To play catch-up

Our dear son is now 2 months old. So much has happened over these past two months--half of which Hurricane Ike has claimed!

Michael David,

You are now showing your personality more than ever. We have an opinionated and strong-willed child--you are the type of child who will cling firmly to your faith and principles when you are older despite opposition. :) You have discovered your hands and occasionally suck on them when desperate for food...however, they only satisfy for minutes. You no longer cry bloody murder at your baths (although we are far from really enjoying them), but you still scream your head off in the afternoon and evening when I change your diapers. (you are far more patient in the morning) You are a very strong little boy! You have been holding your neck up from day one but now you are in control enough to lie on your playmat or my tummy and raise your head, turn it from side to side, and generally look adorable! You are also quite capable of flipping yourself over from front to back (and once the other way round)--which we discovered as early as two weeks. You now do it as a general rule when you are angry that I put you down to nap (sorry, doctors. I do put you on your tummy--we fought and fought to get you to sleep on your back and gave up for a better rested baby). You also can scoot yourself halfway across your crib or the floor when you desire to. Will you be crawling by three months? :) You have quite a set of lungs! And even more amazingly--you can use them for 1, 2, 3 hours at a time! We have decided with those lungs and the barrel chest/slim legs combination, you are destined to be a swimmer. What a sweet smile you have! You have two high dimples next to your mouth. You have begun smiling in response (particularly to your mommy)--most noticeably in the morning when you are cheerful and well rested. The minute I pull out the camera, however, you get serious and focused on the camera. You are even cooing occasionally. After the Hurricane was over and the power came back on, I put you to sleep again in the study (we all get better sleep). I started putting you to sleep earlier and found that you slept as long as before. From about 6 weeks on you have only been waking (normally) once at night around 2:30 or 3:00. However, you have slept through the night the past 4 nights! 9 weeks and very advanced! I suppose all this sleep at night is the problem we have with getting you to nap during the day. Cat-naps of 30 minutes or less is all we seem to get you to take most days. Or should I call them "power" naps? You do not much care for your baby amusements (bouncy seat, swing, playmat, car seat, etc...) unless you are in a decent mood already. You love to sit upright on people's laps. You love to be carried around in the Baby Bjorn. You are definitely a people person! You are constantly alert and very interested in new sights and sounds. Many of your 0-3 month outfits are now outgrown lengthwise. You are now wearing size 1 diapers (and not leaking either). You are putting on weight but more slowly than before. When I weighed you this morning, you are now 11.4 pounds! You will have one buff Mama when this is all over. You love your walks. We have taken them come rain and shine--normally about 3 miles of new sights several times a week. You love being outside... I can't wait to see what else you love in the upcoming months. You are such a blessing! A true gift from the Lord that has brought so much joy! Love, Us

We still have not come up with a fitting nickname for our son. Any suggestions? (Forms of Michael and David are out)

And the photos? trying to play catch-up with the cutest ones from the last 6 weeks.

I look just like my Daddy! (we both can stick out our tongues) I don't know about Daddy's scratchy beard! Hmm.... I found my thumb (but not in the way you would expect) Stretch those arms (love the little red face while stretching!) All grown up I hold my head up really well! to all the Trekkies--the latest in sci-fi pacifiers Oops...falling asleep on Mommy's chest gives me more than a good rest With Grandma Just chillin' out (in an adorable outfit thanks to Aunt Sarah) So peacefully sleeping... ...after starting on the other side of the crib (where the pacifier is) and an hour of crying at the top of my lungs! Combining two undesirable tasks~ bathtime and diaper changing Showing off my lungs

See...I DO smile!

Extreme Makeover

Have any of you ever done a complete clean-up only to realize that nothing looks any different? I undertook to arrange, throw out, and sort my important papers (several drawers in the kitchen and a cabinet in the study as well as our very large 4 drawer lateral filing cabinet) It took 4 days to go through (true, it was in between feeding a baby), and yet when I was done, I remembered how unrewarding it is...

Here is the study before.

Here is the study after. (oh, yes-- I did move the two photo albums--or did you even notice that?)

Notice: while I am far more organized, I have nothing obvious to show for it. What guest opens drawers and cabinets? How disappointing it feels. Can anyone else relate?

I guess I will have to go rearrange my family room.

...and to those in Sunday school who saw our three prayer requests last week, please keep praying. Michael is still fighting a cold. (he was home sleeping most of today) and now little MD is sick. The power has been off intermittently still (we are going on 4 days with solid power though! Woohoo!) And we are still having some feeding issues with MD. Please pray in this last request that I have wisdom to know how to continue after talking to the pediatrician on the 23rd...that God make it abundantly clear!

Not a single day without complete reliance

I have been mulling over my friend Mary's blog (Pray Without Ceasing) since the subject was fresh on my mind even when she wrote it. I was discussing this with close friends several months ago. The five years Michael and I prayed, cried and sought the Lord for a child were as wonderful as they were difficult. It was a time of spiritual growth like no other in my life. It was a time that I realized my complete reliance on the Lord. This was a circumstance that I could have absolutely no control over. When we discovered we were pregnant last year, along with my overwhelming joy, I felt a bit of a valley experience too. Had I not been living on a mountaintop in my relationship with the Lord over the past 5 years? A place where I had to completely rely on Him from day to day for emotional strength? I was so aware of His faithfulness--and His promise to me of a child one day. When that promise was fulfilled, I struggled to recapture the same feeling of complete dependence on Him. I wanted to know what He was going to do in my life next. My wise friends encouraged me to see the time of my smooth pregnancy as God's gift of rest...

Well, God knows that once again I need a constant reminder of my complete reliance on Him. Ever since little MD was born, there has been one source of stress/uncontrollable circumstance after another. The first week was a struggle to get the nursing down. Then, came the uncontrollable crying of my baby. Next, Hurricane Ike and loss of power for 2+ weeks. Should it be any wonder then that I am now struggling again with MD's feedings? God has brought me to my knees before Him many multiple times a day. Right where I should be. Pray without ceasing--can I do any less? I may not have longed for the stressful circumstances of the past weeks, but I am thankful to be jostled out of any complacency and brought back to that intimate relationship I embrace when times are tough.

Powerless when powerless

Cleaning up, putting away the generator, and generally having A/C does make the "powerless" hour on Monday and the 3 hours of no power today a difficult thing to handle. Somehow, you feel like life is back to "normal" and then a day like today reminds you not to take it for granted and how many other people are still a long way from normal.

It's easy to see the humor now...

After 15 days of life with no power and A/C (and yes, here in Houston it was still in the 90s), we did finally have our power restored. And for those who think you never could have done this, it does get easier over time; a routine is established and emotions settle down to prepare for the long-haul.

I received these humorous tidbits via email during the hurricane...but while they produced a wry smile before, they are far easier to laugh at now.

Procedures Concerning Storm and Office Closings:

• Hurricane Category #1: No excuse for being late. Leave earlier to give extra time to avoid fallen trees and limbs.
• Hurricane Category #2: Due to the horizontal rain, you may wear jeans. Requests for use of sick days will be treated suspiciously.
• Hurricane Category #3: Whereas most of the area will be flooded, we suggest you avoid wearing open toe sandals when coming to work. Canoes will be provided to get to the building safely without getting wet.
• Hurricane Category #4: More than likely there will be no electricity. Given that, we will have manual typewriters available to all staff members. Please take extra caution and wear water-proof make-up if Category 4 or above.
• Hurricane Category #5: Velcro will be provided to keep you attached to your chairs when the windows blow out. For those that survive, we will have chocolate cake at 3 p.m. in the kitchen.

&

Lessons I Learned During and After the Hurricane

• No matter how many times you flick the switch, lights don't work without electricity.
• Vienna sausages only appear on the food pyramid during hurricane season.
• Gas mileage is recalculated based on miles per fume.
• Lovebugs do not disappear in 80mph wind gusts. (I wish I could have tested this one)
• There are/were a lot of really big trees around here!
• People will get into a line that has already formed without having any idea what the line is for.
• Telemarketers function no matter what the weather is doing. New Delhi does not check the weather report in Houston. (I had never thought of this one before!)
• Babies can increase their volume to overcome the sound of 14 generators.
• Dirty clothes in an unsupervised hamper multiply at an exponential rate.
• Coffee, spaghetti and frozen pizzas can be made on a grill.
• If you owned a store that sold only ice, chain saws, gas and generators, you would be rich

&

You know you’re from the Gulf Coast when…

(we are so blessed that many of these do not apply to us, but after this hurricane, I can really understand the dry humor)

• You have FEMA’s number on your speed dialer
• You have more than 300 ‘C’ and ‘D’ batteries in your kitchen drawer
• Your pantry contains more than 20 cans of Spaghetti O’s
• You are thinking of repainting your house to match the plywood covering your windows
• When describing your gutted house to a prospective buyer, you say it has three bedrooms, two baths and an open air feel to it
• You are on a first-name basis with the cashier at Home Depot
• You are delighted to pay $3.50 for a gallon of regular unleaded
• The road leading to your house has been declared a No-Wake Zone
• You decide that your patio furniture looks better on the bottom of the pool
• You own more than three large coolers
• You have 2-liter coke bottles and milk jugs filled with water in your freezer
• Three months ago you couldn’t hang a shower curtain; today you can assemble a portable generator by candlelight
• You can recite from memory whole portions of your homeowner’s insurance policy
• You have had tuna fish more than 5 days in a row
• You can rattle off the names of three or more meteorologists who work at the Weather Channel
• Someone comes to your door to tell you they found your roof
• Ice is a valid topic of conversation
• Your drive-thru meal consists of MRE’s and bottled water
• Relocating to South Dakota does not seem like such a crazy idea
• A battery powered TV is considered a home entertainment center
• You don’t worry about relatives wanting to visit during the summer
• Your child’s first words are hunker down and you didn’t go to Ole Miss!
• Having a tree in your living room does not necessarily mean it’s Christmas
• Your kids start school in August and finish in July
• You go to work early and stay late just to enjoy the air conditioning
• Your garage (and you) smell like gasoline
• You're more concerned about someone stealing your generator then your car
• You get excited when you see a utility truck in your neighborhood
• You can create memorable meals with a can of SPAM and one gas burner

Life in the Slow Lane

We are on Day 7 of no electricity (half of that we had no home phone, no internet, and no cell network coverage…how isolated it felt!). A week ago I would not have known I could make it this long with no power and a newborn. Thank you Lord for strength each day to face a new day.

As I was reading in my quiet time the day after Ike hit, these verses popped out at me.

Ephesians 5:8, 14, 20

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light…Therefore He says: ‘ Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.’ …giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

First, I realized how important light is to me. For those who have ever been without power for any extended period of time, you may be able to relate. Every afternoon around 5ish, I have found myself starting to get depressed. I know that a long evening (without light) is ahead of me. One evening while running the generator, someone in the other room had a light hooked up. I could only see the shallowest rays in my room, but the minute the generator turned off (and thus the light) I found my spirits plunging…Therefore, when I read Ephesians 5:8 and 14, I was so encouraged that in the midst of this time Christ will give me light…even if only in my spirit. He is light!

The latter verse (v. 20) was also an excellent reminder to me that I needed to refocus my thoughts and choose to dwell on the positives and thank the Lord for all of them rather than my current negative circumstances. We have so much to be thankful for:

• Most importantly, our whole family is safe and sound
• No major damage to our house
• We still have water—and hot water
• Our phone lines came back on again (a week earlier than the repairmen predicted)
• I am not pregnant and awaiting delivery still
• The cool weather!!!
• Windows that open
• All the money we are saving on electricity this month
• Living close enough to be able to walk to the grocery store
• A grocery store that is open despite running on a generator
• My parent’s forethought and generosity to get a generator
• God providing one of the last generators in Houston (literally tried 11 different places before finding this one at Sear’s, and there were only 6 or 7 more that were to arrive on a shipment later on Thursday…not even in stock when my dad bought it)
• A few open gas stations in our area
• A nice stroller to be able to walk the baby with—even through one foot water
• The receding of the bayou waters near our house (and NO flooding)
• A grill to cook meals on
• A sideburner on the grill (which we did not even want when purchasing)
• The Ike diet is helping me lose the extra baby weight I have still
• Friends who have offered W/D, A/C, gas, etc…

What have we been doing with our time without power? Life in the slow lane…

• Jigsaw puzzles while comforting a crying baby
• Lots of reading while comforting a crying baby
• Playing bridge with my parents while comforting a crying baby
• Creatively preparing meals without the stove and oven while comforting a crying baby
• Taking many very long walks while enjoying the quiet of a peaceful baby! 

And where are we now? Waiting an indefinite period of time (some have said as long as another 1-2 weeks) to regain our power. God will have to continue to provide the strength each day for one day at a time.

Any excuse for a party

In our family, we try to find any excuse for a party...especially a birthday party (it is not unheard of to have celebrated the same birthday 3-4 days in a row!) However, at this time of year, we do not need any excuses. We hardly have time to finish one cake before starting on the next one. It all began with my new niece, Cana Elisabeth Brown. She was due the same day as Michael David. I even thought there might be a chance to have the babies the same day when my sister-in-law was late having Cana. However, we all know my story. I was even later! Cana was born August 6th. Just a week later, our little Michael David celebrates his birthday! MD's tardiness, actually left us with just one week until my brother Andrew's birthday. We get an 8 day break then before partying with my Dad. Are you getting tired yet? Can't afford to... The next party is just 5 days later as we celebrate my mom's birthday. My sister's birthday (yesterday) is the last to round out this long string (at least for 3 weeks) of parties as we celebrate her big day only 5 days after my mom's. This is a whole month of birthdays back to back to back.

...cake after cake after cake. Next year, I had better go on a diet for the month of July. :)