Daddy Time

This is what happens when Eli hangs out with his Daddy...

He ends up with a
giraffe, 

rattle, 

flower mirror, 

and a twisty link toy 

all in his hands at once.

Apparently this is how boys play.

What to Do

What is our roll in the orphan crisis?  Each one of us is absolutely commanded to fight for orphans, but what are we actually doing?  I know without a doubt that I need to find my way to speak for these children.  If we don't stand up, who will speak for them?  I look at my sweet darling son and it simply breaks my heart to think of all the little lovies out there without someone to love them.  Even if you don't feel the call to adopt a child into your own family, there can be no ignoring the command to care for orphans all the same.  Will you join me in finding a way to advocate for fatherless?

Isaiah 1:17 "Defend the cause of the fatherless.."

http://www.nogreaterjoymom.com/2012/02/if-not-usthen-who.html

Proverbs 24:12 tells us, "Once our eyes are opened we cannot pretend we do not know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls knows we know and holds us responsible to act."

One Big Update

So Apparently I like falling behind on blogging and then just cramming a whole ton of stuff into one post.  Whoops.  (Mere, this is a week late - but it has way more than three pictures in it, hopefully that counts.  hehe)

So here Goes..

 This Was Monday February 6th.  Little man decided it was party time all night.  He was up for keeps around 4:30am.  And then fell asleep hardcore at the precise moment I needed to put him in his carrier to get going to work.  Awesome.

 We've been doing lots of tummy time and Mister is getting super good at the whole thing.  Did I say last time that he can roll over from front to back?  I can't remember if I told you - but he can.  ;-)

 He's also decided that sucking on his fingers slash thumb slash entire hand is a good idea.  He really gets going and it's the loudest noise.  But hey, if it keeps him happy

...

Monday the 6th also marked Eli's first laugh!  Yay!  He did it the very first time when I was nursing him the morning at school.  We were done and were just chatting for a few minutes before heading back to his room and he let out a little giggle.  He did it a few more time when were talking at home that evening as well.  Apparently talking to me is amusing. 

We had you dedicated this weekend at Church!

 

I was ridiculously excited that I got to dress you up in your old man sweater.  Complete with elbow patches and a dachshund.  We even added shoes!  You had old man loafers!  It was the first time you've ever worn shoes in your life.  Daddy "walked" you on the floor - apparently if you wear shoes then clearly you should be capable of walking.  Or something.

Pastor Chad did the dedication.  We got to dedicate you alongside your buddy Benjamin.  I was so excited to be up there with our friends Luke and Anna.  Benjamin also got the memo about wearing awesome duds - he was sporting a rockin' stripey jacket.

 You let Pastor Chad hold you and show you off to everyone.  You even let out a little coo as he was finishing.  hehe.  It was cute.  Chad also loved that you and Benjamin both have strong biblical names.  Yay!

Praying for you and for God's blessing on your life.

I was so happy to have so many of our amazing friends there to watch you today.  It's such a blessing to be surrounded by this amazing group of people.  We just love you and we love our Community Group.  These guys prayed with us for so long about you, we're so grateful for them.

Mimi and Papa got to come up this weekend to come to see you.  They were so excited and we were happy to have them spend the weekend with us.  You showed them how you talk and drool all the time.

Our friend Amy was super excited too.  She gave your dedication a thumb's up!

And finally, the whole affair pretty much wiped you out.  You passed out after about three seconds in the car (And then promptly refused to continue sleeping once we got home.  I would really prefer if you'd decide that naps are not the enemy.  Not napping really stresses Mama out.  Although you have been sleeping through the night, so I guess I should count my blessings and not look a gift horse in the mouth and all that jazz.  But still.)

Sleepy Boy

So Eli's "nap" last night turned into a sixteen hour sleep fest.  He woke up to eat a couple times but didn't actually awaken to start his day until 8:30 am.  And then he went down for a morning nap at 10:30.  Apparently fella is worn out.

We Made It.

Eli and I made it through our first week at school.  Yay!  Eli is exhausted (As evidenced by the fact that he's been "napping" since 4:30 and it's not 8:00ish.  I have a feeling he'll be up and ready to party around 3am.)

I'm so grateful for his lovely teachers so far.  They dote on him, call me when he's ready to nurse, and tell me everyday how adorable/easy going/smiley/curious he is during the day.  It makes this Mama so excited to know that he's being loved on and appreciated during his time away from me.  All four of his teachers were super receptive to the idea of cloth diapering...and persevered through a rocky start.  I was expecting a few leaks the first week - it does take a little bit to get the grasp of changing a CD (especially when you've changed ten thousand disposables).   Monday he had one leak/outfit change.  Tuesday - two.  Wednesday - FIVE leaks and subsequent wardrobe changes.  Whoa.  I was wracked with guilt over the fact that here I am asking his sweet teachers to do something out of the norm for them (To my knowledge I'm the first at the daycare to ask about cloth diapering) and here it was making so much more work for them.  I assured them things don't go like that at home and said I'd work on a solution while at home Thursday.  I got home and immediately consulted my CD guru - Mere.  Whew.  Thank you so much for doing all the legwork and being so helpful at troubleshooting!  We talked about what to try and settled on starting with using a larger insert for my growing babe.  Success!  We made it through all of Thursday with no leaks.  This morning I told his teacher that we had tried a few new things, and asked if I could demo how to change his diaper - just to be able to give a few hints on the whole process.  I think the combination of the larger inserts and giving some visible tips helped.  Little Mister came home in the same (Awesome - who doesn't love a baby in an Argyle sweater?) outfit in which he started his day.   Yay!  I'm so glad that his teachers weren't frustrated with me yet and that we could have a successful CD day.  Here's hoping that today's trend sticks around for next week (and all the weeks after that too...hehe). 

And just because he's a cutie, a picture of my Mister chatting up his sheepy.  

His teachers said they could tell that we practice tummy time at home because he does it longer than any of the other kids.  Yay!  And here I was thinking that he didn't put up with it very long.  Way to go, Mister.