RSS

Monthly Archives: April 2016

The Jedidiah-ries (Diaries)- month 4

Officially more than one full month late…

This month was full of smiles (tongue out, as you can see by the pictures above), LAUGHTER, and family fun!  4 months old and Jedidiah’s already done so much and blessed so many.  I am so thankful for him and how he’s changed my life!  Here’s the recap of his fourth month.

Weight: 15.5 lbs.

Height: 25 1/2 inches

General Observations:  Jedidiah loved his little playmat for the first part of this month.  It was the first time he really cared about it and he would lay there (sometimes) for like half an hour at a time!  It was AMAZING!  I finally felt like I could get a thing or two accomplished around the house.  He particularly liked a little doggie that his Nana gave him, I think he really enjoyed looking at it because it has a face.  He would stare at it and play with it constantly.

doggie

However, this was short-lived as he REALLY began rolling over more often.  Now if I lay him on the mat, he flips himself over within a matter of seconds.  He doesn’t mind being on his belly, but he gets frustrated because he’s really trying to crawl.  He can get his little legs up under him and can push up on his arms, but he doesn’t lift his head… he’s just not sure what to do.  Occasionally he’ll roll himself back over on his back, but he seems to really want to be on his belly for the most part.

In place of the play mat, he decided the walker was more his style.  This allows him to move around while he’s playing.  He loves looking at the little birdie and pushing all the buttons.  It keeps him busy for a while at least.

walker faces

Jedidiah has discovered his feet this month and I love watching him lay on his back and grab them.  He loves to play with them (but doesn’t put them in his mouth).

feet

He started giving kisses by opening up his mouth really wide- it’s super cute.

He sits up using his Boppy pillow for support.  He really likes to be upright and watch what’s going on around him.

sitting

But the best part of this month was that he laughed for the first time!  Oh, my word!  There’s no sweeter sound than his little giggle!  It is SO great!!!

Health:  We went for his four month check-up and our doctor said that he’s doing great!  He’s happy and healthy and doing everything he should be able to do!

Eating:  This boy LOVES to eat (and his chunky little thighs are starting to show it)!  He’s starting to stretch out further between feedings during the day but still wakes up several times a night to nurse.  There have been a few times that he’s only been up once around 3-4 and then again around 7 or 8.  It’s been pretty great!

Sleeping:  Unfortunately, Jedidiah has decided that he no longer wants anything to do with a pacifier, which has made napping a chore again.  Really, he doesn’t nap unless he falls asleep in the car or while nursing.  Neither of those times do anything for me… as I can’t accomplish anything at all during those two times.  But he still sleeps pretty well at night.  He’s been getting up earlier (but not as early as he was at the end of last month) but in general, still sleeps well.

Diapers:  We’ve gotten lazy with the cloth diapers, although we still use them around the house.  It just feels like we’re not home that often during the week (we’ve gotten pretty busy) so it’s pretty easy to justify using a disposable diaper.  I’m hoping we get better about this because I really do like using the cloth diapers!

Clothes:  This boy just keeps growing!  He still fits into some 3 month clothes but is wearing mostly 3-6 month clothes at this point!

Social:  My, oh, my, this section will be long!  We do so much!  Of course Jedidiah is still a greeter at our church, he and I have joined a mommy group, we still do “Baby and me” time at the Public Library, we go to the YMCA several times a week, tutor, and this month, we had visitors!  That’s right, all of my siblings came down to Texas (from Minnesota) to visit!  I’ll write more about that in a separate post, but Jedidiah got to meet his cousin Evie for the first time and hang out with his aunties and uncles.

DSC_0360

The Minnesota crew

 

This month our family date was a day at the rodeo.  Nana bought Jedi all sorts of adorable Western wear and so of course we went a little picture crazy, but how could we not?  There was so much cuteness!!!

rodea

My favorite by far!

We visited daddy at work for lunch.  🙂

Every year Trent and I participate in the MS Walk on team I Heart Hallie (for my girlfriend Hallie, who has MS).  This year was so much more fun because it was our first year walking with our bubba!  Thankfully, it was a beautiful day and we were able to see and catch up with lots of friends!

Our friends, the Negrons, had us over for dinner one night.  We ate some delicious food and had fun with Jedidiah.  It was a lovely evening!

negrons

Trent and I brought Jedidiah to Landa park for an enjoyable afternoon together as a family.  We walked around with the stroller and dipped his little toesies in the water.  It was such a beautiful day to be outside and we really enjoyed this special time together as a family!

Landa park

Likes:  His doggie toy, rolling over, playing with his feet, his bucket of toys at nana’s house, being outside on the yard swing or going on walks with mommy and daddy.

swing

20160227_193005

Playing in Nana’s box of toys

Dislikes: Being on his tummy (he likes to roll over, but doesn’t like BEING rolled over)

Memorable moments and firsts:

He slept in his crib for the first time, for a nap at least!  We’re going to try to transition to the crib in the next month or two so we’re trying to get him used to being in it.

nap in crib

He rolled over from front to back.  Up to this point he’d only ever rolled from his back to front.  He’s also rolled all the way from one side to the other… tummy to back to tummy rolling the other way.

I know I mentioned this earlier, but he laughed for the first time this month.  Now daddy and I are constantly doing ridiculous things to try to make him laugh.

One night, when we were over at Trent’s mom’s house, she was holding him and had taken his socks off.  She was holding them out in front of him and he would reach out and grab a sock and then try to “put it on” his foot.  He did this with both hands and feet until we were all thoroughly impressed.  It was amazing to watch.

Like I mentioned earlier, we joined a mommy play group that meets every Thursday.  Two of the ladies in our play group were ladies I met in our birthing class but hadn’t seen since we were all pregnant.  Meeting up with them was so fun!  I got to meet their sweet baby girls and hear their birth stories and it was wonderful.  We even got all the babes together for a photo on the sofa.  I look forward to spending more time with these ladies and their kiddos in the next weeks and months!

 

What about mom?  I’m much more tired this month but feeling like we’re getting into a groove.  I LOVE being a stay at home mom but definitely feel more busy this month as we’ve begun to add things to our schedule.

Daddy time:  Here are some of my favorite daddy moments from this month!

 

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on April 27, 2016 in Uncategorized

 

Tags: , ,

Our little Jedi

Little Jedi 1

So our baby’s name is Jedidiah, but when we were trying to come up with nicknames, we decided on Jedi.  Of course, this all happened at the same time that all the hype was beginning for the new Star Wars movie that was coming out (shortly after his birth).  Daddy didn’t mind all the Star Wars connections, as he’s always been a big fan.  Even before Jedidiah was born, daddy used a wookie for diaper practice!

Of course the name spurred all sorts of Star Wars gifts and even a Star Wars themed baby shower (and made its way into our Thank you notes).

A little Jedi

Thank you card

We used some of the gifts not too long ago to do a little Star Wars mini-photo shoot.  We got the blanket from my college roommate and her mom, we got the Yoda wall hanging from a friend I used to teach with, and we got the light saber from one of my Bible Study gals.  Now, I realize that his light saber is red (the color of the dark side), but it was the only baby sized one we could find.  Besides, these pictures turned out SOOOOOOO cute!

PicMonkey Collage jedi

At first he was so curious, and he liked that it lights up!

Use the force

Use the force, Jedi!

Then the smiles came out!

Anyways, at first I was hesitant to get on board with all the Star Wars stuff, but I decided that there’s really nothing wrong with being a Jedi.  Here are a few reasons why.

  1. There are real forces all around us, both good and evil.  Our church did a sermon series on these forces a while back called Forces that Form your Future.  It’s totally worth checking out- if you’d like to watch these messages, they can be found at http://subsplash.com/revyourlife/s/20e97e6/
  2. We have a real enemy.  While in Star Wars, the enemies changed… Darth Vader, Darth Maul, etc., we also have spiritual enemies that we are facing.  Ephesians 6 tells us that “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of darkness in the world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  Just because we cannot see our enemy doesn’t make him any less real or menacing.  I pray that my little Jedi would arm himself to stand against this enemy and against the destruction he’d love to reap in his life.
  3. This being said, we have been trained by the master and have power over our enemy.  The Jedis were trained by Yoda and learned, much like him, that they had access to special powers or forces.  As Christians, we have all the power in the Universe at our grasp.  The Bible tells us that the same power and Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, dwells in us (Romans 8:11).  Ephesians 1:19-20 says: “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.”  But in order to obtain this power, we must always stay connected to the Master.  John 15 commands us: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.  I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”  We only have access to the “force” if we stay connected to the Creator.  I pray that Jedidiah would always remain in close communion with his Savior.
  4. We are armed for our fight against the enemy.  The Jedis had the legendary light sabers.  Like I said before, our war is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces.  Therefore we must have a spiritual weapon- the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  I pray that my little one will hide God’s word deep inside his heart so that he would not stray from Him.
  5. Obi-Wan sacrificed himself for peace, much like Jesus did, he desired nothing more than the total defeat of the empire’s darkness.  Jesus gave himself up for us so that we could have an abundant life, both now and in eternity, and his death defeated darkness forever.  Obi-Wan also continued to show up and advise the other Jedis after his death, much like Jesus left us the Holy Spirit to counsel, convict, and guide us after his departure from Earth.  Jesus said: “If you love me, keep my commands.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”  My prayer for you is that you will follow Jesus with your whole heart and always be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading. 
  6. We’re never too far gone to be brought back; it’s never too late for redemption.  Vader, who began good and then turned to the “Dark Side” due to his own pride and anger, still ended up sacrificing himself for good in the end.  Although my prayer is that anger and pride will never steal you away, I pray that you would always remember that there is a God waiting for you to return to him with open arms.
  7. The small, insignificant city of Tattooine births an important hero in the saga, just as a small, insignificant city in Galilee birthed our Savior.  God likes to use those of humble beginnings to do his work.  Just look at the people he used in the Bible: Moses had a speech problem but God used him to bring his people out of slavery and oppression.  David was a scrawny little shepherd boy that slew a giant and became a great king.  Esther was just a simple girl but she saved the Jews from genocidal slaughter.  Paul was a persecutor of Christians and the church before he encountered Christ and wrote most of our New Testament scriptures.  Jesus was born in a stable even though he was the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  He sacrificed himself to save the entire world, on a wretched Roman cross nonetheless.  God chooses to use people from humble beginnings.  I pray that you, my son, will stay humble in your spirit and let God’s incredible power flow through you.

So, my dear Jedidiah, may the force be always with you!  Keep your weapon close, stay close to the master, and don’t forget who your enemy is.  “Stay strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the Devil’s schemes.”

yoda

May the force be with you!

 
1 Comment

Posted by on April 11, 2016 in Uncategorized

 

Tags: , , , ,