Whew!

Corners we have turned...yes, yes, yes! Eli has slept through the night for a full week now. That means, Mommy and Daddy knows he can do it so there's no turning back. Although, I do know there are the occasional sick times and growth spurts. He's been a fairly happy baby. Today, he is running a bit of a fever. It's what I call low grade. It hasn't reached 100, yet. I don't know what's going on. He's been a little difficult to feed all day, but we'll see how tomorrow goes.

You would think that since Eli's sleeping through the night I'd be rested. I'm not! I think it will take months to feel normal again. I get so tired while I'm feeding him his bottle sometimes I doze off and Dylan will tap my foot and say, "Wake up, Mom". It's funny but at the same time, scary. Time will fix that problem, though.

For the last 6 weeks or so I have feared somethine I could not change. I had finally come to terms with it and then...it was not so. What am I talking about? Well, I seriously thought I was already pregnant again. Yes, I know what causes that. I had been praying about it and told God to give me peace. He did and then I found out I wasn't. Whew! Even though I had peace I wasn't ready.

Dylan woke up in a wonderful mood this morning. He hears me thank God for the beautiful day all the time when we pray together. So this morning when he got up he said, "It's a beautiful day". I'm glad he feels that way. We got plenty of outdoor play today and I even got a good jog in chasing a ball half way down the street. Dylan loves to play sports. His favorite right now is baseball. He likes to bat and he'll even pitch occasionally. He doesn't care to hit the ball off a T. He wants you to pitch. If you pitch it close to the bat and he barely swings, most of the time he can actually hit the ball. It's been fun watching him progress in this sport. He became a baseball fan after going to several Springfield Cardinals games this year. He's also been watching an occasional football game on TV with his Daddy so we'll see if that has any effect on him.

I'm working on my Sunday School lesson for next week. We've been studying Noah the last 4 weeks. This is the 5th and final week and we are talking about God's promise and the Rainbow. The rainbow is such a beautiful part of God's wonders. Isn't God awesome and all his creation. If you really stop and look at some of the things he's created for us to enjoy, it's amazing. Teaching 2 year olds will help you appreciate it all that much more.

Dylan is in the bathtub making coffee right now. At least, that's what he says. He was given some money this summer and allowed to purchase things at garage sales. We went to a few around Willard together. He found a toy coffee pot. If you put a new battery in it, you pour water in the top and put the pitcher underneath, the water drips into the pitcher. He loves it but makes such a mess. My solution...put it in the bathtub and he can make all the mess he wants. The first time I actually replaced the battery was last week. I didn't think about what a huge mess he could make. Well, I did think it through partially. I sat it on the sink in the bathroom and told him he could play with it in there. I was thinking a little spill on the floor would be easy to wipe up with a towel. I was on the phone later and he came out. He said he had made a mess. I told him I would be off the phone shortly and would come clean it up, not to worry about it. He said he would clean it up all by himself. You know the independence is really coming out at this stage. I thought, what could it hurt. So, I left him alone for a few minutes. When I went to check on him, he had gotten out every single bath towel, hand towel, and wash cloth in the cabinet and put it on the floor in one area in a huge pile. He said, very proudly, "Look Mommy, I cleaned it up all by myself". I just smiled politely and said, "And what a great job you did". I asked if he really needed all of the towels. When I started to move some of the towels I realized it wasn't such a small mess. There was a very large puddle of water on the floor. So, I got to do 2 extra loads of laundry, oh well! It was a learning experience for both of us.

Another Corner?

I don't know if we're turning a corner. I almost feel like if I say it, I might jinx it so to speak. I don't really believe in jinxes but you know what I mean. The first corner is...Eli is turning out to be mostly a happy baby. Feed him, change his diaper and talk to him and he smiles and coos for you. It's great! He even might let out a tiny giggle. We're working on full blown giggles. I'll let you know how that goes. The other corner? Well, the last two nights Eli has had a bottle with a touch of cereal in it. I know I shouldn't put cereal in the bottle, but I have my reasons. Eli was waking up one time a night for like 2 ounces of formula and then back to sleep for 3 hours. My philosophy was add a little cereal and maybe he'll sleep all the way through. It worked Monday and Tuesday night. I don't know if it will continue. We gave him his last bottle of the evening around 9:15 and then put him to bed around 10:00. He slept until 7:00 Tuesday morning and this morning he got up at 6:30. I'll take either one. Of course, since I've been getting up in the middle of the night for the last 10 weeks with Eli and probably the last 6 or 7 months for the bathroom, I'm still not sleeping all the way through the night. However, if this continues for very long...I might just become normal again. I just hope we can keep Eli on this routine for a while and smooth out all the kinks.

Yesterday, I was on my way from the hospital to Chris's office. I was sitting at a stoplight imagining what a nap would feel like when a car behind me honked and I realized I had actually dozed off. The car in front of me was already through the intersection. Now, that's sad! I've got to get some sleep. When I'm tired, it seems like I don't have time to take a nap and then when I can actually go to bed early I feel like there's something else more important to do or all of the sudden, I'm not as tired as I thought. Crazy?! Yes, I am.

Ok, so I've got laundry to do before Eli wakes for his next bottle. Come back soon!

Life, In General!

Two months gone with two boys. You can't imagine how fast time flies until you have your own children. I can't believe how much they've grown in the last two months. Eli is now 12 lbs. 4 oz. and growing like a weed. When I start to look at all his wrinkles I see how much he's chubbied up on me. I guess that means he is a healthy eater. Although, I have to say his attitude doesn't necessarily reflect a happy, healthy eater. We have two or three feedings a day where he's happy afterward and smiling and the other ones, he never seems to get happy until he goes to sleep. And then, I'm not real sure he's happy. He's just asleep so he's not fussing and that makes me happy. I know in time we'll get a routine worked out that works for both of us and maybe we'll figure out what makes him so uncomfortable. I don't know if it's belly problems, gassy problems, or just his nature.

Dylan is starting to get into the age of testing. He wants to re-test his boundaries. Since he's decided to re-test his boundaries we've decided to tighten the reigns (so to speak) a little. It's causing him to be more jealous when Eli is around. I think he thinks that's part of his problem. Today, he was moping around, while I was playing with him, and I asked him what was wrong. He said he was sad. When I asked why, he said "Because I'm sad". I don't think he understands the word "why" just yet and maybe that's a good thing. He needs extra special attention right now. I sometimes wonder if it's because he had 2 1/2 years of Mommy's attention before Eli came along and he had to share. Then again, that happens with lots of kids. I'm sure we'll get past it. For me, though, it's trying. I want to make both of my children happy, yet well behaved at the same time. So, we learn together and maybe some day I can make both of them happy, me happy, husband happy, and most importantly...God happy!

Add to that, our lives have actually slowed a little. Chris hasn't been working so many nights so we've all been home or out together more often. Our friends and family continue to be busy so we've gotten to know each other a lot better over the last two months. It is fun to be together but sometimes lonely because you don't get to share what's going on with them (friends and family).

When I had Dylan there was not too many things in my body or mind that wanted another child and he was a very happy baby. You'd feed him his bottle, he'd spit up, he'd smile, talk, coo, and then go to sleep. I'm sure he had his moments but overall I remember him as a happy baby. Now, we also have Eli. He is not a real happy baby. He has his moments. He doesn't spit up, he rarely smiles, and sleep is not his favorite thing (although, he sleeps better at night than Dylan did at this age). His naps are more like cat naps with lots of whining in the middle. And, yet, here I find myself thinking of another child being a possibility. Am I crazy?! Do I really want to complicate things more with another baby? I don't know. Only God does and I'm sure in time he will reveal his plan. Scared? Oh, yes...definitely. I never planned on having 3. Two was the perfect number, except it was supposed to be one boy and one girl. I guess that's why God is in control and not us.

I look at my life and sometimes complain about this or that and then missionaries come in and remind us of life in another country. There country and what they tell us seems like a whole other world. My problems, my complaints, my worries are so petty in comparison.

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7