are a few pictures from Jonah's first Easter.

Sorry for the smooshed face Jobu

Those cheeks! Those eyes! Those lips! Love them!

Easter baskets from my parents, me, and books from his Ruiter cousins.

The candy in his basket on the right was for Josh of course and I think I ate most of it.

Naps after church.

An Easter bunny from Me-ma and Papa-Tony (his great-grandparents).

Later that day we shared a wonderful meal with our Erie family. The food was amazing and of course what's a party at Sarah and Drew's without a game? Josh played chubby bunny with peeps.

For more pictures of the party hop on over to Brooke's blog.

On the way to church my mother was sharing with Jonah what Easter is all about- Christ taking on the sins of the world by dying for us and raising from the dead so when He looks at us now He does not see our sin but His righteousness. Oh how I love that! I look forward to sharing more with Jonah as he gets older and hopefully start our own Easter traditions. I remember having Resurrection eggs when we were little and would love to do this every Easter with Jonah.

5 Months

2011-04-25T21:45:00.000-04:00

"Uh oh! Hello! That's five months!" (a favorite quote of Frank Eggelhoffer from Father of the Bride)

Dear sweet Jonah,

First off, I'm really sorry I wasn't on the ball for your first two monthly pictures. I guess that just shows it took me about three months before I could really get a grip on reality after having a baby. I'm sure you could care less about that but, being a bit of a perfectionist, it is driving me crazy and there really isn't anything I can do about it.

Jonah, we are loving every minute we get to spend with you. This stage is so much fun and each day we continue to learn so much about each other. We love seeing your sweet little personality come out. Around us you are quite the charmer but when we are with our friends you are Mr. Shy Guy.

This month has been a month of firsts. We started giving you solids. I guess third times a charm because the first two times we attempted to give you rice cereal it didn't really go so well. And it also took your Aunt Beth to prepare the cereal and feed you, you ate so well for her. So far we've tried green beans and peas. The new tastes don't really seem to phase you. You are usually more interested in your bib and I have to fight you to keep your hands out of your mouth. (more pictures of eating to come)

You also rolled over from your back to your belly about a week ago. But you've only done it about three or four times. Belly time still isn't your fave but we're working on it.

We went to the zoo with your Ruiter cousins when they were here visiting over their spring break. You slept for most of it, but that's ok because there wasn't much to see this early in the season.

And you went swimming for the first time. On one of our trips to Massillon, Grandma and Grandpa came and we stayed over night and the hotel had a pool. You acted a little nervous at first but I think you enjoyed it. Your swim trunks were a little big, they're size 6-12 months (a gift originally for Leyton from our friend Lauren, I was so excited we got to finally use them).

Your mommy and papa love you so much Jonah and continue to thank the Lord for blessing us with such an amazing little boy. I am excited to see what this next month holds for us and the new things we will discover.

_____________________

*Next time I complain or say anything about Jonah only taking little cat-naps during the day can you please slap me up-side my head? I feel like I have been going crazy thinking his sleeping and over analyzing it to death that I haven't been fully thankful about him sleeping through the night. Jonah sleeping through the night just happened so early that I don't think I got to fully appreciate it. I mean I certainly appreciate it but not to the extent that most mothers do...until last night. It was like he was a newborn again. We had a pretty crazy Easter weekend with lots of parties, late nights, and a short visit from family so maybe that is the reason he was up so much last night, or maybe he isn't feeling well, or teething, or maybe it's nothing. Either way, I am praying for a better night tonight.

Thanks for reading. Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! Those pictures to come soon too.

"Is this your first?"

2011-04-19T17:19:00.000-04:00

"Is this your first baby?" Even before I got pregnant with Jonah I knew I was going to be asked this question. This is a tough question for me and I have been hearing it a lot, like almost every other day. I don't want to make people feel uncomfortable or awkward so sometimes I say yes. But I immediately feel terrible and feel like I have let Leyton down or feel like I am forgetting him when I don't mention him to people.

(not sure if I've already shared this before...) I remember the first time I heard the question but it was actually directed toward my mother. My mother came with me to one of my first OB appointments (I think I was about 12 weeks pregnant with Jonah) and the nurse asked my mother if this was her first grand-baby and without any hesitation she quickly responded, "No, this is my second." Hearing my mother say that was really encouraging to me.

Having Jonah has made my heart so full and my heart melts every time he smiles at me. But there is still a place in my heart that hurts everyday when I think of Leyton. He is my first son and I want to honor his memory when people ask me about my children.

______________________________________________________

Josh has been working some long hours with his ER rotation, so Jonah and I have been kickin' it during the day (a major change from Josh's other rotations this year). As you can imagine this almost 5 month old has been keeping me busy. So thankful for this sweet boy.

Family Photo

2011-04-12T21:50:00.000-04:00

1. This picture was taken by my good friend Brooke at her son's mustache blast 1st birthday party, it was so cute. Hop on over to her blog and look at the past couple of posts to see her cute decorations for her son.
2. Josh's mustache looks almost real.
3. Jonah looks like he is already embarrassed by his parents.

Ummm...

2011-04-08T15:02:00.000-04:00

I just laid Jonah down for a nap and I am praying hard he sleeps for more than 40 minutes. Poor guy needs a long nap so bad. I thought we were getting better at napping but this was a bad napping week. It certainly doesn't help that we have been out of town the past two weekends and we just had three of his cousins here for two days who are a balls of energy. I'm pretty much accepting his scheduling being off until the end of June. That will be after Josh graduates, we move, go to the cottage with Josh's family, and go on vacation with my family. It's just gonna be crazy for a while and that's ok.

Dayton for the weekend...

2011-03-25T08:00:00.003-04:00

We are off to Dayton for the weekend. We're meeting with a financial advisor and spending time with the family. Hope you all enjoy your weekend!

4 Months

2011-03-24T13:24:00.002-04:00

I know I've been saying this and I'm probably going to keep saying it every month, but I seriously can't believe you are already four months old! As your mother I officially order you to stop getting older okay? Thanks.

I LOVE how you squint your eyes when you smile and laugh, just like your papa.

We have been having so much fun with you. I love the stage you are at right now. You think everything we do (well, almost everything) is hilarious and we just love your adorable little laugh.

Other than laughing at your papa I think your favorite thing to do right now is to suck on your fingers or your tongue. You go to town on your hands!

We just started sitting you in your bumbo seat. At first you were a little unsure and didn't know what to think of it. As long as you can still get your hands in your mouth you are a happy camper sitting in your seat.

Update on your napping: you are getting better but I know that it's going to take some time to get you on a consistent schedule since you are changing everyday. And at 27 years old I'm still realizing that there are going to be things that are out of my control and your napping might be one of them.

You are an amazing baby and your papa and I praise the Lord for you every day. I'm learning so much through you but lately I have been seeing how much the Lord loves me to entrust me with such an amazing blessing.

Okay, I guess I give you permission to get bigger, I do love seeing you reach different milestones like possibly starting rice cereal this month???

(Aunt Brittany, his four month check-up is next Tuesday so I'll post his stats next week)

Fat Bracelets

2011-03-20T21:31:00.000-04:00

3 month pictures

2011-03-18T17:11:00.000-04:00

Seeing as Jonah is going to be four months old next week, I saw it fitting to finally posting the three month pictures we had taken of him (truth...I have terrible mom brain right now and I forgot, like I keep forgetting to turn off the oven when I'm done cooking, whoops). So here are some of the pictures from Jonah's photo shoot.

I'm pretty sure this one is my favorite.

I really wanted to get a full body picture but this was the best we got.

He looks really concerned, he often keeps his brows furrowed like that.

His Uncle Marcky says he is going to be a great thinker and philosopher like him.

He looks so proud of himself!

"Check me out! Look at how well I can hold my head up!"

I LOVE this picture but not the biggest fan of the background. I call this pic his GQ pose.
"How can you resist all of this cuteness?"
My father says this is his football pose.

Another fave but not a fan of the background. It's a leather navy chair the

photographer called the man chair.

This is one cute kid, I'm not really sure what he was doing in this picture, but I love it! After this pose, the photographer suggested we do another diaper shot with a cloud background with some angel wings as a prop. I looked at Josh and the look on his face was an immediate no. That's a little over the top for us. And I could tell Jonah had about enough of the pictures when he laid his head on my shoulder and started falling asleep. He was such a trooper, we were so proud of how well he did.

Uncle Marc & Aunt Brittany

2011-03-10T22:39:00.000-05:00

About a week ago my sister came up to Erie to spend her spring break with us (yes, Ohio State gives their med-students a spring break, and yes, Erie is the hot spot for spring breakers this year if you haven't heard). My brother also came up to spend a night with us and also to bring Britt back to Columbus. Let's be honest, they really came up to Erie to hang out with Jonah. But we all had a great time together. I love when my siblings get to spend time with Jonah and love on him.

Shortly after they left, my brother sent me an email of pictures titled "JoNasty". He and Jonah must have been taking pictures (from the camera on his computer - that's why his Star Wars onesie is backwards) when I was making dinner. So this collage is in honor of my brother and the amazing uncle that he is Jonah. I think my favorite picture is the middle one. I love how big his belly looks.

I love this picture, they were trying to capture Jonah yawning but got him at the very end.

This is a great picture of you Uncle Marcky.

Love this picture! Jonah looks more like my siblings than he does Josh or me.

First Trip to Massillon

2011-03-08T09:09:00.001-05:00

Thank you to all who were praying for Jonah and his little cold. As far as first colds go it really wasn't bad at all. He still has the sniffles and a little cough but only in the morning. We've been running the humidifier and making sure his bath time is extra steamy. He actually took a shower with Josh yesterday (don't worry, we were careful) and loved it. For some reason Josh wouldn't let me take a picture to document the moment. Weird huh?

Okay, so we went to Massillon last Saturday to see where we will be living for the next five years! My parents drove from Dayton (only 3 hours) to hang out with us Jonah. My father actually has a contact who lives in the Massillon/Canton area and we met up with her for lunch. She's this cute little Italian lady who kept talking about when we move we will be coming over for many Sunday dinners. She also brought us a map of the area and told us nice places to live, not to live, and places where property taxes are super high. I am so thankful we met up with her and thankful to already know someone there.

To be honest, my first impression of Massillon was not the best. The part of Massillon where we got off of the highway was pretty old. I think we were in their downtown and it was small, Massillon is a smaller town than Erie. But once we drove around and we were able to see different parts of town, neighborhoods, a couple a nice parks, I actually started getting excited about moving there. It will definitely be an adjustment (like any move would be), but the town has everything we need and I know the Lord will continue to take care of us and watch over us.

Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare. Psalm 40:5

First Cold

2011-03-04T00:34:00.000-05:00

It's 12am and I am still up worrying about my little Jonah, he has his first cold. Two nights ago he woke up with a little cough, last night he woke up around 2am super congested, and he just woke up because his head is so full of uckiness. I feel so bad for him. I'm watching him right now on his video monitor struggling to suck his thumb. It's hard for him to suck on anything right now since he can't breath well out of his nose, and this kid loves his paci.

When he got up tonight, Josh and I sprayed a little baby saline solution in his nose to help clear him up, and he didn't like it one bit. After I fed him to calm him down he fell asleep in my arms. I just wanted to stay there all night long holding him until morning making sure he was ok. I'm sure I will up checking the monitor multiple times tonight.

I know this is just a head cold but as his mom I just feel so bad for him and I wish there was more I could do. I wish I was the one who was sick. I am thankful that during the day he hasn't been too fussy. Just his normal tired fussiness from not taking sufficient naps (he's still doing the 45 minute thing).

Praying for you to feel better soon little buddy, so we can take a little road trip to Massillon this weekend to see where we will be living for the next five years!

THREE MONTHS

2011-02-22T22:07:00.001-05:00

My sweet Jonah, you are three months old today! AH! For some reason I keep saying you are two months old. I guess because it's hard to believe you're already three months old and also I get sad that you're getting older and bigger, but happy at the same time. :)

Uncle Marcky, Jonah wanted to bump fists with you.

Jonah, you are such a happy baby and you bring us so much JOY! You are starting to laugh at us and I love it! You are actually the happiest right when we get you up in the morning. It certainly makes early mornings not so bad when I get to see your smiling face. And I am far from a morning person but this is my favorite time of the day with you. When I'm changing your diaper and feeding you in the morning, I realize that I missed you during the night. So blessed to have another day with you.

Per the request of some close friends and family, here is a picture of the two of us. I seriously only have a couple of pictures of you and me (except from when you were first born thanks to Brooke). I guess when I'm the one who is always picking up the camera, that's just what happens.

You are a champ at sleeping during the night (praise the Lord!). We're still having issues with your 45 minute naps, but I'm trying to not be too frustrated since you are doing so great at night. I'm praying that this is just a phase. Any tips of wisdom seasoned moms out there?

You love playing on your play mat but you play hard, and this is usually what happens.

We were trying to keep you awake for a little bit longer, but that didn't quite work out for us. You continue to prove to us you can fall asleep anywhere and in any position. We have also been noticing that you are quite the little squirmer when you sleep. You tend to move down in your crib during the night, so much so that I can't see you in the video monitor. And one morning we woke up to you perpendicular in your crib.

At first I was a little worried about you becoming a thumb sucker, but now I think it's adorable when you do it. I guess there's not much I can do about it right now anyways. And if I don't have to re-insert your paci in the middle of the night, more power to you.

I think the one thing we can take away from this collage, is that you are the most

happy when you are fist-pumping.

Happy three months sweet boy! We continue to thank the Lord for blessing us with such an amazing son who warms our hearts every single day. We pray for you daily and ask the Lord for wisdom in how to be the best parents we can to you. Love you Jobu!

Match Day

2011-02-14T14:46:00.000-05:00

At exactly 12pm today Josh received an email announcing his placement for a general surgery residency in Massillon, Ohio! We are super excited he matched and that the waiting is over. This whole process of boards, applications, interviews, waiting, and having a baby in the midst of it all has been pretty crazy. We are just so thankful we know where we are going (for the next 5 years), God is so faithful!

Even though we know where we are moving to, I'm still going to be in denial that I have to leave our friends here. Massillon is only 2.5 hours from Erie which is very doable for a day trip for lots of visits. 

And happy Valentine's day! Hope everyone is enjoying today and the melting snow!  

My two sweet Valentines.

Thank you Yaya and Uncle Marcky for my sweet Valentine's day gifts. I love them all!

Valentine's Day Eve

2011-02-13T21:57:00.000-05:00

Josh and I recently set up Netflix via our Wii and we recently started watching the TV show "Heroes". It's kind of weird and there is a lot going on but we are enjoying it.

Tomorrow Josh starts a new rotation (ambulatory), and tomorrow is also the osteopathic residency match. We will be finding out (or not finding out) where we will be moving. We're not quite sure how we're feeling. I mean, of course we are a little nervous (I feel like we should be more nervous) but I think it's more surreal to us. I'm sure we'll be feeling the nerves a bit more tomorrow closer to noon when they post online where you matched. We are praying for wisdom for whatever news we hear tomorrow. The Lord already knows where we will be moving to next, so we continue to trust Him with the plans He has for us.

I'm really thankful Josh doesn't have to be at work until 12:45pm tomorrow, so we're planning on going out to breakfast to celebrate Valentine's day and then wait until the results are posted online. I will definitely update the blog when we find out.

Jonah of course is amazing. I can't believe he will be 12 weeks old tomorrow. He is sleeping well at night but we're having a few issues with his napping. I believe it's called the "45 minute intruder". I can set a timer from when I lay him down for a nap he is awake in 45 minutes. Not exactly sure to fix this but we're working on it.

More sweet faces

2011-02-05T11:16:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry but I can't help myself....

So far we are enjoying our weekend, my parents are here getting to enjoy all of Jonah's sweet faces. Hope you too are enjoying your weekend!

In Memory of Leyton

2011-02-02T17:33:00.000-05:00

After we lost Leyton, the company my father works for (Pediatrix Medical Group) donated money to the hospital's NICU where my father practices. The hospital's foundation office found an artist to make beautiful glass flowers to display for two different entrances to the NICU. At the end of Josh's last rotation in Dayton, the foundation office held a special dedication for us. The dedication was short but very sweet, it was a special and emotional day for us. We felt so blessed to see many of the people my father works with come out and show their support for us. I have always know my father is well respected at the hospital but we were able to see how much he is loved and cared for. I truly believe that it is Christ in my father's life and His love overflowing out of my father to everyone around him.

Sweet Jonah was asleep for the whole dedication. But we're

glad we were able to share this with him.

Jonah's Faces

2011-01-26T00:01:00.000-05:00

It's pretty late at night right now and Jonah is sleeping in his swing (actually it's River's swing borrowed from my friend Brooke...thank you so much again Brooke! It has been so helpful to have.) It has been a rough evening, Jonah had his first round of immunization shots today and he's been pretty miserable. I knew it was going to be difficult for me watching him get three shots but I didn't realize how difficult. Let's just say I barely held it together.

I needed a little pick me up since my baby isn't feeling well. I can't help but smile when I look at this face.

2 Months

2011-01-23T17:48:00.001-05:00

It is hard to believe our sweet Jonah is already two months old! Where did these first two months go? I'm sure having him right before the holidays has made things seem like a blur. I am really clinging onto my first memories and first couple of weeks we spent with him. He is getting so big and I want to always remember when he was wearing a newborn size diaper and when all of the clothes I had for him were too big.

Remember last month...

My favorite two month old, such a big boy! I was so worried about him eating enough (he is a super fast eater) but he gained 3 pounds during our 4 week stay in Dayton with my parents.

He has his two month appointment on Tuesday so we will get his official stats then (weight, height, percentiles, first round of immunizations!), but I'm pretty sure he weighs 12 pounds. And he is so long! He is already wearing 3-6 month onesies and some clothes because he is so stinkin' long.

We just started doing tummy time and he almost rolled over. Now, Josh will tell you that he did roll over but he wasn't completely flat on his back. But he definitely got pretty mad and I'm sure he's not that far from rolling completely over.

Jonah loves taking baths. I am so thankful he enjoys his bath time. It's such a special time together of singing songs and talking with each other. I'm praying

he always enjoys taking a bath.

He always has his brow furrowed.

And as far as sleep goes, he's doing really well (as I type this he is waking up from his nap much earlier than I was hoping). I wish he was a better napper but I really shouldn't complain because he sleeps really well at night. If his last feeding is at 11pm,

he has been sleeping from 11:30-12ish to about 7-7:30ish.

(Is this all going to change because I'm putting this on my blog?)

My dear sweet Jonah,

I am so thankful the Lord has ordained your father and I to be your parents.

You are a blessing, a true joy and we are loving getting to know you more

and more with each new day. We are already praying for the Lord to

prepare your tender heart to love and serve Him. We so look forward to

sharing with you more about God's love and how much He

cares for you. You are so special to us. We love you so much!

Jonah's first Christmas (the OH edition)

2011-01-07T22:39:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Christmas with my family the Monday after Christmas. I wish I would have taken more pictures but there was a lot going on. I'm really thankful we were able to celebrate Christmas with both sides of our family especially since we have Jonah now. As you can see from the pictures, Jonah must have partied pretty hard when we were in Michigan because he was cashed out most of the day.

This is my Aunt Paula and her boyfriend Larry. She is a very thoughtful woman who takes such good care of her nieces and nephews. She has been a huge blessing to Josh and I and has helped us a lot since we've gotten married.

Larry carrying Jonah down to the rec room to open up gifts.

He is just bursting with excitement.

Josh wanted to get Jonah something very special for Christmas and enlisted my

brother to open it up for him.

Josh got ~~himself~~ Jonah a bunch of Star Wars characters. He searched high and low for each one. I guess he's still missing a couple but I'd say Jonah already has a pretty good collection.

Not that he can play with them anytime soon or ever for that matter.

Josh told me they will be staying in their packages. I don't totally get the Star Wars thing but I know Josh is excited to share this with Jonah and I love that. He has been rotating a

different character in Jonah's pack n' play each night for him to sleep with. :)

My cousin Jessika was so excited to meet Jonah. She wouldn't let him go.

Finally awake after the party is over. He loves looking at his pretty Aunt Brittany.

I feel like the Christmas season flew by this year and I'm a little sad to see that it's over. I am already looking forward to celebrating Christmas next year as a family and start family traditions with Jonah.

Jonah's First Christmas (the MI edition)

2011-01-05T12:31:00.000-05:00

Quick post because I think my window for blogging today is closing as Jonah is wanting to wake up early from his nap....

I am so thankful Josh has been on an easier rotation this month (he's been rotating with my father :)). This allowed us to celebrate Christmas with both sides of our families. We first traveled to MI to celebrate with Josh's family and can I just say that Jonah is a great little traveler. He does so well in the car, we are so thankful because we have been traveling a lot.

Jonah got to meet both of his great grandmothers. I just love these pictures, so sweet!

Our nephew Holden was so excited for Jonah to open up his Christmas gifts.

He got Jonah a Thomas the Train toy Alfie. Holden actually wanted to name Jonah Alfie, so now he says it can be his nickname.

It's tradition for the boys to receive BB guns for their first Christmas.

I don't know who was more excited, Josh or Jonah.

And every cowboy needs to have a horse.

I don't think Jonah was as excited as he looks but don't you just love his expression? So cute!

Opening up presents makes me tired too Jonah.

Holden, Josh's mother, and Jonah...cashed out from such a fun night.

We enjoyed our time so much with Josh's family, and now that we have Jonah it was even harder to leave them. They took such great care of us and blessed us so much. Thanks again for a great Christmas! We miss you guys.

1 month...2 weeks later

2011-01-04T12:30:00.000-05:00

Catch up on blogging? Or catch up on my sleep? Tough call right now. I know I can do both just trying to find that balance while taking care of my family. While I'm working on finding that balance I am loving being Jonah's mother. He is just the sweetest thing and Josh and I are falling in love with him more and more each day. I love that he is becoming more aware of us and is starting to respond to us talking to him. He even smiled at me today! A for real smile and not a gas smile. =) But as much as I love that he is developing more, I hate that he is getting bigger. I know he isn't going to college anytime soon but looking back at pictures from his first week of life I get sad. See how easily he fits on my lap in the picture below?

Both pictures Jonah at 1 week... pictures by my dear friend Brooke

But like I said above, with him getting a little older I am enjoying seeing his personality develop and some things are getting a little easier. Like breastfeeding is sooooooo much better now and he is starting to sleep a little longer during the night. But we're working on sleeping during the day. He LOVES to be held during his nap and I love holding him but I can't get anything done. And if he falls asleep while we're holding him once we lay him down he often wakes up within a couple of minutes. Any suggestions from you experienced moms out there?

Here is our sweet Jonah at one month (two weeks ago). Next month, well...in two weeks, yikes! I'll be better about posting his two month picture at two months.

The Nursery Pics...finally

2011-01-01T11:44:00.000-05:00

I totally forgot to post pictures of Jonah's room. I have quite a bit of catching up to do here on my blog so hopefully 2011 will be a good year of blogging for me. =) Here you go with the nursery pics...

Brooke took these pictures for me when I was pregnant with Leyton.

I love that these are the first thing you see when you walk in the room.

I almost painted my chair white but I had a lot of projects I was trying to tackle

before Jonah got here but looking at it now, I kind of wish I did.

My bedding is from Serena and Lilly. My Aunt Paula purchased it for me when I was pregnant with Leyton. I love it so much and it means a lot to me that it came from my Aunt Paula. I love it for a boy or a girl.

Picture of Leyton above my changing station so I can talk to Jonah about his big brother.

One of my best friends Libby had this onesie (it says "baby glupker") made for me when I was pregnant with Leyton. I wanted to do something special with it so I put it in a

shadow box with some cute scrapbook paper.

This is the nursery before we painted it again. I initially wanted green because I didn't want another blue room (our bedroom is blue). But I really wish I would have done blue to begin with. The green turned out to be more lime than I wanted it to be.

I am really happy with how the nursery turned out. It's very calm and peaceful and

I just love being in there.

Christmas Devotional

2010-12-30T13:50:00.001-05:00

Last Christmas was really difficult for Josh and I as it was our first Christmas without Leyton. My father usually leads our family in a short devotional before we eat dinner but last year Josh and I felt the Lord prompting our hearts to write a little something to our family. If I would have been blogging last year I'm sure I would have posted this (maybe I did and I don't remember), but I wanted to share it with you. Re-reading it brings back so many emotions of where we were a year ago and I can't read it without crying and aching for my sweet Leyton.

Christmas2009

Devotional

LastSunday at church, Josh and I both felt the Lord’s leading to write somethingfor Christmas day. This is just something from our heart that we have felt ledto share with our family.

Overthese past six months since we’ve lost Leyton, we’ve been asking the Lord,“What are you teaching us through this loss?” We were only thinking about whatthe Lord would teach us, and last Sunday we realized that the Lord wants to useus through thisloss for His glory. We changed our prayers, submitted to God’s sovereignty andasked Him, “How can you use us for your glory this Christmas?” In all that wedo and especially through Leyton’s life and death, we want to bring glory toGod.

What wewant most to come from Leyton’s death is for our family and friends to come toknow Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him. Resulting in somedayhaving the honor of meeting Leyton in Heaven. We must stress Leyton did not diefor our sins, Christ died for our sins. But we believe for our family, Leytonhas prepared the way for the Lord to come into our lives to know Christ in adeeper way. It is our hope that through Leyton, others who have not knownChrist may know Him. Leyton should not be the reason for us wanting to attainsalvation, yet Christ should be, with Leyton acting as a stepping-stone toChrist.

Leytonhas the honor of spending his first Christmas with the Lord. And as much as wewish he were here with us, he is not wishing to be here.

It wasexactly a year ago when we announced our pregnancy to the whole family. Even ayear ago, God knew where we would be today. He knew He would be taking Leytonhome with Him. As sad and devastating as this has been for us, we know God isin control. Even six months later, we cannot understand and will neverunderstand why God chose to bring Leyton home even before we could hear his cryor see his eyes open. But we trust that God cares deeply for us. He was incontrol a year ago, and today He still remains sovereign and in control.

Jeremiah29:11-13

For Iknow the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and notto harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon meand come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find mewhen you seek me with all your heart.

God’scare and love for us is still great – even unfathomable at times. God is goodand there is nothing that can separate us from His love. And we want everyonehere to be able to experience the depth of His love for us. Romans 8 has alwaysbeen one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, these are a few verses that havealways given me strength.

Romans8:28

And weknow that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who havebeen called according to his purpose.

Romans8: 37-39

….inall these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I amconvinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither thepresent nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anythingelse in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that isin Christ Jesus our Lord.

We alsojust want to say thank you to our family for the immense care we have receivedfrom everyone. We appreciate you all and we praise and give thanks to the Lordfor blessing our lives because of you.

This Christmas was certainly bittersweet for me. It has been more than amazing to have Jonah and celebrate his first Christmas with all of our family, but I have not forgotten Leyton and I miss him. But I am encouraged when I look back and reflect and see what the Lord has been doing in my life. He has been so faithful and I am so thankful for my most favorite Christmas gift.

All is well

2010-12-11T17:57:00.000-05:00

I have so much to say about how amazing our sweet Jonah is and how we are doing adjusting to life with a baby, but I'm finding my brain isn't working so well on the very little sleep I've been getting (though totally worth it). So I will leave you all with this sweet picture of Jonah and my mother (his Kika) after one of his sponge baths. We are doing well. I feel like I've recovered well from my c-section (I do get a little sore if I've been moving around too much) and breast feeding is getting much better. Each new day brings new challenges but I am embracing them and loving every minute I get to spend with Jonah. And I really love seeing Josh and Jonah together. My two boys together just melts my heart.

Feeling incredibly blessed.

Our Sweet Jonah

2010-12-01T20:04:00.001-05:00

Sweet blessings

2010-11-28T23:38:00.000-05:00

We continue to receive so many blessings from our sweet Jonah.

I love how having him has drawn Josh and I closer, and just by looking at him we

see the goodness of the Lord.

Oh...Josh is an amazing father.

More posts to come of nursery pictures and of course lots more of Jonah. :)

He's Here!

2010-11-23T10:56:00.001-05:00

Jonah Leyton
Born November 22, 2010 at 7:56am
7 pounds 5 ounces & 20" long

We are so in love with this beautiful boy. A precious gift from our Lord.

Hoping to post more pictures soon. Picture taken by my good friend Brooke. Thanks Brooke for capturing these beautiful moments for us.

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Clinging to His Promises

2010-11-21T08:42:00.000-05:00

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8

Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10

The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid? ... I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:1, 13-14

We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you. Psalm 33:20-22.

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Psalm 37:5-7a

Whom have I in heaven but you: And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:25-26

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust." Psalm 91:1-2

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us...And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who live him, who have been called according to his purpose...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:18,28, 37-39

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us...Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen in temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. II Corinthians 4:7, 16-18

38 Weeks

2010-11-19T00:34:00.001-05:00

Well, I'm up because I haven't been sleeping well this week. I fall asleep and wake up half way through the night wide awake with my mind racing. So I figured I'd stay up for a bit to get organized and straighten up my house.

Anyways, I've made it to 38 weeks! It's pretty wild to think that on Monday (good Lord's willing) we will be meeting this baby. I wanted Josh to take one last picture of me before the big day. I'm off by a couple of days but that's ok.

Looking back I can remember everything I was feeling a year ago with the holiday season approaching and just over-come with sadness and fear of having to face my first holiday without Leyton. Those feelings certainly aren't gone as I miss my sweet Leyton and new feelings are arising as I think about actually meeting and holding this baby.

But it is amazing to see how the Lord has brought me to this point at the end of my second pregnancy. As nervous and anxious as I have been throughout these past 38 weeks, I have to thank the Lord for how He has kept me close and has walked with me every single day. He has been faithful in all of his promises and has given me beauty for ashes. He deserves all of the glory.

And I can't say thank you enough to all our friends and family who have walked with us through this. We have been so blessed by your love and thank the Lord for each and everyone of you.

I'm not spoiled but...

2010-11-17T12:12:00.001-05:00

I'm not spoiled but

someone should spank grandma.

I saw this written on a sign this Sunday when Josh's mom and I were at the Country Christmas craft show at the Bayfront Convention Center. It pretty much summed up the two days I spent with my mother-in-law.

Josh had in interview for residency this past Monday in Toledo so his mother came and stayed with me while he was away. Josh was only gone for one night and I felt bad that she had to drive 6 and half hours just to stay with me, but she really wanted to and I'm so glad she did. We had a great time together and she helped me get some things done around our house.

She didn't come empty handed. Not only did she come up with a frozen lasagna (Josh's fave) and frozen chicken pot pies for us, but she also brought a Radio Flyer wagon full of gifts for the baby! Which is totally wild that she gave us this wagon because just last week Josh and I were talking about getting one for the baby!

I continue to be blown away by how well his parents love us and bless us.

Thanks again mom for steam cleaning my carpets, treating me to a pedicure, getting two more sleeper outfits for the baby, and all of the meals. Thanks also for coming with me to my over two hour long OB appointment. I'm so glad you got to experience seeing your grandson during my sonogram, what a great bond you already have with this little baby. Love you and I can't wait to see you and dad this Sunday!

Pregnant Pics

2010-11-11T16:58:00.000-05:00

So I definitely wasn't as good about taking pictures of my pregnant self this time around as last time. I really wanted to do comparison pictures from my first pregnancy and this one but of course when I did manage to take a picture, I couldn't find that same coordinating week. But I did find two to show you though nothing really too special.

And this was me on Monday but today I'm 37 complete weeks!

There were times when it seemed like this pregnancy was taking forever but thinking about it now it has flown by, PRAISE THE LORD! Overall, I've felt great. It hasn't been super easy but I'm so thankful for the grace the Lord has given me throughout this pregnancy. Working out definitely helped and not living on Chick Fil A was probably a good thing too. I have been loving food with a little bit of a kick, soooo thankful a Chipotle has opened up here in Erie to help satisfy my Mexican food craving. I've also been craving CARBS, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (or anything with peanut butter), pumpkin spice lattes, and soft pretzels from the mall...yum! So far I've gained HALF of what I gained when I was pregnant with Leyton, which is crazy I think. We had a sonogram on Monday and they have estimated the baby to be weighing about 6.4 lbs. So this little one might be a bit smaller than his brother, we'll shall see good Lord's willing.

My Baby Sprinkle

2010-11-10T20:13:00.000-05:00

The Lord has blessed me with an amazing group of friends here in Erie. Throughout this past year and a half of loosing Leyton and getting pregnant again, they have walked right along side with me and have been there for me for whatever I have needed. I am so thankful for each one of them.

Last Saturday my girlfriends hosted a baby sprinkle for me (instead of a baby shower). It was wonderful! It was a great time of being with my friends, enjoying delicious Mexican food (probably my main craving this entire pregnancy), celebrating this baby's life, and covering the baby and me in prayer. I asked for no gifts but they gave me a basket full of books (something that I actually needed), and I received a tin box full of notes to me and a note to the baby for the next 12 months. It was perfectly sweet and of course there were tears. Definitely not tears of sadness but truly overwhelmed by my friends love for me. Before I loose it again here are some pictures from the party.

Lindsey, Becky, Kristen, Tanya, Sarah, & me

Starting from the left we have Rashin, Tanya, Sarah, me, & Ashley

This was one of the games we played. It was a race to see who could eat a jar of baby food the fastest by it being fed to you. Camille and I won but it was totally gross. Sweet potatoes and chicken, yuck!

And I had sweet potatoes all over me.

I love this girl! Not sure what we were doing in this picture. I think we were trying to pose like cheerleaders.

Brittany came and stayed with me for the whole weekend while Josh was away. I'm so glad she was able to be here with me.

This isn't everyone who was at the party. I'm sad we didn't get a group shot.

(Brittany, Brooke, Kristen, prego, Camille, & Sarah)

Thanks again girls for blessing me with an amazing sprinkle!

not sleeping

2010-11-09T04:28:00.002-05:00

I'm not quite sure why I'm not sleeping right now. I woke up at about 2:30am and haven't been able to get back to sleep. I woke up hungry but I often wake up hungry but I can always ignore it. I don't even want to go down the path of eating in the middle of the night because that could get dangerous. And I'm a little uncomfortable because my hips are sore but I don't think that is what was keeping me up. I felt for some reason the Lord wanted me to be up.

Often when I'm not sleeping, I pray in bed for whoever the Lord is laying on my heart or just go down my list of everyone in my family and my friends. But I didn't feel like this is what the Lord was laying on my heart. I started thinking maybe I'm up because Josh has a low blood sugar and I need to check on him, but he wasn't displaying the usual signs he gets when he's low.

Then I start playing a game I have when I'm not sleeping...I'll give myself until 3am and if I'm not asleep by then I'll get up...3am rolls around I give myself 15 more minutes...and another 15 minutes. This can go on for a long time because I hate getting up in the middle of the night. But at about 3:30am I got a horrible urge to pee so bad I had to get up (this would have been my second trip getting up to use the restroom tonight). So I'm up, I quietly grab my pillow and head downstairs. And I did grab a yogurt because I was really hungry.

I knew the Lord had something to share with me. I've been reading through John and when I saw where I left off at John 16, I knew this what the Lord was wanting to share with me. At about verse 5 Jesus is telling his disciples that He is going back to the One who sent Him but the Spirit of Truth (the Holy Spirit) is going to be with them. My girls' group and I just started a new Bible study on the Holy Spirit. We are reading The Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit by Francis Chan. We just finished his book Crazy Love and it was amazing and I highly recommend it.) Anyways...I've been trying to pay more attention to the Holy Spirit at work in my life, recognizing the Holy Spirit is always with me.

I kept reading the rest of the chapter but was totally stopped at the second part of verse 20, "You will grieve but your grief will turn to joy."

Already this week I have seen clear evidence of the Holy Spirit at work in my life. I'm really seeking Him to continue to reveal His truth to me. I believe the Lord brought me to John 16 this morning to reveal something to me, but I don't want to read into anything or take it out of context. Just like I felt the Lord told me (through a friend) when we were going to get pregnant again, in the spring (and we did, we found out on April 2, Good Friday), I wasn't sure at first if that was the Lord or if I was reading into something. So I spent a lot of time in praying and seeking the Lord. And that's kind of where I'm at now with this passage in John 16:20-22. You better believe I'll be covering this too in prayer and seeking the Lord for what He has for me out of this passage. But that in itself is a beautiful thing, as I continue to draw closer to the Lord I know He is drawing closer to me.

Journal Entry: 10/21/2010

2010-11-07T23:51:00.002-05:00

Disclaimer: this is straight from my journal and some of the sentences may not be complete sentences or make much sense. I just wanted to quickly get what was in my heart out and on to paper.

___________________________________________________________________________

Thoughts on prayer...I'm struggling with how to pray. I'm asking the Lord for a strong and healthy baby. I'm pleading with him to protect this baby from all harm (in the womb and out). I'm asking the Lord for Josh and I to meet this baby on this side of Heaven.

I don't know why but deep inside this doesn't feel quite right.

I know I should be praying, "Lord, I want your will to be in done in my life." And in almost every area of my life I truly desire this. But regarding having this baby, I don't want his will to be done in my life if thata means this baby will die too. Is that horrible? How can I say, "Lord, I trust you with my life." (which I can), but still struggle to say I want his will to be done in my life?

Are my selfish human desires getting in the way of God's best for me?

And I aslo start thinking of when I'm asking the Lord to protect my baby, I'm reminded that the Lord has fully protected Leyton. He never got to experience any pain or suffering. Wouldn't I want this for all of my children?

Lord, how do you want me to pray for this baby?

Lord, I desire for you to be glorified in my life.

___________________________________________________________________________

I recently got to talk with my dear friend Amy via Skype (who happens to live in Italy, so cool right?), I always feel refreshed after she and I talk. Amy is an amazing woman and a wonderful friend. She is always full of wisdom and encouragement for me at exactly the right moments always when I need them. She told me that the Lord wants me to be praying for my baby and encouraged me to do so (Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. Philippians 4:6).

We also talked a lot about surrendering to the Lord's will for our lives, asking the Lord to help us to align our will to His. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way but this is so scary for me. I have seen first hand what His will is for my life when that meant that my son was called to Heaven before I was ever able to meet him and look into his precious eyes. But who are we to ever think we know what's best for our lives? I've heard this so many times and I know this (but often need to be reminded of this)...THE LORD KNOWS WHAT IS BEST FOR US.

I'm still not 100% there yet but I am getting closer with each new day. I'm praying a lot for the Lord to continue to reveal more of Himself to me, praying I continue to feel His peace and grace daily as I am awaiting the arrival of this baby, and praying that what I want for my life is in align with what the Lord wants for me.

Thanks again Amy for sharing your wisdom with me. I'll be calling again soon for another pep talk. :)

Also....we have a scheduled c-section for Monday November 22. Only two more weeks!

Halloween Pictures

2010-11-03T21:50:00.001-04:00

Josh and I had the priveledge of attending our friends Sarah & Drew's third annual Halloween party this past Saturday. We had such a great time and but are sad that it is most likely our last Halloween party with our friends here. Sarah and Drew always throw a great party and have fun games for us all to play. This year they organized a Minute To Win It party, guys vs. girls. It was such a great idea and so much fun even though the guys did win most of the games. Here are some pictures from the party....

This year Josh and I switched roles...he went as a woman and I was a man with a pot belly. Kind of hard to tell but I also have a bit of a beard (I made with some dark eye shadow).

Two new friends Duke and Rashin, they went as hippies.

Adam and Camille with their new son Elliot. Elliot was party animal and Camille was amazing for coming having just had a c-section on Monday. She is a rockstar.

Freeland and Brooke went as a shot gun wedding and their son River was the ring bearer, so cute! Brooke even had a full on wedding dress with a huge train, such a beautiful bride.

Kristen and Dan were robbers.

Our hosts Sarah as a bear and Drew as Guy Fieri.

A little unreal how much he looked like Guy Fieri.

Lindsay and Ryan were a pair of hooters.

Bill, Christie and their son Jackson had the cutest costumes! Bill and Christie even made their monster heads themselves to match Jackson's costume. Christie is super creative.

Kind of strange but Josh and Freeland looked like they came together as a couple.

Thanks again Sarah and Drew for another great party!

On the Waters of Sorrow

2010-10-22T10:31:00.000-04:00

For my birthday my mother got me a book titled COME AWAY My Beloved by Frances J. Roberts. It is a sweet book of short devotionals that are really encouraging and a reminder to experience the Lord's all-sufficient care and provision. As I have been reading something new every morning, I desire to share it with you. Here is one I read yesterday (the bold words are my added emphasis)...

On the Waters of Sorrow

But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered in the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." I Corinthians 2:9

O My child, I am coming to you walking on the waters of the sorrows of your life;

yes, above the sounds of the storm you shall hear my voice call your name.

You are never alone, for I am at your right hand. Never despair, for I am watching

over and caring for you. Be not anxious. What seems to you to be at present a

difficult situation is all part of My planning, and I am working out the details of

circumstances so that I may bless you and reveal Myself to you in a new way.

As I have opened your eyes to see, so shall I open your ears to hear,

and you shall come to know Me even as Moses did, yes, in a face-to-face relationship.

For I will remove the veil that separates Me from you, and you will know

Me as your dearest friend and as your truest Comforter.

No darkness will hide the shining of My face, for I shall be to you as a bright star

in the night sky. Never let your faith waver. Reach out your hand,

and you shall touch the hem of My garment.

2010-10-20T20:40:00.000-04:00

These past four weeks have flown by! I can’t believe our time in Dayton is coming to an end this Saturday. It seems like we just got here. I’m actually kind of thankful for this. I certainly LOVE being here with my family and visiting friends and I’m trying to not wish this time away, but this just means we are even closer to having this baby (good Lord’s willing)!

Here’s what’s been going on with us (if you’re interested):

• I’ve been keeping busy by helping my mom plan a fundraiser for a local non-profit where she volunteers (The Life Enrichment Center).
• Josh has had long hours with this surgery rotation and I’m looking forward to him being on internal med next which should hopefully be better hours.
• Josh had his first residency interview in Grand Rapids at Devos Children’s Hospital, he thinks it went really well. He loved the program and all of the people he met there. He still has quite a few interviews to go to, so we are praying hard for the Lord to continue His good works in Josh and trusting Him placing us in the right residency program. As scary as the unknown is we are excited for this time in our med-school chapter.
• As far as my pregnancy goes, I’ve been feeling pretty good. My hips of course are sore and I’ve been pretty tired because sleep has been an issue but physically I’ve been feeling pretty good, I’m very thankful for this. You know, I love being pregnant but I feel like I’ve already put my time in for being pregnant.
• In terms of how I’m feeling emotionally, that just depends on the day you ask me. Today…not to good. I was listening to a song (Matt Kearney’s song “Closer to Love” I guess we’re all one phone call from our knees). Every time I hear this line it reminds me of how Josh had to call both of our parents to tell them we lost Leyton. I hate that he had to do that. I don’t know why it really hit me this afternoon but it did. I really should have a separate post about the emotions and feelings that seem to be surfacing but that would mean I would have to really confront them and I don’t know if I want to go there.
• Tomorrow my grandmother is hosting a luncheon for me with some of my great aunts and cousins, and when my grandmother does something, she goes all out. I’m really looking forward the luncheon, it should be a really nice time.

I think that’s about all that is new with us Glupkers. I know I’ve been saying this, but I will post about the feelings that are re-surfacing. Everything is jumbled and unorganized in my head at the moment. Once I get things in writing I know it will help me process. Thanks for listening.

27th Birthday Recap

2010-10-09T18:04:00.001-04:00

First, I want to thank everyone who was thinking of me yesterday on my 27th birthday (ahhh! I still can't believe I'm 27!). I really appreciate all of the calls, texts, fb messages, etc. I feel so blessed and loved by everyone's thoughtfulness. Sorry if I wasn't able to answer your calls, I will certainly do my best to call you back this week.

This year my birthday was not on my radar. I love making a big deal out of birthdays but this year all I can really think about is this baby and that we only have about 6 weeks left until we can meet him good Lord's willing.

I ended up having a really nice day with the majority of it I spent by myself, but I actually really liked that. My morning was pretty chill. Josh had flowers delivered to my parent's house for me but the note said, "Love you Mommy! Love, Leyton and baby". I'm pretty sure I cried for a good 20 minutes. My husband never ceases to amaze me with his thoughtfulness and love. This also reminded me that I hadn't yet been up to visit Leyton's grave site. I went up to visit him and right when I got there I got a bug bite on my arm and right between my eyes. So I wasn't there for too long but Josh and I are going to go back and bring Leyton a pumpkin.

Embarrassed by my bug bite, I was a little delayed in my Starbucks, Sephora, and shopping plans. But after about 45 minutes the swelling went down and with encouragement from my Aunt Toni, I went shopping. But when I got there I realized I hadn't eaten anything for lunch and I was hungry. I didn't really want to eat my emergency healthy nut mix that I always keep on hand and I didn't want to go anywhere and eat by myself, so I figured since I skipped getting my pumpkin spice latte I could quick run into Cheryl & Co. and grab a cookie...or two. I figured that's an ok birthday lunch.

After shopping (which by they way I have officially begun Christmas shopping, already found a gift for my niece Kate) I was able to grab a quick nap before dinner at PF Changes. After an amazing dinner Josh, my brother, his girlfriend Shelly, and I headed back to my parent's house to carve pumpkins. Marc carved Nola into his pumpkin and Shelly carved her dog Tibby. They turned out pretty cute. Shelly has better pictures of the finished products lit up outside but here are a couple...

Josh and I shared a pumpkin. Nothing too creative but I really like how the

monogrammed G turned out.

Josh and Marc knew when the automatic timer was going off but they

elected to have their faces look like that.

Thanks again to everyone who helped make my birthday incredibly special. I'm looking forward to learning more about the Lord this year, continuing to trust in His promises, and seeing what He has in store for me.

Oh, and happy birthday to everyone who celebrated their birthday this week. I hear this is a pretty popular week for birthdays because if you go back nine months you hit New Year's. =)

my flesh fails

2010-10-04T08:20:00.002-04:00

Josh didn't have to be at work this morning until 6am (as opposed to 4:30 or 5am) but after he left I just couldn't get back to sleep. I have so many things flying through my crazy head that just for one day I'd like to turn my brain off and enjoy what I have right before me and not be thinking and trying to plan my life out until Josh graduates in May of 2011.

And of course the Holy Spirit reminds me of... "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord...(Jeremiah 29:11)

I know through many of my life's experiences (some not so hard and some almost unbearable) that plans change. So why am I going through all of this trouble of trying to plan my life when I clearly know plans change?

Because I'm human. Because I'm a worrier, I like to have a plan, and I like to be in control (can't you hear the Janet Jackson song "Control" in the background?).

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life...But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all of these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow...(Matthew 6:25, 33-34)

I've read these verses hundreds of times. I've encouraged others with these verses. But yet my flesh fails, again. This is a daily battle. Every morning I wake up I must give the Lord everything I am trying to carry on my own.

Isn't it wonderful that He asks us to give Him our burdens and He wants to carry them for us?

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

I'm still praying through a lot of different emotions and feelings I'm having as my pregnancy is progressing. I want to share what the Lord has been teaching me and I will soon. Thankful the Lord cares so much for my heart and thankful for the many people who have been praying for Josh, me, and our baby. I feel like I haven't expressed how much I appreciate those prayers, so please know how truly thankful and blessed I am by them. Thankful to be a part of the body of Christ.

I know this is kind of just ramblings this morning but my brain is a little foggy from waking up just shortly after 5am. Hopefully I'll be able to take a little nap today.

Happy Monday!

away rotation

2010-09-28T14:39:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posting this past week, things were just a little crazy while we packed and prepared our townhouse to leave for four weeks. Josh is on a surgery rotation down here in Dayton and we are staying with my parents for the next four weeks. Always good to be home to spend time with family, see friends, and spend lots of time snuggling with sweet Nola.

So far I've been able to rest a lot which has been wonderful because I've been finding that my energy level has been dwindling. I also think my I've been a little sluggish because Josh is going to have very long hours this month and I have been spoiled for the past eight weeks of getting to spend lots of time with him, it's only been two days and I already miss him. I'm also starting to have a lot of different emotions and feelings that I'm really struggling to process and they're beginning to weigh heavily on my heart. Right now I'm just asking for the Lord to continue to give my heart peace and to show me more of Himself. He is faithful.

lazy sunday

2010-09-19T17:21:00.002-04:00

I woke up this morning thinking that after church I was going to take advantage of today and be super productive. Well, I gave in and took a nap today (Sunday afternoon naps are just too enticing) and my productivity that I was planning on hasn't quite happened (yet).

My to do list that I'm currently putting off, I believe they call that procrastination:

1. cleaning off my desk because I can't even see the bottom of it.

2. posting pictures from our Michigan trip last weekend.

3. planting some mums I got over a week ago that are still waiting to go into the ground.

4. winterizing my pot by our front door and the ones on our back patio (we're leaving for Dayton on Friday for a rotation and when we come back at the end of October I'll be 34 weeks pregnant and will really not want to do it then. But there is a huge spider web in the back patio with a huge spider and I'm kind of scared to go out there at the moment.)

5. giving Josh a haircut, he's been asking for one for two weeks now, sorry babe.

6. finishing all of my nursery project, mostly includes painting. This would require me to first go and get paint and actually have to make a decision on a color, that could take some time.

7. of course...cleaning our townhouse.

8. working out.

9. starting a new book, there are just so many books and I don't know what I should choose, any suggestions?

10. getting together my Operation Christmas Child shoe box to bring to my church this week.

11. ordering diapers from Amazon, I have a couple of coupons from my Parents magazine that can get me diapers for super discounted prices. I have until the end of the month to redeem. Crazy how fast September has been going by.

I suppose if I am able to accomplish all of these (which there is no reason I shouldn't) before we leave on Friday then I'll be in pretty good shape.

My weekend wasn't totally unproductive. Yesterday I went over to my friend Sarah's house for a little sewing get together. I really hadn't sewn anything since sophomore year of high school so she helped me sew fabric onto cloth diapers to use as burp cloths. And I am so happy how they turned out! Thank you so much Sarah for all of your help!

I suppose they weren't terribly difficult to do, I was just so hesitant to start because I'm a perfectionist and was afraid to mess up. Aside from the ones Sarah did, mine are far from perfect. I have a lot of left over scrap pieces that I want to cut out cute shapes like a tie or dog and apply it onto onesies. And for that I will be consulting my other good friend Brooke.

We have an new newphew!

2010-09-16T14:27:00.000-04:00

Meet Max,

our new nephew! 

Maxwell Christopher

born September 13 at 5:17am 7.7 pounds

He is healthy and beautiful! We are so excited and 

dying to meet him. He and his family live in North Carolina 

and I don't think Josh will let me 

get in a car and drive over 9 hours by myself to meet him.

I love that he is folding his hands in this picture, 

already a praying boy. So sweet! 

He also shares a birthday with our niece Katelyn, 

which we just returned from MI earlier 

this week to celebrate her 1st birthday. 

I still need to upload those photos to my 

computer and post them. 

Congrats Chris, Aimee, Olivia, & Audrey! 

I know he is getting lots of love from his older sisters. 

Hoping to meet him at Christmas time and good Lord's willing we 

will have our little one for them to meet too. I already know Max 

and our son will be good buddies.