Multitude Monday

Monday 7/11/11
254. for dinner with the Cullum's, delectable cupcakes and a very sweet birthday card
255. for our little boys eating side by side

7/12
255. that I have a birthday to celebrate and loved ones to celebrate with
256. for my Mom driving 6 hours in one day just to spend the day with me
257. for the thoughtful gifts she brought Anlon and me, and my favorite key-lime pie
258. that Vipul planned a wonderful date night out

 259. for Bern's dessert room and the special memories we have there
260. for all of the warm birthday wishes from family and friends

7/13
261. that we were able to make it to the later library storytime
262. for seeing Crista and Mateos there
263. that God keeps drawing my eyes to the sky and I'm reminded of how amazing it is that I have a personal relationship with my Creator

7/14
264. for Carolina taking the time to send me some helpful information for a family member
265. that today I can smile at the fact that our small home looks like Babies R Us

266. that Anlon still nuzzles into my neck as I rock him
267. that I was able to put together something that I didn't think I could by myself

268. for godly counsel
269. for Vipul's letter

7/15
270. for Vipul doing an incredible job cleaning up splattered spaghetti sauce while I was asleep
271. for Anlon only waking up once to nurse the last 2 nights

7/16
272. for Amber's amazing talent that she freely shares
273. for Bill and Pat's work preparing their home for Anlon's party
274. for Vipul going over to help them while I stayed home with a sleeping baby
275. for Chrissy's thoughtful gifts for Anlon and me
276. for Chrissy's excitement to read Vipul's book

7/17
277. that Anlon enjoyed his new class at church and that Heather put me in it to volunteer
278. that Vipul and Sam got to see Harry Potter together
279. for Anlon doing being so happy this afternoon
280. that Vipul is so enthusiastic about starting a new meal plan and the work he did preparing for it

Monday 7/11/2011

I am thankful:
6/27
 210. for lunch with Chrissy and the exciting plans God has in store for her

6/28
211. for so easily finding the two toys that our speech pathologist used during Anlon's feeding therapy
212. for the delicious pizza Vipul made
213. for hearing Vipul read to Anlon upstairs
214. for an answered prayer

6/29
215. for the library's children's storytime program and how much Anlon enjoyed it
216. for the beautiful dark grey sky and the needed rain that came

6/30
217. for Anlon and Bennett enjoying each other so much
218. for how sweet Bennett was as he came over to sit in my lap and share my cereal
219. for the beautiful rainbow that reminded me of God's goodness

7/1
220. for Claire's visit and how good it was to catch up with an old friend
221. that Vipul and I were able to enjoy a date night out
222. for a really entertaining, clean movie "Super 8"

7/2
223. for Spirit FM's Saturday morning kid's program
224. for the YMCA's waterpark and how much Anlon loved playing in the water

225. for food from my favorite Thai restaurant

7/3
226. that we were able to watch the church service on-line while Anlon slept
227. for an enjoyable time at a local farmer's market

228. that Anlon enjoyed some of our food

229. for the sound of a bird singing through the window as I took an nap

230. for an unexpected visit from a shirtless friend 

7/4

231. for the men and women who sacrifice everything for freedom

232. for Vipul's delicious burgers

233. that Anlon really likes ground beef
234. for a great time with Sambernette :)
235. that Anlon crawled over to Amber when he heard her reading to Bennett and wanted up to hear the story

236. for sweet boys playing

7/5

237. for Bennett pushing Anlon on B's Thomas the Train and that we have it on video

238. for the majestic sky at dusk tonight that reminded me of God's glory

7/6
239. that Vipul and Sam are continuing to meet to discuss God's truth
240. for a chance to go to the mall by myself

7/7
241. for thinking it was 6 instad of 5 and taking Anlon downstairs to play - it was a very sweet time together
242. for time to interact with Sandy while the boys played
243. for the wonderful surprise early birthday package sent by Robyn
244. that Anlon loves Aimee so much
245. for time to read back through my journal and remember all that God has done

7/8
246. for time with Ada and the wisdom I gain from her
247. that Anlon enjoyed interacting with Lucas
248. for Vipul's excitement as we watch "From the Earth to the Moon"

7/9
249. for the cool breeze that the rain brought this morning
250. for time with Carolina and her genuine, open heart
251. for finding an unexpected bargain at Anthropologie
252. for Bill and Pat's graciousness and for Bill telling us that they would do this for any of their kids

7/10
253. for a wonderful birthday dinner with the Johnstons

Anlon is 11 months old!!!!!!

Anlon turned 11 months on June 26th! Just about every day, either Vipul or I say to each other "Isn't he just the best thing in the world?" Even on our most challenging days, we are so thankful for our baby boy. These days Anlon is constantly exploring new things and crawling everywhere! He still mainly army crawls on his forearms, but he can move fast! To my surprise, he still absolutely loves to toss the colored rings from his Rock-a-Stack toy ahead of him and crawl after them. I thought perhaps he would get bored with this since he loved doing this 2 months ago, but he is still thoroughly entertained by this. He is also now very comfortable going from his belly to a sitting position and back to his belly - and he makes these transitions often as he plays. He also pulls himself up to his knees a lot, and many time he's in this position looking through his crib as I leave his room during nap times. He's been able to pull himself up to a standing position while sitting on the couch to look out the window and I think he's close to pulling up while sitting on the floor. He's quite steady on his feet now when he's holding onto something and enjoys standing against our storage ottoman while playing with items put on top - and recently he's been taking side steps or "cruising" while holding onto it.

In the last week, he's discovered how to scream with excitement and it's the cutest thing. He looks at us like "Did you hear me?" and smiles so big. He'll let out this high-pitched little screams over and over and thinks it's so funny. He says dada and mama a lot and we think he might now be saying them discriminately. Sometimes when he wakes up in the morning we'll hear him in the monitor saying "mama, mama", like he's asking me to come and get him! He loves playing peekaboo and often Vipul will hold him and they'll hide behind something and then sneak up on me - and he laughs and laughs. His laugh is still the greatest sound I've ever heard. He loves books more than ever. When he's not tired, he can be completely content and focused as we read up to 7 and 8 books at a time. He's been turning the pages himself since he was 8 months old and he usually does it at just the right time. Sometimes he pauses to look at the pages longer and then he's ready to go on to the next page. Some of his current favorites are The Going To Bed Book, So Big, Opposites, What's Wrong Little Pookie?, Touch and Feel Baby Animals, I Love You Through and Through, The Eye Book, and Name Me Pets. He's also starting to really enjoy his bible with lots of flaps he can lift up to find surprises. 

We began prevacid 6 weeks ago for his silent reflux and over the last 2 weeks we've seen a remarkable improvement in Anlon's interest in eating. Finally!!!! He's now eating the equivalent of 3 jars of food/day, which is easily double what he was eating before - and we're confident this will increase with more time. We recently started weekly feeding therapy with a speech pathologist since it's common to have an association between eating and pain, even after the pain has resolved with the reflux treatment. One of the greatest indications that he's feeling better is that he now shows interest in what we're eating, which he never did before. The one frustration now is that he has had some spitting up, which as our doctor explained, is a symptom of his silent reflux transitioning into classic reflux. And the medication does not stop this - it only decreases the acid production which prevents pain as the reflux occurs. He's also had a cold over the past week and the increased mucous production has increased these spit-ups. Just this morning he ate so well and then spit up a large amount of what he had just eaten. But despite this minor set-back, we are still SO, SO grateful that God led us to a diagnosis that is treatable and will hopefully soon resolve - and we know that our little man will begin to gain weight at a faster rate soon!


Every day with Anlon gets brighter and brighter. Thank you God for our wonderful little boy.

Multitude Monday

I am thankful:

6/20/11

193. that Vipul's surgical skills came in very handy when he was able to extract a silicone pizza mat from between the oven drawer and the coils that heat the warming compartment of the drawer
194. for feeling God prompting me to stay at home and be a support to my husband during this annoying incident

6/21/11

195. that despite not napping well, Anlon was so content playing in the nursery during Vacation Bible School
196. for time to catch up with Aimee over sushi tonight

6/22/11

197. for a great morning at the beach with Amber and Bennett
198. for how Anlon enjoyed sitting on the shore and watching the water come up around him

199. for time spent with Robyn and Jenny over dinner and the remarkable ways God has changed the three of us

6/23/11

200. for the wisdom shared by an older mother at Vacation Bible School this morning

6/24/11

201. for Vipul's sweet support after reading something painful
202. that Anlon was content during much of the drive to Jacksonville this evening
203. for how Vipul loves me when I'm not very lovable

6/25/11

204. for my mother-in-law buying Anlon's yogurt and the organic cream that we add to it
205. for the special meals she prepared for him to try
206. for how my in-laws alway want us to bring Anlon into their room when he wakes up in the morning so they can play with him and we can sleep more
207. for a really nice time with my mom over coffee

6/26/11

208. for my baby boy who blesses me more and more every day - 11 months today!!!!
209. that breastfeeding continues to be an enjoyable experience for Anlon and me