Anlon's 7 months old!

Since Anlon's birth, I've been making notes in his baby book, as well as a special calendar box that has large dated index cards in it on which I try to jot down something about Anlon each day. I have missed some days, but overall I've done surprising well (thanks to Christina for such a thoughtful gift).

Wednesday my note was about his first little tooth that's just come to the surface! Vipul and I affectionately call it "Bitey". It's still too close to his gum line to see well, but we can definitely feel it. It's right where I suspected his first tooth would arrive - on the bottom left front. While eating oatmeal, Bitey kept sticking a little to the spoon after each bite! I bet our little man's going to look adorable with his first little tooth!

Speaking of teeth, the new face he just starting making is to smile so big that all of his top gums show and he squints his eyes at the same time. It's the funniest thing!!! Unfortunately, we haven't been able to capture it with the camera yet. But I did get it on video the other day (which I can't share at this time because the file size is too large - we need to take some video with our i-phone so that it can be more easily uploaded).

Over the last week and a half, Anlon's been making steady progress with sitting up by himself. Last Thursday while we were at the Space Shuttle Discovery launch with Amber and Sam (see Amber's Articles for her blog of our memorable day - with a couple of cute Anlon pics), he sat up for what seemed like a long time - really only about 30 seconds :) But it was the longest stretch he had done at that time. The last few days he's sat up without support for quite a bit longer and I think he's close to mastering this skill! I'm looking forward to this because it will open up new ways that he can play. I'm looking forward to sitting him on our kitchen floor and letting him play with bowls, etc.  Here are a couple of pictures from our trip to the Shuttle launch - he was wonderful the whole day.

He still absolutely LOVES hands - his own and ours. He stares at his hands a lot while moving his fingers in different ways. The other day he was laying in my lap and I started to open and close my hand slowly, moving each finger separately. And as he was staring in amazement, I noticed his little hand by his side as he was slowing opening and closing it. What a special moment this was. I wonder if he's going to grow up to be a pianist or maybe a surgeon like his daddy.

He's also more fascinated that ever with ceiling fans. In fact, I have to make sure the fan in his room is off when I nurse him or he won't stop staring at it (and now the lights have to be off as well or he will look around instead of eating). If we're carrying him over our shoulder and he sees a fan on, he arches and turns his head back to watch it. Recently we were visiting Vipul's parents and they have three fans in their bedroom. One morning, Vipul took him into their room so we could get a little more rest. They said he was so excited as he looked from one fan to the next - fan heaven! I love that Anlon loves the simple things in life :)

He really is such an easygoing, happy baby. He loves people, animals (especially his big sister Sebo), music, all toys, rides in the car (as long as he's not overtired), his crib, baths, the outdoors, books... boy does he loves books. I can read 4 books to him at one sitting and believe it or not he stays interested the whole time! He looks at every page and often smiles. The other day I went a little crazy and bought him 8 new books (although 5 of them were only $1 at Target!). He already has quite the library. We might need another bookshelf soon - and if you've seen our current bookshelves that's saying something :)

 

Anlon loves to talk and makes a lot of consonant sounds now. Vipul points to himself and says "Dada" and I point to myself and say "Mama". Then we touch him and say "Anlon." He loves this and gets especially excited when I slowly say Ma-ma - I think because he can't say "ma" yet and wonders how I make that sound.

He's enjoying his new array of meal choices (although so far they're really more like snacks than meals, which is fine since at this point it's more about getting in a routine of eating solids and tasting new flavors than getting his nutritional needs met from food). He's had rice cereal, oatmeal, avocado, peas, green beans, squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, prunes, apples and pears. I've held off on bananas since they can be constipating for babies and he's struggled with that since beginning solids, but we're going to try them next. The dietitian in me has definitely come out and I've held off on mixing foods much since I want him to first appreciate the flavor of each food alone. But I think we're about ready to start combinations, which will be very exciting!

Vipul often refers to Anlon as "Spudling" or "Budling" and I actually didn't realize until today that I've been calling him "Boogey" a lot. I think I've said it more when it's just the two of us and didn't think about it until today. I thank God every day for my Boogey.
       

 

                                                                                  

                                                                                    

6 Years

Tomorrow Vipul and I will celebrate six years of marriage (and Anlon's 7 month birthday). Here are some of the many reasons why I love my husband.

He speaks God's truth to me when I need to hear it and challenges me to be a more authentic follower of Christ.
He sacrificed belonging, comfort and security to follow what he knows is true.
He is an involved, hands-on father who will teach our son to be an honorable man.
He strives to make the right choices, even when they're difficult or unpopular.
He sees the long-term benefit of sacrifice.
He has consistently put my needs before his own.
He forgives me over and over and over again.
He cares deeply for his friends and values them as life-long relationships.
He desires a simple life and does not live for material possessions.
He makes spending time in God's word his priority and wakes up early each morning to do this.
He asks me to pray for his surgeries.
He always calls me on his way home from work to discuss our days.
He does what he says he will do.
He does not compromise his beliefs.
He is a critical thinker.
He still sends me flowers and plans surprise dates.
Children and animals are drawn to him.
He's a talented artist, singer and writer.
He's helped me to enjoy cooking and has increased my confidence that I'm able to prepare delicious meals.
He makes me feel beautiful even when I look my worst.
He makes me LAUGH harder than anyone else.
He can laugh at himself.
He shows me sides of himself that he doesn't show anyone else.
Despite disappointing circumstances, he presses on and remembers God's promises.
He dreams BIG.

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)