9 months

Well, sweet girl, you are 9 months old. What a big girl!

Weight: 17.5 lbs....so petite. 

Height: Don't know. We'll get an update in a couple of weeks at your appointment.

Sizes: You're wearing a size 3 diaper. Your 9 month clothes are just now at the point where they fit you perfectly. I think you'll need to move to 12 month pjs soon. You always outgrow those first. I had to do a major pack-up of all the clothes from 3-6 months (even though you can still wear some of your 6 month outfits).

What you’re up  to:

- You are getting so close to crawling . You are scooting and inch-worming and rolling where you want to go. Usually, that means that there is something across the room that you are not supposed to have…that always makes you move at light speed. Your favorite thing to go for is electrical cords. I have to keep them up and out of the way or behind furniture. 

- You have 4 teeth and you look very grown up with them. I think you are getting more because we haven’t slept well in this house for 2 months. You wake up crying a lot and I know you’re hurting. It makes me sad.

- You are a crazy bather lately. You want to crawl around and reach for things that are not in your bathtub. We need to get you a bath seat for the big tub because you are just too squirmy for that little tub. You love the water. I think you will like swimming some day.

*Update: We went to Marmee and Grandad's a few days before Thanksgiving. You spit up in your tub one night, so your daddy let you sit in the regular tub. You LOVED it. So the baby tub is out and bathing free is in!*

- We took you to the dr. last week because of a lingering cold/congestion and some tummy troubles. The dr. was concerned that you might not be digesting milk very well, so she switched you to soy formula for a month. I was very worried that you would not like it since it smells and tastes different. But, I should have known, you didn’t even bat an eye.

- You have started giving kisses this month. For awhile, you would just open your mouth and slobber all over me a million times. But how could I not let you kiss me?! Then, I guess you started associating kissing with my kissing you on the forehead, so you started just butting me with your forehead every time I asked for a kiss. Now you’ve figured it out. I could just get kisses from you all day. It’s so precious.

- You are definitely more independent these days. You will hold your own bottle and get your puffs. You’ve also had some “real” food. Tonight, we ate a little cracker together. You love when I put an orange slice in your teether so that you can eat the juice. If we can just get your tummy troubles worked out, I think you will love food!

- You had your first Halloween this month. You were a strawberry. Everyone loved your sweet costume. We went to the church fall festival and we also went trick-or-treating on the square. You loved watching all the people.

- We took you to a pumpkin patch at a local church for some pictures. It was a great little outing for us. You loved the pumpkins…you wanted to kiss them over and over. But they were dirty, so I put a stop to that. 

- You say lots of “words” now. You say “Dada”, “Mama”, “baba”, and sometimes (if you’re feeling generous) you’ll even say “Uh-oh” if we say it first. I also think that you say “Hi” or “Hey” after we do, but I can’t tell if it’s on purpose. You will also shake your head when we say "No-no-no". (This is both cute and probably bad...ha!)

- You are starting to wave at people, but we can’t get you to do it when we want. Ha! You just wave whenever you feel like it.  Usually, this is when we’re in a big crowd and there are lots of people to impress.

- When you get very excited, you kick and squirm just like you’re a swimming frog. We call it “swimming” – so I guess you’re ready for the pool! Ha!

- Everyone loves you so much. We can’t go anywhere without someone wanting to see you and compliment us on how sweet you are. Your Marmee and Grandad came for a visit last week, and when Marmee and I took you shopping, we couldn’t get out of a store without being stopped by someone wanting to talk to you. I always just smile and say “thank you”, but really I’m thinking how much I agree with every word. 

- You are in love with the dogs, especially Remus. You love to be in your bouncer when he is inside. Then you can reach out and pet his ears. He will sniff your face and you just go crazy with excitement. He is so patient with you, and, unlike Darsee, he doesn’t lick you. So it works out great.

The next time I write an update, it will almost be Christmas! Oh my goodness, you are changing and growing every single day. We went to the NWA Boutique Show tonight and I saw a sign that I told your ReeRee was so true. It said, “A child fills a place in your heart that you didn’t even know was empty.” Elysen Ashleigh, this is so true. You may not sleep well and you may get fussy sometimes, but I just love you more every single day. My heart is so full because you are in my life. 

Family photo at the pumpkin patch!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

A fall dish

This week, it has been very chilly around here. In fact, yesterday we tied the record low for this time of year. Our nights are in the 20s!
In honor of fall, last night, I threw some things together into a soup/stew and we LOVED it! The thing we both liked the most is that the sweet potatoes added a richness to the dish. And we also loved that was could eat as much as we wanted - very healthy! So I decided to write this down so that I don't forget it!

Chicken/Sweet potato stew

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 large sweet potato
1/4 cup brown rice
1-2 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion flakes
1- 1 1/2 Tbs Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes


Cut the chicken into cubes and brown in 1 Tbs of butter or oil. Chop the onion and add to the pot. Cook until clear. Chop and add garlic. Cut the sweet potato into cubes (relatively same size as the chicken). Add to the pot. Then add the spices and the rice (uncooked). Add the broth and tomatoes and stew on low for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.

This soup is very thick - really a stew. To make it more soupy, add an extra 14 oz or 28 oz can of tomatoes.

Makes 4 servings.

Happy Fall!

8 months

Sweet girl, you are 8 months old! We can tell that you are getting big because you are so much more involved with everything in our house.

Weight: Not sure, but it is getting much harder to carry you in your carrier....what a workout!

Height: Not sure on this one either

Sizes: You are wearing a size 3 diaper. You seem to be sort of in between sizes right now. Many of your clothes are 6 month, but they are getting a little snug. You are wearing all 9 month pjs, so I know that it won't be long until you are wearing mostly 9 month clothes. I laugh every time I put you in a onesie and pants because you can wear 9 month onesies, but your 3 month pants still fit! Ha! You are such a short girl - just like your mommy.

What you're up to:

There's so much to write this month! You have gotten so busy.

- You love to stand in your jumper chair/exersaucer. You push the buttons and "dance" (bounce up and down) when the music comes on.

- You love to sit on the floor in the middle of your toys and play to your heart's content. You never want one toy for more than 2 minutes, so you lean and grab another one.

- You must have gone through a growth spurt this month because you've been waking up occasionally in the middle of the night and you've been eating us out of house and home! I mixed your rice cereal with some banana-flavored oatmeal and you really like it. So you have oatmeal every day at least twice or 3 times along with some baby food. Your favorites are anything with apples or anything with bananas. We also started eating meat this month....gross. It's hard for me to feed it to you because it grosses me out!

- You also started eating puffs this month. I knew you were ready, so I bought some. The first time I gave them to you, you made such a funny face because of the texture, but I could tell you liked them. The next day, I put 3 of them on your high chair tray to entertain you for a bit, and when I turned around, you were picking one up between your thumb and finger. Then, you put it into your mouth and ate it! So now there are puffs everywhere - stuck to you, stuck to your jump seat, in the bottom of the high chair, in your pack and play....I keep finding them! You put them in your fist and then hold onto them forever!
(P.S. - If you look closely at the 8 month picture above, you'll see a puff in your hand. It was the only way I could get you to stop trying to crumple the sign!)

- We had a special treat this month. You and I got to go and help Aunt Sarah pick out her wedding dress! She tried on a lot of different ones and we found just what she was looking for! Baby Manning came with Mrs. Martin. It was so crazy how small she felt when I picked her up! I can't believe you used to be so small.

- You went camping for the first time this past weekend. We went to Texas for our annual Burkhart family campout. You had a great time being outside, watching the dogs run around, and, of course, playing with your Marmee, Grandad, Aunt Allison, Uncle JB, and Aunt Ashley. Sadly, the night was not fun for any of us. You were up constantly from being cold or from your stuffy nose. Your Daddy and I got VERY little sleep. But you were sweet and slept great last night so that we could all catch up. I know you must have been so worn out because today you fell asleep on the way to Ms. Amanda's house.

- You are about to be on the move! You aren't crawling yet (and I am just fine with you taking your time), but you are rolling all over the place to get where you want to be. You roll back and forth until you make it to your destination. It cracks me up. If I take my eyes off of you for 10 minutes, you are on the other side of the room!

Camping picture with Aunt Allison

- This last week, you have started to give "kisses" on my mouth and chin and nose. Who knew I would ever end up so slobbery on purpose???

Bottle time with Uncle JB

- You definitely have developed an attitude/temper. If something you want doesn't happen just the way you like, you throw such a fit. But I think you are starting to realize that you don't always get your way because you will scream for a minute and then stop when no one is doing what you want. You actually stomped your foot at me the other day....yikes.

I took away the "8 month" sign...big mistake

- You are starting to say some "words", even though you don't know what they mean. You say "da-da" most often and you love it when we say it back to you. You also have been saying "ba-ba" for awhile. Just this week I heard you say "ma-ma" more clearly than you have before. We are working on associating those sounds with actual things.

You sure do love your daddy!

     One of my favorite parts of the day is when I get to pick you up from Mrs. Amanda's house. She comes to the door with you and you practically jump out of her arms to get to me. You do this a lot when you're excited. We call it your "swimming" because you look like a little frog kicking and moving your arms. People at church think it's the most precious thing ever. 

     Part of me is sad when I see that you're getting big, but mostly, I'm just overjoyed when I watch you learn and grow. I love seeing each thing that you can do, and I especially love that I can tell how much you love me. 

     You are just too wonderful. We love you so very much, Elysen Ashleigh.  

How God Uses Technology

      Last week, Steve Jobs passed away from a long battle with cancer. Though I never knew him personally, of course, I was sad when I heard the news. I was sad because it's heartbreaking to see a technological genius leave the earth.
      In that same vein, I had a moment tonight where I was extremely grateful for technology and for the MacBook (see Steve Jobs above) on which I am currently writing this blog post.
Isn't technology amazing? I am able to keep journal/blog entries and pictures and videos somewhere in some outer space, internet storage place....and that's amazing. I can use Facebook to keep up with friends and acquaintances - then when I see them in person, I can tell them congratulations on their new job, or how cute that last birthday party was, or how beautifully their new house is decorated. Strange. And yet, I love it when people tell me that they keep up with us through technology.
      Tonight, God used technology in a way that He has used it many times for me - as a method of conviction. Elysen had a pile of dirty clothes (drool, drool, and more drool), and a pair of poopy pjs that needed hand-washing before I put them in the laundry. Gag. I was sitting on the floor looking at the computer when I should have been doing the laundry. As I surfed around, I came upon the blog of a friend of a friend whose 4 year old daughter just finished her 4th round of chemo. As I looked at the pictures and videos, I heard the small voice of this girl. Her voice sounded just like all little girls' voices - sweet and timid - just the way that I know Elysen's will sound in a few years. Only this girl's voice was full of pain, even though she is healing and overcoming her cancer. She is definitely having to fight.
      And with that, I closed my computer and went to wash out poopy clothes - 100% grateful for the fact that I have a baby girl to dirty those clothes. But before the laundry, I took a short detour to the nursery where I watched her sleep for a few minutes.
      Thank you, Lord for reminding me that my complaints are so very small. How can I complain when I am overwhelmingly blessed?

Our afternoon conversation...

Elysen is getting so big. She almost sounds like she's really talking these days....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k3B4BQPiDU

7 months

Elysen, my sweet girl, you are 7 months old today! You are my big girl!

Weight: Probably about 16 lbs. You were about that much 2 weeks ago at your 6 month appointment.

Height: Not sure

Sizes: You are still wearing a size 2 diaper. You are mostly in 6 month clothes now. But, you still have some 3-6 month pjs that fit you. I had a funny experience last week. It's been so hot here all summer that you've mostly been wearing little sandals or going barefoot. Well, it suddenly got cool here and I went to put your socks on and they were too small! You still had a couple of pairs that fit - but even those were snug. So last Sunday I ran to Target after church and got you some socks. Good thing, too, because it's been pretty chilly and you needed them! I guess sometimes I forget that you're growing fast!

Wearing your new outfit from Marmee.

What you're up to:

- Well, you have been a busy girl this month. You are very good at sitting up now. I still put pillows behind you or sit beside you because you love to try to get all the toys that are just out of your reach. Then you fall over - sometimes very quickly. You love sitting because you can see things and reach lots of things. If you do fall over, you get mad because you love sitting up.

- You love to make noises with your mouth. You blow bubbles and growl and gurgle all the time. And you talk to us a lot too. You don't talk a lot when you're around other people, but you are getting more vocal. I can't tell if you're going to be a talker or a quiet observer.

- As of 5 days ago - you have a tooth! Actually, you have 2 but one hasn't quite broken through yet. The one that's out is so sharp! You were chewing my finger today and it actually hurt me at one point! I knew it was time to find other things for you to chew on. I got you Sophie the giraffe and a Nuby ring. You like them both, but that ring is the BEST! It must feel really good on your gums because you get mad when we take it away.
*Update: As of September 20, you have BOTH of your bottom front teeth! Oh my!*

- On that same note, your sleeping has been very touch-and-go this month. You'll have several bad nights, then a few good ones where you sleep all night, then you're up again for hours at a time at 2 a.m. After your bad nights you are so worn out during the day. One day this week, you had a really rough night, and you woke up at 7:30 even though you'd been up from 2 until 3:30. I knew you had to be exhausted - and I certainly was too (and your daddy was, but he had to go to work). I went to get you from your crib when you cried and the minute I had you, you just lay your head on my shoulder. By the time I walked to the other end of the house, you were sound asleep - seriously, you were snoring. So I put you on Daddy's side of the bed (with pillows to keep you away from the edge) and I got back in on my side. And we took a nice little nap until I had to get ready for work an hour later. It was so sweet.

- You are eating less often now. We try to do solids at least once every day - depending on how you're feeling. The food can contribute to the tummy troubles that teething gives you, so sometimes we skip it.  You do love your food. I can see you thinking about the new flavor and deciding whether you like it. I'm excited for you to get to eat real food in several months.

- Your Marmee and Grandad came to visit us a few weeks ago over Labor Day weekend. Your Marmee was in heaven. She kissed you and rocked you and hugged you so much. I know that she didn't want to go home. The only bad part of their visit was that you woke up one night screaming at the top of your lungs and we couldn't get you to settle down. The best I can figure - you had a night terror. You wouldn't even open your eyes. So we learned that you have to get your rest or else you have bad dreams.

Something I've been noticing is that the more I know you, the more I love you. When you were born, I didn't think it was possible to love you any more than I did on that day. I was so wrong. Every time you smile at me or laugh at your daddy, every time I snuggle with you, every time I watch you learn about a toy or book, every time I watch you giggle at Darsee and Remus, well, let's be honest, every time I look at you I love you so much more than I did the day before! It's amazing how full my heart can feel.

10 years later...

10 years ago today...
    - I was in my freshman year at OBU, in fact, I'd been there for less than a month.
    - I had never been so far away from my family for such an extended period of time.
    - I was looking forward and excited about my future.
    - My best friends were spread across the U.S. Some were back in Texas, Lindsay was in VA,
       Angela was in Fayetteville, AR (ironically).
    - I was just learning to really depend on God to help me through the loneliness that comes when you
       you move away from all that you've ever known.
    - I had never met David...he was attending the U of A and working at Arvest...in fact, I'd never been
       to NW Arkansas at all.

    On that morning, I was in Dr. Auffenberg's World Civilizations class. The first tower had already been hit, but I had no idea - I had just rolled out of bed and rushed to make it to class on time. A student aide who worked in the history department came into our class as Dr. A was informing us about the first tower, and told the professor that the second tower had been hit by a plane - it was clear this was no accident.
     I remember feeling very confused. Dr. A told us that he felt sick. He said, "I can't hold class like this - not with this going on." He told us to go back to our rooms. That was when I knew it was more serious than my initial impression.
     We had chapel that day, and no classes for the rest of the afternoon. I spent my day in the dorm, watching the footage on the news over and over again. I called my mom, and I cried. I felt like a world separated me from my family - even though we were only a 3 1/2 hour drive apart. Lesley and I talked about the future - "What if there's a war?" "What if there's a DRAFT?" "What about the husbands we'd been hoping to find here at college? Would they leave to fight this new enemy?" Even though we never said it, I think all of us realized the innocence and sense of security that our nation had lost.

10 years later....I sat outside tonight with Elysen and David. I told him how amazing it is to me that someday, Elysen will say to me, "Mom, I can't believe there was ever a time you could walk with a person to their departure gate at the airport!"

     I sat in church this morning and cried as we listened to the song "There is Hope" by Dave Pettigrew. I teared up all week as I read the articles and watched the tv specials remembering the fallen. As I sat there tonight, I wondered why it makes me so emotional. I didn't lose anyone personally on that day. I didn't know any of the firemen who died. I didn't even know anyone who lived in NY at the time. But as I sat and thought, I realized that the sadness I feel every time we reach the anniversary of 9/11 comes partially from the loss our country experienced, but mostly, it comes from the glaring reality that the world we live in is full of evil and full of sin.

     There are wonderful things in this world that I have experienced over the past 10 years. I married a man who treats me far better than I deserve. I have a precious girl who tugs at my heart each and every time I look at her. My family is healthy, and I've gained a 2 brothers-in-law, 2 sisters-in-law, and a mother and father-in-law! I have so much to be thankful for. But in the midst of it all, we still have terrorists, and murder, and sin. Every year on September 11th, I remember that we are not long for this world, and that while we are here on an earth where Satan can influence people to commit such atrocities, the only way we can have hope is to look to Jesus.

     In a way, that is what I will always remember about this day: the feeling of lostness, and of desperation, and above all, the feeling that there is only One who will always, always be our hope.