Really?

This has nothing to do with Mr. Mister...just an observation on life and how people sometimes seem to be in their own world.

#1 - We've all seen (and maybe have been) that person on their cell phone going through a checkout line in the store, pausing their important conversation to make the obligatory "thanks" or other such comments to the cashier. But, have you ever seen the customer AND the cashier on the phone at the same time? I was going through the line at the grocery store the other day and the girl who was scanning my groceries was on the phone the whole time, filling her friend in on the weekend's latest gossip. I was shocked! Then, the guy behind me came through, also on his cell phone, and they carried on the checking out business, both engrossed in their own conversations, as if nothing were out of the ordinary. Is this what our world is coming to?

#2 - Today I pulled into a parking spot in Target as I arrived to meet my sister there for our play date. We shopped, the boys played, we killed two birds with one stone. Anyway, it was 10:30 in the morning, so the parking lot was far from crowded. I pulled into a spot that had no cars on either side, which makes it a lot easier to get Mr. Mister and all of his belongings out of the car. Just as I put the car in park, a lady pulls into the spot RIGHT NEXT TO ME. Out of all the open spots in the lot. And not only that, but she parks completely crooked and right on the yellow line. I thought for sure she would fix it. But no, I watched as she got out of her car and walked into the store. So I squeezed out of my door and got Mr. Mister out from the other side, hoping that that woman was enjoying that little world of hers.

New Tricks

Mr. Mister is learning so many new things these days. I guess he's just at that stage of life where everything is so new. Most recently...

- He pushes himself up on his hands and knees! He wants to crawl and I can see him trying to figure out how to get to the toy in front of him as he is on his hands and knees. He tries to move his legs, but can't quite get it yet. I'm sure it won't be long. He does slide himself backwards a lot, which frustrates him because he wants to go forward.

- His first love is still standing and walking, which is why I'm excited that he's starting to crawl. We thought he may walk first, but plenty of people have reminded us that it's developmentally beneficial for babies to crawl before they walk. Anyway, he loves to hold our hands and walk. He has the whole one foot in front of the other idea down, but he still lacks some trunk control so he's a little wobbly. That doesn't bother him, though...he smiles and laughs the whole time he is walking.

- He waves bye-bye! It's so cute...his whole arm goes up and down.

- He is eating more and more big boy foods...most recently he added Cheerios, cheese, yogurt, bread, and crackers to his menu. He LOVES food and gets very impatient if I don't feed him fast enough.

- His top two teeth are coming in, joining the bottom two for four good looking, although somewhat crooked, teeth. Every time he sticks his thumb in his mouth, we can see the orthodontist bills coming. But it's really cute and really convenient so we'll just cross that bridge when we come to it.

Mr. Mister Meets Crystal Light

We had some friends over for lunch today after church. After I made some Crystal Light, my friend was holding Mr. Mister and the empty container that the drink mix came in. Or at least we thought it was empty. After letting Mr. Mister play with the container, we looked over to see this.....



















So don't worry, it's not blood...just his first encounter with Crystal Light. And thankfully, it's almost all washed off.

Pittsburgh

We took a trip to Pittsburgh this past weekend to surprise Mr. Mister's grandma for her birthday. When we arrived late Friday night, Grandma came to the door to find Mr. Mister sitting in his car seat next to a birthday cake (we hid around the corner). She was definitely surprised and very excited to see us (mostly him, I think!).

We had a fun weekend with the family there as we enjoyed some good time at the lake, hanging out, fishing, and playing outside. Here are some pictures:

1. The view from their deck

2. Mr. Mister with Grandpa and Daddy

3. Mr. Mister on the quad...I'm sure it won't be long!

4. Mr. Mister with the birthday girl

Called Home

Thanks to everyone who prayed for Meredith this past weekend. I wanted to update you and let you know that she passed away this morning. From the posts her family has been writing on her blog, it sounds like the Lord's peace has been overwhelmingly with them these past few days. The joy with which they have spoken, even this morning as they shared such difficult news, is amazing. They are celebrating Meredith's arrival Home and they rejoice that she is finally healed and whole. If you have a minute, click here to read what they wrote this morning.


I guess the Lord healed her a little differently than we had all prayed for, but in the purest way possible. Following Meredith's journey, especially in the recent weeks, has reminded me that this life is not all there is, nor is it what we were ultimately created for. It has encouraged me to live life fully, loving people, knowing that I am not invincible and that none of us are promised tomorrow. And mostly, it has reminded me that God is good and He is faithful, even in the most challenging times of life...


"Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulneness.
I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD."
~Lamentations 3:21-26

A Call to Prayer

My mom has been praying for a girl named Meredith Rankin for the past two years. Meredith is the daughter of my mom's friend and was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 24, one month before her wedding. Through her blog, many people have followed her journey, which as been filled with ups and downs. The amazing part of it all is the faith that her family has. They have never lost hope in the Lord's goodness, even in the face of incredible difficulty. They have been praying and believing for a miracle of healing and have continually praised God for the small miracles they have seen along the way.

This week, the doctor informed them that Meredith's liver is failing. Chemo has been stopped and Hospice has been called. They have given Meredith a few weeks, at the most, to live. And still, her family is not giving up.

From midnight this Friday to midnight Saturday, they have asked people to pray and fast for Meredith's healing. They asked people to sign up for 1 hour time slots and to pray that entire hour, hoping that at least 24 people would sign up. I think at this point every time slot has been doubled, if not tripled, with people committing to prayer. People are praying at 1, 2, 3 am. I was blown away to see people's response and to see their faith as they believe in the Lord's power to heal

Here is the link to her blog. Please check it out and if you feel led to do so, pray for Meredith. You don't have to commit to a whole hour, but please pray for her. I have cried many times reading her blog....she is young, newly married...not much different than me. And yet her hope in the Lord as her Rock as she faces a prognosis of weeks to live is far beyond what I think my reaction could ever be. It's a somber reminder of the fragility of life, but a powerful reminder of the hope we have only in Jesus, who died so we could live...here and for eternity.

The Zoo

We were given a very fun gift for (early) Mother's and Father's day - a year long family pass to the zoo! We went today for the first time. It was a gorgeous 70 degree, sunny day and Daddy was home so we got to go as a family. I'm not sure Mr. Mister really knew what he was looking at, but he lasted 3 hours, which we were happy about. That's the nice part about a season pass...we didn't feel like we had to stay all day just to make it worth the price. While we were there I also realized that the zoo is where all the mom's in Cincinnati go. It was all moms with strollers. I felt right at home.

They also have a flower display for a couple weeks ...here are some pics.

Only In America

I'm on multiple lists for market research companies, but I never qualify for any of their studies so I almost gave up and took my name off their lists. Until Friday when I made possibly the easiest money a person can make. I went to their research facility as a "floater," which meant that my job was to be there in case somone didn't show up for their scheduled appointment. But, since everyone did show up, I read Parenting magazine and checked my emails for an hour and a half and walked away with $85 in cash. Only in America.

Toys

How does Mr. Mister know the difference between his toys and real objects? And why are the real things always more fun than his toys? Examples...

He was sitting in the grocery cart while I was shopping. I brought his "Who Loves Baby" book that has pictures of our families and even used links to clip it to the cart so it wouldn't fall on the dirty floor. He loves that book and smiles every time he sees pictures of his grandparents. But it got pushed to the side in favor of trying to eat the handle of the shopping cart (I know, so gross. I forgot the cover again), grabbing my coupon holder, trying to take the shopping list out of my hand, etc. Why are those things so much more interesting than his fun book?

And when we sit on the floor and play, he is surrounded by brightly colored, fun sounding toys made just for babies like him. And he has fun playing with them. Until he sees my cell phone, our cordless phone, or the remote control. Then he drops whatever he's playing with to put those things in his mouth and he doesn't put them down until I take them. Grandma and Grandpa T bought him a plastic cell phone that flips open and dials and everything. Why is that not as interesting as the real thing? And how does he know that mine is real and his isn't? We decided that when he sees bright colors or hears fun noises, he knows it is meant to entertain him....he's figured us out.

On A Sunny Day

This is what we did on this warm, sunny afternoon. It was so nice to sit out in the front yard and play in the sun. Mr. Mister loved being outside and also enjoyed taking his hat off every time I put it on him and trying to eat grass.

A New Do

This weekend Mr. Mister got his first haircut (not counting time I had to cut his rat tail off). He did a great job sitting still as Daddy cut his hair...giving all those hair cuts in Mexico is paying off! At first we used the clippers on the bottom and sides and just used the scissors on top, but it ended up looking like a bad 80s haircut. So the next morning we used the clippers again on a higher setting and cut the top shorter. We ended up with quite a pile of hair afterwards, especially for such a little guy. So here are pictures of Mr. Mister's big boy hair cut...but you can also see his rolls, which I love and which remind me that he's still a baby!

Disclaimer

Just for the record, I had nothing to do with the bucket on Mr. Mister's head. I gave it to him to play with, but he is fully responsible for putting it on his own head!

On A Rainy Day

Here's what we did today on this rainy afternoon.
Mr. Mister found this new toy and loved putting it on his head, taking it off, and putting it back on.
Who knew a bucket could be so entertaining?

A New Wagon

Grandma and Grandpa T. bought Mr. Mister this wagon when they were in town last weekend. We can't wait for some warm weather so we can go for rides outside without bundling up!

Dedicated

This past Sunday was a big day for Mr. Mister - it was his baby dedication at church. We stood up front, along with a handful of other parents, to publicly declare our intentions of raising him up to know and follow Jesus. It was a very powerful time for us as a family as we acknowledged the fact that Mr. Mister belongs to God but has been given to us for this time to raise and teach and love. I love thinking about the fact that we have no idea what or who he'll grow up to be, what he'll like doing, what his talents will be...but God already knows those things and has specific purpose for his life.

The weekend was extra fun because both of our families were involved. The whole crew from Pittsburgh came in town for the weekend and all of my family who lives here was at church as well. At one point during the dedication, the extended families were invited up to pray for the babies. I got tears in my eyes seeing our families extending hands to pray for Mr. Mister. It was such a powerful beginning of his life.

Learning to Express Himself

The Baby Center update I received this week told me that at 7 months and 2 weeks, Mr. Mister is finding "new ways to demonstrate how he feels emotionally." Well, they sure got that right. Here are some not so highlights of his new ability to tell us how he feels:

1. Now that he can roll all over the place, the diaper change is not so fun. He wants to roll to his stomach, which makes it hard to change him so I have to pin him down and quickly put the diaper on. When I won't let him roll over, he starts crying, as if I've just pinched him. I think that means, "I'm not happy on my back." As soon as I sit him up, he's all smiles.

2. Yesterday when I gave him a piece of watermelon in the little mesh fruit feeder that allows him to eat pieces of fruit without choking on them, he LOVED it (an understatement, as he scarfed it down). When I took it from him to put another piece in, he started crying. Full out crying because I took his watermelon. We just laughed at him...it was actually pretty cute.

3. He's grown a little more accustomed to tummy time but his first love is standing. So if I try to put him on his tummy after he's already spent a while on the floor, he starts crying. Until I stand him up. Then he looks as if it's the happiest moment in his life...wide eyes, big smile, and rocking back and forth (his signature move).

4. The straw that broke the camel's back for me when it comes to handling his new emotional communication... Tonight, we went out for a family dinner with a gift card we still had from Christmas. Granted, we should have known better than to take Mr. Mister to this nice Italian restaurant, but we thought we might enjoy some good family time...just give him a toy or two, feed him a nice dinner of carrots and applesauce with a side of Gerber Puffs and we'd be good to go. That would have worked a month ago. Not so with Mr. Emotional Communicator. He squawked the whole time, letting the entire restaurant know that I wasn't feeding him fast enough or he was tired of sitting in the high chair or that he was getting sleepy or that his toy had fallen on the floor......most people smiled and commented that he was very cute. One man, however, suggested that next time we get a babysitter. Was that for his sake or ours?