Something I have always believed but never really understood until
becoming a mother is that all children are a joyous gift from God. I
took my little miracle to get mommy coffee and the park early this
morning out of frustration due to teething induced lack of sleep. I was
cranky and selfish and totally taking my little man for granted, even a
little upset at him for keeping me up 2 nights in a row, when a lady at
the coffee shop stopped and said, "I'll visit with you while your mommy
gets her coffee" and started chatting him up. He gave her the biggest
smile and got everyone in the coffee shop smiling. Once I had downed my
coffee, eaten a biscut, and took a breath I realized once again that my
little 17 lb miracle had made at least 20 people smile. I'm quickly
realizing that my new ministry is that of joy. Bringing joy to strangers
whether in the grocery store, at the coffee shop or just walking down
the street. With a mommy smile or a baby smile or both!
After we made it to the park and he swang in the baby swing for 20
mins (the longest he's done anything but eat and sleep since he's been
born! Boooyahhh!), he got a little snack and is now strapped to my chest
taking a nap I look around and realize how selfish I was and how
beautifully blessed I have been. We are all human and we all have
selfish moments but my question for you today is how are you blessed and
how can you be a blessing to others? For when we focus on our blessings
and callings it can turn our day and life upside-down. Something as
tiny as a baby smile can bring perspective and oh so much joy!
Friday, June 28, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Welcome to the World: A Month and a Half of Discovery
Hi Everyone, we know it's been a while since we've posted anything here on the blog. The Holidays came along, and then we were blessed to meet our son Liam, so there wasn't much time for typing before now!
William Leroy "Liam" Page was born at 10:27am on January 14th at WakeMed Raleigh, weighing 9lbs 3oz and measuring 22in from head to toe. He's absolutely beautiful with his Mommy's lips and nose and his Daddy's head, and decided to be nice to Mommy and only take 12 3/4 hours to come into the world. We brought him home on the evening of the 16th and have been getting settled in together as a family, getting used to deciphering the baby communication system (which cries mean "Feed me NOW!" versus "My diaper is wet!" and "Help me get rid of this gas in my belly!").
There have been so many new adventures and discoveries that we can't name them all in a single post, so we will try to share them along the way as they pop back into our brains, which are slightly less sleep-deprived now than they were two weeks ago. The first time he slept seven hours, we were frightened something was wrong! Turns out, being a baby is exhausting, much like being a new baby's parents.
We're not going to lie to you, the first 4 weeks were extremely challenging with little sleep, learning the baby communication system, and getting used to our new way of life. Weeks 5 & 6 were a little less challenging, as we finally started to understand Liam's habits and how to adjust to them accordingly. By the end of this, Week 7, we have had a family date to a French restaurant and Teri was able to have girl time and alone time all in one Saturday, which is an accomplishment. We have discovered just how exhaustingly beautiful our vocation can be and we wouldn't have it any other way.
While many of you have been able to see the pictures we've posted through the Facebook album, for those of you who haven't here's the link so you can:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10101028979872999.2703192.11802656&type=1&l=b81454a9be
You don't have to be a member to view the pictures of Liam if you use this link to reach them.
It's amazing how quickly babies progress! In the past two weeks, Liam has become SO much more alert and started visually exploring his surroundings, as well as spending more time awake each day. He has developed "social smiling" where he responds to Teri and I chatting with him. This is by far the best baby reward at this age, especially at 2 o'clock in the morning when we're sleepy and he isn't! Also, he has begun to giggle occasionally when very happy and that just melts our hearts. He can also see further now, as when he was born he could only see things clearly 8-10in away, now we've noticed he can see about 2ft, which has made him much more aware of what's around the house. One of the funniest moments for Daddy was when Liam decided to exercise his newly-discovered gripping skills to pull Jeremy's glasses off his face during a midnight gas attack. Needless to say, it startled them both - Jeremy because his glasses were missing, and Liam because he didn't know what to do next!
Teri and Liam have been going on many adventures, with Tuesdays being La Leche League days where they have met Liam's first friend, Griffin. Griffin is 7 1/2 months old and is intrigued by Liam's "tiny" size, while Liam is equally intrigued by Griffin's ability to scoot around, almost crawling. It has also been nice for Teri to meet some more mommy friends and get settled into her new role as a stay at home Mom.
Thank you all for your love and support! We have such great friends and family and we wouldn't be adjusting as well as we are without your care and prayers.
William Leroy "Liam" Page was born at 10:27am on January 14th at WakeMed Raleigh, weighing 9lbs 3oz and measuring 22in from head to toe. He's absolutely beautiful with his Mommy's lips and nose and his Daddy's head, and decided to be nice to Mommy and only take 12 3/4 hours to come into the world. We brought him home on the evening of the 16th and have been getting settled in together as a family, getting used to deciphering the baby communication system (which cries mean "Feed me NOW!" versus "My diaper is wet!" and "Help me get rid of this gas in my belly!").
There have been so many new adventures and discoveries that we can't name them all in a single post, so we will try to share them along the way as they pop back into our brains, which are slightly less sleep-deprived now than they were two weeks ago. The first time he slept seven hours, we were frightened something was wrong! Turns out, being a baby is exhausting, much like being a new baby's parents.
We're not going to lie to you, the first 4 weeks were extremely challenging with little sleep, learning the baby communication system, and getting used to our new way of life. Weeks 5 & 6 were a little less challenging, as we finally started to understand Liam's habits and how to adjust to them accordingly. By the end of this, Week 7, we have had a family date to a French restaurant and Teri was able to have girl time and alone time all in one Saturday, which is an accomplishment. We have discovered just how exhaustingly beautiful our vocation can be and we wouldn't have it any other way.
While many of you have been able to see the pictures we've posted through the Facebook album, for those of you who haven't here's the link so you can:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10101028979872999.2703192.11802656&type=1&l=b81454a9be
You don't have to be a member to view the pictures of Liam if you use this link to reach them.
It's amazing how quickly babies progress! In the past two weeks, Liam has become SO much more alert and started visually exploring his surroundings, as well as spending more time awake each day. He has developed "social smiling" where he responds to Teri and I chatting with him. This is by far the best baby reward at this age, especially at 2 o'clock in the morning when we're sleepy and he isn't! Also, he has begun to giggle occasionally when very happy and that just melts our hearts. He can also see further now, as when he was born he could only see things clearly 8-10in away, now we've noticed he can see about 2ft, which has made him much more aware of what's around the house. One of the funniest moments for Daddy was when Liam decided to exercise his newly-discovered gripping skills to pull Jeremy's glasses off his face during a midnight gas attack. Needless to say, it startled them both - Jeremy because his glasses were missing, and Liam because he didn't know what to do next!
Teri and Liam have been going on many adventures, with Tuesdays being La Leche League days where they have met Liam's first friend, Griffin. Griffin is 7 1/2 months old and is intrigued by Liam's "tiny" size, while Liam is equally intrigued by Griffin's ability to scoot around, almost crawling. It has also been nice for Teri to meet some more mommy friends and get settled into her new role as a stay at home Mom.
Thank you all for your love and support! We have such great friends and family and we wouldn't be adjusting as well as we are without your care and prayers.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Dad's Corner #2: Joyful Anticipation (from Sunday)
As I sit here with my son laying asleep on the bed in front of me, I am filled with awe and wonder at the miracle God has blessed Teri and I with. It has been so beautiful his first six weeks in the world seeing how much joy he brings to everyone who sees him, whether they are family, friends, or even strangers. The peace, hope, and joy God blesses his people with when he sends a baby into the world is so unbelievably abundant.
What really blows my mind is how it begins while the baby is still in the womb, as everyone we met once Teri was showing was filled with the excitement of anticipation. The same kind of joyful anticipation we should reflect on during Advent, when we anticipate the arrival of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the World. The same anticipation we should reflect on during Lent, when we anticipate the Resurrection of this Savior, who was mocked, scourged, died, was buried, and went through Hell to open the gates of Heaven, and rose on the third day that we may know of His Mercy and believe.
It is amazing the thoughts a beautiful child can bring on Sunday morning...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)