Yummy in My Tummy

A quick word from Corban:

So I was playing on my mat the other day when Mommy picked me up and put a new thing around my neck- she said it was a bib to keep me clean. Then, she opened this bowl of green stuff and put it on my lips. It was SO strange. I didn't like it, but I had a couple of bites before I spit it all out. Then she gave me a cup with something else in it. I've NEVER had anything like this before! It's slippery and wet, like Mommy's milk, but it doesn't have any flavor and it's a little cold. I would have spit it out, too, but it feels good on my gums, and I like the new way to drink it... much more fun than my bottles. I actually get to hold onto it myself!

And now from Mommy's view: YES! It's true- Corban's eating solid foods. Per doctor's orders, we are doing homemade purees of veggies for now.. the rice we tried didn't do so well with his intestinal habits. :) But we've tried spinach (yuck!), green beans (more please!), squash (loved it!), zucchini (no thank you!) and sweet potatoe (oh yeah!). He's LOVING the solids and gets upset every time I take the spoon out of his mouth to re-load! Corban is also getting quite proficient with his sippy cup...

In honor of this momentous occasion, I've written a little "Ode to the Sippy." Please enjoy:

Sippy Cup, Sippy Cup, I love you

A great combination of orange and blue

You splish and you splash without any mess

Sippy Cup, Sippy Cup you are the best!

HOORAY for life!

I feel like it's been forever since I posted anything about everyday life... my time has been occupied with studying for the nursing boards. But now that it's over and I have my license (WOOHOO!), I'm back to the computer.

We just took our first family hiking trip to a little waterfall in Pasadena. Oh my- can I just say surreal? It was the wierdest thing- all I could think was that here we were hiking, only now I was the mom instead of the kid running around having fun and learning about the rocks, trees and bushes God made. Motherhood has definitely crept up on me, slowly but surely convincing me that yes, this is happening. :) Whoa (as Keanu Reeves would say).

One thing that struck me about this picture: were it not for their undeniably similar facial features, no one would guess that this is Dan's baby! He looks like a little German baby, or something! Who knew he's 1/4 Mexican?

Corban thought hiking was the best thing ever and spent the whole 1.5 miles just waving his arms, gasping and smiling with his mouth wide open!

On another note, can I just say that it's official: I'm twitterpated! I cannot go 10 minutes without telling this kid how cute, handsome, adorable, amazing and smart he is! Every move he makes, every breath he takes (sounds like a song...) is miraculous to me. I cannot even put it into words because I won't do the feeling justice. I can see now how so many moms get trapped into living solely for their children: they're irresistible! I pray every day, now harder than ever, that I will be able to surrender my boy to the Lord and allow Him to do what needs to be done in Corban's life. I can only imagine how hard it's gonna be to actually try and discipline this child- he's such a charmer, I envision myself melting away with one smile from his little face. :)

well, that's all for now... We'll be posting more milestones soon, I'm sure!

Election Day Thoughts

So I can't really take credit for everything I'm going to say. My husband is the thinker of our household, and throughout this election season has raised very thoughtful and (I think) right-on points about us as Christians and citizens of this country.
We do typically stay out of political debate/activity because as pastors, you just gotta be wise... and we don't think it's our place to tell anyone how they should vote.
BUT I've had this on my heart for a while, so here it goes:
We are first and foremost aliens and strangers in this world. We are citizens of the Kingdom, and we submit to the authority of the Most High before anything else. That said, Paul exhorts us in Romans to do good, live a good life as citizens of the land where we dwell. So we do have a responsibility in this nation to vote and participate in the political process.

What saddens me the most is that the battlefield is not the election. It is not the president or law that brings salvation. We say we believe we must win people to salvation, to spread the Gospel to the hurting and the lost, but we shout on street corners, yelling that we must protect our families, shelter our children.

Now before I get flooded with outraged comments let me clarify: we do need to support morality. My point is this: NO ONE WAS EVER SAVED AT THE BALLOT BOX. We could outlaw abortion tomorrow and guess what? Young women in every city would STILL be hurting, lost and turning to all the wrong things. Yes, abortion is horrifically wrong and I abhor that we allow it to become so commonplace. But as believers and citizens of the Kingdom, our FIRST responsibility is to reach out to the lost.

We are called to be salt and light. We are not called to shout slogans and slurs. We are called to be Jesus' hands and feet. We are called to love people. We are called to witness, so that they would KNOW the love of Christ.

No matter the outcome of this election, God sits on His throne. He is ultimately concerned with the hearts of people, and He has called us to be His instruments of grace and truth.

Well, I have no doubt that I'll probably be misunderstood in the heart of this post, but I sincerely hope that I was clear: I care about our nation, I really do. But I'm more and more convinced that the answer is not the polls. In fact, it couldn't be more wrong. The answer is us. Believers living lives that bring hope to a weary world. Christ-followers who actually follow Christ.
WE are the vessels of change, through the power of our Savior.

Just a Quick Note

Dan: "So at least I made the top 10."

Me: "What?"

Dan: "You know, on your blog. Your Favorite things? I made the top 10."

Me: "I didn't mean it in any particular order! I promise!"

Needless to say, at that point I was stuck, caught with my hand in the cookie jar. :) Not really, of course, but Dan took great delight in pestering me about my list. It is because of our little conversation that I must take this opportunity to ammend the list. I have officially re-ordered and placed my two men, Dan and Corban, at the top. This is not to say that the rest of the list is in any particular order, but as there aren't any other people who may be hurt by the typing of this list, I feel I am safe to leave it as is.

Of course, Dan should be warned: if at any time his standing should fall, it will have to be reflected by his position on the list!

Or maybe not...

My (totally honest) Musings on Motherhood

It's been 11 weeks now... 11 weeks of ups, down, sideways and criss-cross. One thing they don't tell you before the baby? Everything. Even with all the stories (make that HORROR stories) that a pregnant belly brings out, nothing I heard could have prepared me for the amazing challenge that began when he took his first breath. Never have I been so tired- college all-nighters have nothin' on a hungry baby. Never have I been so bewildered- "WHAT is WRONG with him??" And never have I been so fulfilled. Not that it was instant. I mean, let's be honest: the first few weeks are like the perfect storm, with just a few glints of sunshine breaking through the clouds. But each day gets clearer, and with every little sigh, the bond grows stronger. The utter and absolute love that washed over me with his first smile made the first weeks fade out into distant memory. And so it grows...

I guess I'm finally at the point where I can honestly say that it was all worth it. It's hard to be honest with oneself, to think that the moment I met Corban I wasn't overcome. Well, I was overwhelmed, but no instantaneous bond.

I heard it described as meeting a new friend. You click, you jive, you care about them... and in the case of a child, you'd throw yourself in front of a bus for them, but it takes TIME to grow a deep and meaningful relationship. And it does...

In 11 weeks, I've realized that it's ok. It's ok to let things go, to rely on pizza and take-out. It's ok to leave the house without makeup. It's ok to let him cry (a little). It's ok to feel like you're going to give up. Because like all those stories said, you're life will never be the same. YOU will never be the same. And it's ok...

All this to say: hang in there, new mom. Love grows, steadily and ever so determined-ly. And the feedings get faster, sleep gets longer and the laundry eventually gets done.

Beach Day!

We figured that 2 months would be a good time for another first: a visit to the beach! Corban wasn't too enthused- didn't quite know what to do with the wind. And the cold... not a big fan. He just closed his eyes and made this face like "Ok, not sure what this stuff in my face is, but I don't really like it. Can we go?" All in all, we discovered that 2 months might be a bit early for beach appreciation. On the plus side- Mommy and Daddy got to have a wonderful date in Santa Barbara while Corban slept through dinner!

On a separate note, today was the day- shots for Corban! Poor guy didn't know what hit him. Just cruising through the morning and then Wham! 5 needles to the legs. He screamed so hard, no sound came out! I cried, too. The rest of the day was spen consoling our Bud- he got pretty grumpy. I can see now why my mom gave us Frosties from Wendy's after a tough day at the doctor or dentist. If he were old enough, I think I would've given him a whole gallon of it! Fortunately for him, Mom's milk is all the treats he needed. By the end of the day, things were looking up!

Where's Daddy?

So, we have a new adventure this week: Dan is off to a conference and we are going it alone!! To capture the feeling, Corban obliged:

Anyways, as you can see, Daddy is a popular guy and will be sorely missed this week. Of course, Mommy still has the goods, but Daddy is the true hero, entertainer and soothesayer :) Apparently, Corban's not a huge fan of Mommy's jokes and attempts to make the evening fun. *sigh* Let's just say: Daddy come home soon!

On a different note, we started reading bedtime stories. So far, the favorite is "Pajama Time" by Susan Boynton. Can it be a favorite if you've only got one? Well, nonetheless, it's got great rhythm and cadence, almost like singing a song! Don't know if Corban truly appreciates it yet, but I sure do.... Ooooooh yes, it's pajama time for the hippos, the chickens, puppy dogs and little monsters. Doesn't get any better than that. For sure. Let's get ready to pajammy dee bop!

Mr. Lambie

So, what's this week all about? Naptime!!! Never before has my life held more meaning. My mission (and I did choose to accept it) was to get Corban taking daytime naps without screaming like a banshee. Not for the faint of heart. Lucky for me, Corban's determination to not sleep was matched only by my own resolve to win! Of course, what he didn't know was Mom had a secret weapon: Mr. Lambie! Our very own magical lamb. Kinda like Lambchop, only better. Way better. Mr. Lambie has the amazing ability to soothe Corban to sleep with the gentle sound of waves crashing onto shore. HOORAY! Mom wins, Corban sleeps and we have a great week!

A note from Corban: My mommy introduced me to this new friend- she calls him Mr. Lambie. Why I can't just call him Lamb is beyond me- I guess "Mr" just means he's older than me. Anways, something happened when mommy put him in my crib. All of a sudden, a wave of sleepy-ness washed over me, my eyes got heavy and the next thing I knew I woke up an hour later!