Multitude Monday

Monday August 15, 2011

I am thankful:

8/1 

308. for finding Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do You See at Marshall's and how much Anlon loves it

8/2

309. for healthy conflict resolution

310. for a great 12 month appointment and Anlon's increasing weight

311. for time to catch up with email tonight

312. that we're able to plan a relaxing family vacation and for the effort Vipul put into finding the perfect place to stay

8/3

313. that God is teaching me so much right now and I'm applying what I'm learning

314. for Anlon and Vipul eating eggs together this morning

315. for how Anlon played so contently in the kitchen while I did dishes

316. that Anlon enjoyed our visit to Moffitt and my former co-workers loving on him

317. for how Amanda played with him and the joy being a mother has brought her

8/4 

318. for Scott, one of Vipul's best friends, staying with us last night before catching a flight to meet his family

319. for Scott and Haley's heart for adoption and their excitement as they wait to adopt their second child to add to their current family of 5
320. for friends that we don't have to see all of the time to remain close

321. that Anlon and I have so much fun together

322. for having a coupon to Seedlings

8/5

323. that Anlon has had eggs every morning this week

324. that Anlon's thighs are getting chubby!

325. that even though I sometimes forget to write down what I'm thankful for, I feel very thankful

8/6

326. for family time together in Hyde Park

8/7

327. for the sweet little boy who wanted his mommy and that I was able to comfort and distract him in the nursery

328. for lunch with the Johnston's

329. that Carolina and I had time to catch up on the phone and for how much I enjoy our conversations

330. that I got even more hugs than usual from Anlon today

8/8

331. that Vipul is exactly who he is and that I get to be his wife

332. that whenever Anlon is fussy, Vipul can immediately calm him by singing "Holy is the Lord"

333. for fun painting with Chrissy tonight and that I like my completed work

8/9

334.  for snuggling close early in the morning with my husband

335. for the rain and the puddles it brings for Anlon to play in

336. for watching the rain from our front door and feeling the cool breeze

337. for the ministry of 97 West and how it impacted Vipul and me when we were single

338. that we were able to go and celebrate with Rick and Chrissy tonight

8/10

339. for Anlon eating eggs without Vipul eating them with him :)

340. that Anlon ate at least 1 oz cheese (110 calories!)

341. that I enjoyed painting so much I've decided to take another class

8/11

342. for Anlon not waking up at his usual 10 pm feeding and making it until 5 am

343. that although 5 is early, we snuggled as we rocked for a really long time

344. that I'm Anlon's mama and he'll always be my precious little Cashew

345. for time with Heather, Jenna and Nathan

346. that I have wonderful girlfriends who are home with their children

8/12

347. for a great time with Carolina and Bethany

348. for how sweetly our boys played together (and posed for our pictures)

349. that Vipul planned a great date night at a really neat restaurant - The Refinery

350. that Vipul found the perfect new home for his guitar

351. for Aimee's love of Anlon and his love of her

8/13

352. that Vipul and Anlon went grocery shopping while I attended Lora's beautiful baby shower

353. for the inspiring and convicting words that Melanie shared

354. for a restful afternoon

355. for time to catch up with the Cullums and celebrate Amber's birthday and for our little boys enjoying being together

356. that I really do smile when our home looks like this because one day I know I will miss it

8/14

357. for Vipul suggested trying to go to the 9 am service, which worked out much better with Anlon's schedule

358. for my boys ready for church

359. for Vipul doing the dishes while I took a much needed nap this afternoon

360. that Vipul's parents love interacting with Anlon on the iphone
361. for how Kate, Hailey and Thomas each gave Anlon toys to play with were with Anlon tonight
362. that Harishmama and Jyotsnamami (Vipul's uncle and aunt) made it safely to the United States and that we'll get to spend time with them soon
363. that Vipul is a man after God's heart and he makes my faith stronger

Multitude Monday

Monday 8/1/2011

7/25
281. for the insight Anlon's feeding therapist provided today
282. for rest after a busy weekend

7/26
282. for our son Anlon who brings us more joy than we could have imagined and challenges us to be better

283. that I happened to look at the clock at exactly 10:06 am, the time of Anlon's birth
284. that Anlon enjoyed his birthday cake today

285. that he still loves to be rocked when he's sleepy and cuddles up so close

286. for how he shows us which books he wants us to read
287. that my Mom called and talked to him before he went to bed
288. for all of the sweet birthday wishes for Anlon

7/27
289. for Vipul's sweet text
290. for Abby's encouragement
291. for running into Lori and Cooper at the library
292. that Anlon took a 2 1/2 hr nap this afternoon
293. that a fellow ophthalmologist calls Vipul for surgical advice
294. for the special bond my little boy and I have
295. that God chose me to be Anlon's mother
296. that Vipul enjoyed the dinner I prepared so much

7/28

297. for Anlon's 2 hr nap this morning and how he's been napping so well
298. for how Anlon enjoyed crawling around the fountains and playing in the water

7/29
299. for how the morning light dances across the floor and fascinates Anlon (and me)

300. for seeing opportunities to serve my husband

301. for how Anlon absolutely loves climbing up the stairs

7/30
302. for wooden blocks strewn across the living room floor - one day I will miss these blocks

303. for Anlon's giggles as we leave for a morning walk

304. for time together, just the three of us
305. for a movie night out with Vipul

7/31
306. that we can watch our church service from home when we're unable to attend
307. that Vipul has started suggesting that we go grocery shopping together as a family because he actually enjoys it (and now I do too! :)

Anlon is 12 months old today!!!!!!!

I've had a mixture of emotions leading up to today. I love everything about this age and get excited when I imagine what it will be like when Anlon is walking and talking. But there's a part of me that's a little sad too. I want to freeze time. I want to let go of all of the daily tasks and just soak up my little boy - every breath he takes, every little face he makes, every sound he makes, every time he wraps his arms around me and nuzzles into my neck (I am so thankful I have a cuddler). On July 26, 2010 at 10:06 am, Anlon Vipul Shah arrived and I felt a peace, strength and purpose that I've never experienced before. One year later, I am challenged to be a better mother than I was yesterday - to care for this little boy that God has entrusted us with in the way that would please Him most.

These days Anlon is active!!!!!! He crawls everywhere and is FAST! He now uses his hands to crawl, but still goes back to army crawling at times. Today he especially enjoyed maneuvering around tight corners and found his way between our legs more than once. His absolutely favorite thing to do it toss his colored rings, wooden blocks, puzzle pieces or his favorite tupperware lid in front of him and watch how they hit the floor and then crawl after them. It amazes me with how intrigued he is by this. I love to see how much joy Anlon gets from the most simple things. He also loves spending time in the kitchen with me, playing with his small pot, wooden salad tongs and plastic cups.

He's now pulling himself up pretty effortlessly and this weekend started sitting back down from a standing position. He's also loves crawling up our stairs, especially when he sees our cat Sebo sitting at the top. He loves to crawl after her and smiles every time she passes him. She's been so sweet with him and we can tell they're going to be best buds. 

He also loves books more than ever and now he often wants the same book read multiple times in a row. Today I read Goodnight Moon at least 8 times. He got six new books for his birthday and I'm sure these will become old favorites soon.

Anlon now has 4 teeth, although 1 is still a little bud. His eating continues to improve and we were thrilled when he weighed in at a whopping 16 lbs last week! We get so excited when he opens his mouth really big for food he really likes and then eagerly takes another bite without encouragement. Of course, this doesn't always happen, but it's happening more and more. The foods he enjoys most right now are yogurt (particularly blueberry), ground beef, bananas, and sweet potatoes. Vipul took this picture the other night as he was enjoying some ground beef - I wish he always looked this happy while eating!

Today Anlon made it very clear that he completely understands when I tell him "no". We were playing in his room and he knows we don't want him to touch the diaper trash can. He started playing near it, but not trying to touch it. Then he began touching the foot pedal on it and when I said "no sir" he giggled and then moved away! He did this several times - I must admit it was pretty adorable :) Oh, and it begins......

We're working more consistently to teach him to sign. It was challenging during the months when he was eating so poorly and not gaining sufficient weight. But we feel this is important and will hopefully begin to see him communicate in this way until he is able to verbalize his needs. His only words at this time are "Dada" and "Mama". He loves to make this growling sound and then we growl back, and he growls again and thinks it's so funny.

Today Anlon had some of his birthday cake - and enjoyed it much more than he did at his party a couple of days ago. He had napped very little and was very, very tired - so enjoying cake for the first time was not something he was too excited about. But he sure did on his birthday!

I'll be sharing some of the pictures from his party soon, as well as writing more. For now, this tired mama's turning in :) Happy Birthday my dear baby boy. God gave us far more than we could ever deserve.