Our "Great Champion" is 6 months old!

Anlon turned 6 months last Wednesday. Sometimes I feel like I was just in the hospital holding his tiny newborn body in my arms. Other times I feel like he's been with us forever and I can hardly remember what life was like before he came. The first 4 months, though wonderful, were exhausting. Now that we're all sleeping better (still waking up but only twice each night - believe it or not that's significant progress!), I can appreciate even more his many charming qualities that make him uniquely Anlon.



Anlon has recently decided that he LOVES his crib, and has so much fun playing in it (when he should be sleeping :) Sometimes he's so tired and melts into my arms as I rock him before putting him down for a nap. But as I watch him in our monitor, I see him smiling, cooing ("hoo, hoo" is his favorite expression right now) and playing with his hands. He also loves to lay on his back and pull both legs up and down, making a loud 'thumping' noise as he hits his legs on his crib mattress. He's really strong and I've been amazed at how loud this is! He eventually falls asleep for his nap, but sometimes it can take 30-40 minutes of him playing before he decides he's ready! He loves his elephant blankie and often sleeps on top of it - and sometimes we find it on top of him :)

He also loves to scratch the sheets with his little nails and often this is the first sound he makes when he wakes up from a nap. He's so funny!

Anlon has a fascination with his hands - and with ours. Many times when I'm nursing him, he'll take a break to stare at my hands. He loves to clasp his hand in mine and watch as I open and close my hand around his. He looks up at me and smiles, and then looks back at our hands together. I love to kiss his little hands and he loves this too. He also loves to suck his fingers, so much so that lately he's been trying to suck his fingers while he nurses! Some of my most treasured moments have been while I'm nursing him. We share something so special during this time. I've found myself getting sad at the thought of him weaning one day - thankfully we're not close to that point yet.

One week before his 6 month birthday, Anlon tried rice cereal for the first time - and loved it! Of course, more ended up on his face than in his tummy this first time. But it was so much fun to see how much he enjoyed it!

He also tried butternut squash a few days ago and really enjoyed it. We're going to have it a few more times before moving on to the next veggie - probably carrots. He's been teething for several months now, but has no teeth yet. I love his gummy grin but I bet it will be even cuter with little teeth!

Anlon is an absolute joy. He's happy most of the time - he really only cries now when he's overtired or wakes up too early from a nap and has trouble going back to sleep. In fact, he recently had a cold and once he got used to the bulb suction I used to clear his nostrils, he actually liked it and even smiled after I was done! He's fascinated by his big sister Sebo (our cat), ceiling fans and the outdoors. He also loves to stand while we hold him and clearly feels this is a great accomplishment by the excitement he shows! He's rolling from his back to belly and belly to back with ease, but so far this is his only means of transport - no crawling yet. And I must admit I don't mind this :) He can't quite sit up by himself without support, but I think he's close to mastering this skill.

Vipul and I really want to instill in Anlon a love of reading, so we read to him a lot. It's been neat to see how he especially likes certain ones -Goodnight Moon, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, I Love You Through and Through, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? and The Nativity Story.  

Anlon also loves music and we usually have Christian or classical music playing. He really enjoys it when we sing to him (I think he enjoys Vipul's voice more than mine). Vipul often sings "Holy is the Lord" and "Canaan Bound" to him as he rocks him in the evenings.

Anlon's name is Irish and means "Great Champion". We searched for many months to find a unique name that we loved with a special meaning. One of our prayers is that Anlon will be a Great Champion for Jesus. I'm so excited to see what his next 6 months bring!

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children are a reward from Him."

Psalm 127:3













Enough

 

It's funny how God works. I've been thinking a lot this week about my times spent in His word, quiet time in study and prayer with my Creator. And how many mornings it's such a struggle to make this time a priority. Several mornings ago, while Anlon was napping, I sat down on the couch with my Bible, ready to give God my complete focus. It was quiet, I was alone and there was nothing stopping me. And then a thought came to me, reminding me that I should really get in touch with a couple of friends that I used to work with. And then I looked around our living room and thought of all of the housework that really needed to be done. And then my phone rang, and I answered it. And after chatting with a friend for a few minutes, I saw a catalog on our table that I thought I'd like to look through when I get a chance. And then I thought about how my mind wanders so many times right when I'm about to spend time with the Lord, and how I should blog about this. And then I FINALLY was able to stop the mental chatter and spend a few precious minutes soaking in God's truth from Isaiah before Anlon woke up crying.

I know from the Bible that God does not love me more or less based on what I do, or don't do. He doesn't love me any more if I read His word every morning, if I pray consistently, or if my knowledge and understanding of His character grows. I do want to read His word every day and understand Him more and more, but I know that while this pleases Him, it does not cause Him to love me more than He already does on my worst day. To quote one of my dearest friends Amber, God's love "does not lessen when I make a bad choice.  It does not improve when I volunteer more of my time.  It does not lessen when I lose my temper.  It does not improve when I pray more.  It does not lessen when I say the wrong thing.  It does not improve when I use my time wisely.  It does not lessen when I neglect Him.  It does not improve when I spend hours with Him.  It does not lessen when I am lazy.  It does not improve when I lead others.  It does not lessen when I complain.  It does not improve when I write about Him. "

And yet I think many times I don't really believe this. I know that although very imperfectly, I love God with everything that I am. But I'm realizing that I don't really know,  in my soul, that His love for me is unconditional. Steadfast. Imperishable. Unchanging. Perfect. If I could ever earn or deserve God's unfailing love, His love wouldn't be any different that my flawed human love. Jesus, please help me to know this deep in the recesses of my heart. Please help me to stop putting human attributes on your love and just rest in the grace that You have given me. Thank you that I'm already enough for You.

"For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord."
Psalm 117:2

Top 10 of '10 - Pictures of Anlon

My dear friend Amber has asked those of us with little ones to share our top ten pictures from 2010. I definitely don't have her talent for photography, but I think my little man makes every picture great :) Anlon is 5 months old now, and it was SO hard narrowing down just 10. I can't imagine how hard it would be if he was any older! So here goes...

1. This one was taken by Amber. Anlon was 4 days old here and was perfectly sleepy during his photo shoot.

2. He was 4 weeks old here and made this funny face every time he had a bowel movement (which was very often those days :) We used to laugh so much while watching him purse his lips together!

3. Anlon was 7 1/2 weeks old here and his personality was starting to shine through. 

 4. Anlon was just a couple days over 3 months here. The outfit he's wearing makes me smile because I'm not a huge orange fan and wasn't sure if I liked it. But unlike his mommy, he looks adorable in every color :)

 5. He was 3 1/2 months here, lying on our bed with our cat Sebo. Sebo's been so gentle and sweet with Anlon. I really love this picture of them together.

 6. Anlon was not quite 4 months old here and was sitting on Vipul's lap having a great time. I really love this picture. He's such a happy little boy.

 7. Anlon was just shy of 4 months old here. I love this picture because it shows off his little dimples and big brown eyes so well.

 8. Anlon is 4 months here and we were in Jacksonville visiting Vipul's parents and sister over Thanksgiving. This picture was taken just before they took him for a walk one cool morning. This is how he looks when he's really tired :)

 

 9. Anlon's just over 4 months here too (I'm realizing I have a ton of favorite 4 month pics!) and I had to include this one because it shows how much he LOVES sucking on his fingers. We offered a paci for about a month or so, but once he discovered his fingers he was in heaven. 

10. Amber took this picture during one of two photo sessions to get some good shots for our Christmas card. We were trying so hard to get him to smile, but despite just waking up from a nap, he was still tired. She did end up getting a good smile, but I really love this one.

I just had to add this one for fun - this was Christmas Eve, before leaving for church. Anlon was our little elf in training! (just before his 5 month birthday on the 26th)