The Evans

Lazy Sunday

2012-01-29T20:12:00.003-06:00

This morning, we headed to early church, and got to spend the rest of the day at home together. Bech made us an amazing brunch. We spent lots of time cuddling and playing with Jack and watched an episode of a new tv show that we both like (it's hard to find one we both agree on!), "The Finder." I took a nap and worked on homework. And tonight, I made some more yummy hummus!

A productive and calm day!

While Bech made brunch, Jack and I had a mini photo shoot in his room.

He is so serious sometimes!

love love LOVE those little feet!

And then he gets goofy...just like his dad. Serious then goofy!

Sweet baby

And since I haven't put food pictures up lately, I thought I would today! Bech made bacon (oven cooked, which is SO good!), eggs, and French toast (with blackberries and hand whipped cream). I am a lucky girl!

7 Months!

2012-01-26T11:00:00.004-06:00

Jack is 7 months old! Doesn't that seem so old?!?

This past month is the start of Jack's first (and last) Vermont winter...it has been COLD! But Jack has mostly been snuggled up warm indoors.

Except for getting sick, this has been a really calm month for Jack. Mostly we have just cuddled and played.

Jack is still sleeping from about 7:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. We had a few nights when he was sick that were awful, but he's back on track. Thank goodness...I need my sleep!

Jack got his first ear infection this month, but he has already been acting much more like his normal self.

Jack is doing great eating solids. He eats green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, apples, pears, bananas, and rice cereal. I thought he just liked food in general, but he absolutely hates peaches! I personally think its the texture. Whatever the reason, he never wants to eat them.

Jack started waving toward the end of this month, which is pretty darn cute. He doesn't seem to be that close to crawling. Sometimes at night, he'll pull his knees up under him in a crawling position, but that's about it.

Jack also started dancing this month. He loves to listen to music and he'll move his little body and head back and forth to the music.

(how sweet are his cheeks?)

One thing that's fun: Jack has started making "boy noises," vrooming and whatnot. I love all of his little noises!

Jack weighs about 20 lbs (he lost some weight being sick), and is 27 3/4 inches tall. He is in between sizes right now--he still wears some 6 to 9 month clothes (and even some smocked 6 month outfits), but is starting to wear his 12 month clothes. He still doesn't have much hair, but the little he has looks like it's going to be blonde (I thought he might be a redhead for a while there). And those eyes are blue blue blue!

Likes: cuddling, eating, bath time, chewing on any and everything, dancing, music

Dislikes: getting his diaper changed, peaches

(For comparison)

Happy 7 months, sweet baby Jack!

Sick Jack :(

2012-01-24T21:15:00.002-06:00

So apparently I am awful at posting. But it has been a rough past couple of days!

Last Wednesday night, Jack started to get a little cough. By Friday morning, he had a fever. We went to the doctor, and they said it was just a cold. The fever lasted until Monday night/Tuesday morning. Sunday night, he slept maybe half of the night. So we took him in again Monday. And he has his first ear infection. It's so sad.

But he's doing so much better already. Today he was almost all the way back to his smiley, happy, sweet personality. And I am so thankful that he has made it to 7 months old before getting sick. And even then, all he has is an ear infection...what a blessing!

Jack turned 7 months old on Saturday, but I was not about to make a fussy baby take pictures. So his monthly update will have to be late, again!

Midweek Randoms...

2012-01-18T21:39:00.000-06:00

1. It is COLD here. Very, very cold. Like the low tonight is 0 degrees.

2. We had a good amount of snow last week. Then it got warm yesterday, and a lot of snow melted. Then it got cold again. Can you do the math? That means ICE. Ugh. I fell twice today (luckily, I was not holding Jack!), and now I have lovely bruises on my hands and knees.

Bech took these pictures of the snow. It may feel miserable outside, but it really is pretty.

3. School has started back up again! Yay for my last semester of masters work!

4. I already have homework :(

5. We took more bath pics. I know, I know. But he's just so darn cute naked! Bech took these, so they are more "arty."

Love him.

I would like to interrupt to say that there were so many more that I didn't upload. Does that make this any better?

Alright, bath pictures are done now.

6. I am one chapter away from finishing my French book. My goal was to finish it before school started and I got pretty darn close! I am reading Le Petite Prince right now and am enjoying it. I will take my test on French in two weeks.

7. Friday night we are celebrating Chinese New Year at AFH...I am super excited! We are doing a joint event with the Chinese group, so it's going to be legit.

8. Bech is at the pottery studio working late tonight, Jack is asleep, I have done all the homework that is due tomorrow (and some for Friday)--so I am going to curl up in bed and watch some Murder, She Wrote.

Goodnight!

Religion vs. Jesus

2012-01-14T12:20:00.001-06:00

I am sure most of y'all have seen this video by now. It has been all over facebook. If you haven't, take a few minutes to check it out.

I think Jefferson (the guy from the video) has a lot of great things to say. And I think that if I were to sit down and talk about this video with him, we would agree on most everything.

But I worry a lot with this video becoming so popular. Because, the reality is that Jesus doesn't hate religion and didn't come to abolish it. Matthew 5:17 says, " Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill." And I think Jefferson is using the word "religion" to mean self-righteousness and hypocrites. But that's not religion means.

I worry that this video is going to be a catalyst against the Church, which some viewers might find synonymous with religion. And, as Christians, we are supposed to be actively a part of the Church. Derek Webb said, "If you divorce local community from the Gospel, then it ceases to be the Gospel. There is no other context for your faith as a Christian than to be in community with other people." As Christians we are called to love and invest in the Church!

Also, while faith is not based on works, faith produces works. This is such a fine line, one that churches, denominations, theologians, and, well, every Christian out there struggles with all of the time! We don't need to stress works too much, but, at the same time, the Bible is clear that faith without works is dead. I don't think Jefferson believes that you can be a Christian and not produce works, but I think viewers might take it that way.

I would encourage you all to read this article. Kevin DeYoung addresses this video stanza by stanza, and I love what he has to say about it.

Have y'all seen the video? Any thoughts?

*Edit: Check out this follow up to Kevin's article!*

Bath Time

2012-01-12T17:35:00.001-06:00

Jack absolutely loves baths! His KK (my sister Katy)got him this cute duck, and he loves to play with it in the bath. He's not as crazy with getting out of the warm bath into the cold air, but neither am I!

So fun to chew on!

(as a side note, isn't the color of the tub just gorgeous? ugh...that's what you get in graduate housing!)

I love this look...slightly crazed and very serious.

Not Jack's finest hour, but I love how the water looks captured on film (well it's digital, so figuratively speaking, that is...)

So cute!

We went to the pediatricians office Tuesday afternoon for a check up (and shots!). Jack now weighs 20 lbs and is 27 3/4 inches--79th%. He's now not the fattest baby out there! I think it's because he only eats 4 times a day and he's moving around more. But he still has tons of fat and rolls!

Midweek Confessions

2012-01-11T13:56:00.002-06:00

Today I'm liking up with "E, Myself, and I" for Midweek Confessions.

So here are my confessions for the week:

* On Sunday, Jack spit up on me. Some got in my hair. Instead of washing it out, I let it dry, then proceeded to straighten it. Because straightened spit up hair isn't gross or anything, right?

* I just reread "Catching Fire." Even though I have tons of other stuff to do and tons of other books to read, I chose to reread "Catching Fire." I am going to blame this on how good the book is. And I would have reread the first and third books in the series, but they are checked out of the library right now.

* I just ate chips for lunch. Gross, right? But I'm at work and I didn't have any thing to bring for lunch. So chips it is!

That's all for this week!

12 in 12

2012-01-09T07:08:00.002-06:00

I saw this idea on some other blogs, and thought I would do my own! I am not big on New Year's resolutions--you always feel bad when you break them. But I do like the idea of setting goals for the year. So here are my 12 goals for 2012:

1. Learn French

I have a reading comprehensive test in French that I have to take this semester. I actually started this goal right when we got back from Mississippi, so I'm getting close! I hope to take the test maybe in 2 or so weeks.

2. Pass my comprehensive tests

Definitely nervous about this one. I have three comprehensive tests (sight translation, philology, and history) that I have to pass in order to graduate.

3. Have consistent quiet times

Why is this one always so hard? I am considering going through another Beth Moore Bible study as well. Any suggestions? I have done "Breaking Free" and "Daniel."

4. Learn how to use my camera!

We have a really nice DSLR, and Bech got a new shallow depth (who knows if I even said that right!) lens for Christmas. I want to learn how to use it correctly. I would love to be able to take good photos of Baby Jack.

5. Lose 20 to 25 pounds.

I am already a little less than I was when I first got pregnant (yay for breastfeeding!), so I want to use that extra metabolic kick to lose even more.

6. Plan a first birthday party for Jack Attack

I'm pretty excited about this one. I was thinking a "Very Hungry Catepillar" themed party, but I'm not sure.

7. Move

Okay, so this one isn't just a resolution. It's something that has to happen. But it's still a big deal, so I'm putting it on my checklist of things to get done this year.

8. Clean our apartment/Get rid of tons of stuff!

I am trying to simplify our lives. Bech and I just have so much stuff! We already got rid of tons of books last fall, but now we are moving on to clothes and house items. If we aren't using it, we don't need it (with the exception of some wedding gifts, like silver trays, that I know we will use someday). We already have cleared out a ton of clothes, and I want to continue doing so for the rest of the year. It will make moving so much easier!

9. Memorize scripture

I should be doing this a lot more! I memorize things pretty easily, and I used to be pretty good about memorizing scripture. But not lately. I would love to blame it all on school, but honestly, I can quote parts of the Office. What a waste of brain space! I love to memorize chunks instead of random verses, so maybe I will work on a small New Testament book.

10. Spend more time with Bech
We have not done anything just us since before Jack was born. We have several families who have offered to watch Jack, so I think we are going to take them up on it soon! We need a date night! If we are close to home next year, then we can also use our parents for free babysitting. Perhaps our 5th wedding anniversary can be celebrated in New Orleans?

11. Keep up on academics while out of school/Present a paper at a conference

If I want to get a PhD (which I do), I have to keep my languages up to date while Bech's in school. I need to be regularly reading Greek and Latin, keeping up with Classics Journals, and maybe start working on another language (I really want to read Hebrew, so that's probably where I'll start).

I am already going to be presenting one paper at a conference this spring. I am hoping to be at another one, but haven't heard yet. But I want to turn in abstracts for more this fall.

12. Sit by the pool/beach and RELAX!

Is that a weird goal? Probably. I just feel like Bech and I have been so busy this past year. Actually, I know we have been. Bech is working two part time jobs, plus teaching in the pottery co-op and making his own work. I am doing grad school and working three part time jobs. Plus we have Jack. So this summer, I want to just veg for a week or two!

My stinker bug...

2012-01-07T11:58:00.002-06:00

Jack has a multitude of nicknames, stinker bug just being one of the many. He gets called: Jack Attack, Jack Jack, Baby Jack (my favorite!), Jackie Wackie (Bech's favorite), Bud, Buddy, Little Man, and Stinker Bug. He rarely gets called just Jack!

Here are a few pictures I took today of Jack playing...

He gets so serious about his toys!

Feeling his little teeth!

If you click on the picture, you can actually see his teeth.

Love his little hugs!

Check out all the snow in the background. It's not a lot for Vermont this time of year, but it's a lot compared to the South.

I think at this point he got a little annoyed at the camera...

Yup.

I am so thankful everyday for my sweet boy!

Family Time

2012-01-03T15:18:00.000-06:00

We had so much fun spending time with our families the past couple of weeks. And I know Jack did, too.

Here are a few pictures we took the last day of our trip. I have tons more from Christmas, but I haven't uploaded them yet!

Jack with his Doc.

Rocking with Bella on our front porch.

With Nina and Farfar in New Orleans.

And finally, a few pictures of our little family. We never have pictures of the three of us, so I am glad we were able to snap a few!

Year in Review

2012-01-02T10:22:00.001-06:00

Year in Review

***Warning--picture overload!!!***

I actually did one of these for 2009, but not for last year. But after seeing other blogs do year reviews, I thought I would do the same again!

January

We headed back to the cold north after a long vacation back home. We started getting ready for Baby Jack and bought cloth diapers! It snowed TONS!

February

More snow. Plus, Bech's mom sent us King Cake straight from New Orleans!

March

Yes, that's right...more snow. Ugh. But I got to take a fun trip to D.C. with my sisters and mom.

April

I tried to be better about putting up weekly pictures of my pregnant belly! I knew I didn't like them then but would love to see them later. The snow finally melted. We celebrated Bech's birthday with a yummy cake! And we cooked good food.

31 weeks

32 weeks

May

Warm weather...well for Vermont! And Jack's due date is getting closer. We finished Jack's nursery. I was given three showers! We got everything ready for Baby Jack. I finished my first year as a grad student!

My stomache looks like it's going to explode!

Love his sweet room!

June

My parents and siblings came for Jack's birth, but he decided to hang out a little longer inside me. We finally went into the hospital to be induced on the 20th, and Jack was born on the 21st. We got to bring our sweet baby home and love on him!

About to pop!

Last picture of just the two of us. Also, worst picture ever of me. Really, stripes for a maternity shirt??? Bad idea to make it, worse idea to buy it...

Just born!

Cuddles in the hospital.

Cuddles with Bella when we got home.

Sleeping in his Moses basket.

Milk drunk

July

I turned 26, and Bech made me an amazing meal. We enjoyed the pleasant summer weather in Vermont and took Jack for walks at night! We kept Jack alive for one month. Maybe that doesn't seem to impressive, but it felt like a big feat to us!

My birthday dinner...yum!

From the many faces of Jack.

A sleepy smile during a walk

Hanging out on the back patio during the summer.

August

We took Jack home to Mississippi to meet his aunts, uncles, great grandparents, and his Doc. He was also baptised while we were home. Hurricane Irene hit Vermont, and I got to put off daycare for one more day. Jack turned 2 months old!

Playing with his new toy!

September

Bech and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary! Jack turned 3 months old and started laughing. We tried to enjoy the beautiful fall as much as possible and took Jack apple picking.

Looking out over Lake Champlain

Bech thought he was so funny making Jack hold the apple.

Rocking the Moby Wrap

Okay, it really wasn't that cold when I took this picture, but I wanted to make sure he was warm enough!

October

More fall activities! Jack and I flew home for a long weekend to see BHS' homecoming and an Ole Miss game (while Bech went to look at potential grad schools). We took Jack to a pumpkin patch in Vermont (but he slept through it!) and one in Mississippi. We went on a boat tour of the Lake. Jack turned 4 months old.

In the Grove...hotty toddy!

Vermont pumpkin patch

On Lake Champlain

"The Best Hummus Ever"--okay, maybe an exaggeration, but it is pretty good!

Random teapot Bech made during this time

November

Another month of firsts! This was Jack's first Thanksgiving, first snow, first visit from his Aunt KK! Jack turned 5 months old and started sitting up. We drove to Stowe twice.

Before a trip to Stowe

So cute!

Not so sure about the snow...

Hot cocoa and a fire at Trapp Family Lodge

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sitting up like such a big boy!

December

Jack started eating solids. We travelled back home for Christmas in the South. I finished one more semester of grad school. Jack turned 6 months old!

Not so sure about it at first...

In front of our tree

Love the idea of this photo shoot, but it was not a success!

So that was our year...busy, but wonderful!

6 Months Old!

2012-01-01T15:02:00.002-06:00

So this update is about, oh, a week and a half late! But I really want to have these for my records so I'm still going to do this month's update.

Jack is 6 months old! I cannot believe he is already half of a year old!

This past month was a really big month for Baby Jack. He got his first two teeth, one right before Christmas and one right after. He had a few times, but overall he was pretty non-fussy, considering. Everyone always makes teething sound like such a nightmare, but Jack handled it really well!

Jack is also eating solids now. We started him with rice cereal, then after five days added a vegetable, waiting another five days for a fruit, etc. So far, he eats: carrots, apple, green beans, pear, and sweet potato. Strangely enough, I think green beans might be his favorite. He really likes to eat (are we surprised at all?) and does great with it. We feed him fruit in the morning (about 30 minutes to an hour after he nurses) and rice cereal mixed with a vegetable about an hour before he nurses at night.

He gets up at 7 a.m. and goes to bed around 7:30 p.m. He sleeps all night...and I am loving that! We just put him in bed with his "lovey" (a soft blanket) and his pacifier, and he goes right to bed.

*** random sidenote: I am actually totally torn on the whole pacifier thing. We used to only use it in the crib if he woke up early from a nap or in the middle of the night. But then one day I went to wake him up from a nap, and he had it in his mouth. He found it all by himself in the crib and stuck it in his nap. So since then (maybe 3 weeks ago?), I have just given him the pacifier when he goes to bed. Any thoughts? I don't want to have a 3 year old who can't drop his pacifier, but he doesn't seem overly attached to it.***

Jack went on his 3rd plane trip this month!!! He is such a good flyer. I flew home with him by myself (Bech flew back with us), and he did great. He is a pro!

And this month was Jack's first Christmas! I think he loved it. Actually, he probably just loved all of the attention he got from grandparents, great-grandparents, and aunts and uncles. We all had fun having him there on Christmas!

We weighed Jack at my dad's office while we were home, and he weighs a little over 20 lbs. So he has actually slowed his weight gain down and dropped a little in percentile. I think his face looks slimmer (you'll see it in the month by month comparison pictures at the end). I'm not sure how he is on height.

He wears 6 to 9 month clothes, although there are a few 6 month outfits he still fits in (mostly "Remember Nguyen"). He wears a size 3 diaper.

I know I am so biased, but he has the sweetest personality. He is such a content and happy baby! He loves to cuddle and to laugh.

He is starting to get the slightest bit clingy towards me. It usually only kicks in if it's close to his nap time. I love when he wants me to hold him, but I don't want it to get too bad. I hate the thought of him crying for me as I drop him off at the church nursery or daycare.

Likes: eating, cuddling, all of his new Christmas toys (especially Sophie the giraffe), being tickled

Dislikes: being back in Vermont away from family :( (Okay, maybe that's my dislike, but I know he is missing all of the holding, playing, and attention!)

And finally, a comparison of the past 6 months...I love this little guy so much!

Happy 6 months, Baby Jack!!!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T19:45:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas, From Baby Jack!!!

Ho ho ho!

2011-12-20T19:52:00.000-06:00

We are having a wonderful time in Mississippi! Jack and I have been home for a week now (which is sad, because it means we only have a week and a half left!).

Jack did amazing on the flights here. He didn't fuss or cry, and he even napped in my arms for some of the time. And, of course, he smiled at everyone in sight. He is such a sweet, happy baby! Even though he was great, I am glad Bech will be flying back with us, so I won't have to hold him the whole time.

Jack has been soaking up being with our families. He has been cuddled and kissed so much, and he is eating it all up! We have gone up to Jackson a couple of times so that he can see Bech's parents.

And I am enjoying getting a break from school. The semester ended all right. I am happy its done. Only 1 more semester (and 4 comprehensive tests!) left!

My mom got this little Santa outfit for Jack at Wally world. Jack looks cute as a button in it--I think it helps that he has the huge belly to fill it out!

I love this last picture of him...he looks a little crazed!

We hope everyone else is having a wonderful Christmas season as well!

2011-12-08T20:20:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was the last day of classes here at UVM.

Totally random side note: University of Vermont goes by the initials UVM. That is because the Latin name for the school is Universitas Viridis Montis (or University of the Green Mountains). But if you didn't know this, UVM might sound strange.

So we are officially in finals week. Which is not so bad. Thankfully, I stayed ahead on classwork all semester so I honestly am not left with a huge amount of classwork. I have got 2 more pages to write for a final paper in my Greek translation class. I have a take home exam in my Latin Composition class. I recited a Greek choral passage today for my professor, so that's done.

All in all, not too bad!

I also have to turn in an abstract for a conference. In the academic world, there are tons and tons of conferences. And there are also tons and tons of calls for conference abstracts. That's basically a word snapshot of a paper you have written or will write, which fits in with the conference theme. Last year, I deleted all of the emails I got about conferences. This year, I have realized that I probably should apply for a least one or two. So I chose the closest ones, both in Boston (3 1/2 hours away). I would LOVE to be accepted into at least one of the two, but I have no idea what my chances are, having never done this before.

Plus, we have a bunch of parties/get togethers: cookie swap tomorrow night, potluck Saturday night, baby shower (I'm hosting!) Sunday, last minute hang outs with neighbors...It is going to be a busy next couple of days!

And then, after I get all of this done, I get to go home! I am so ready and excited to be home! And Jack is very ready to be back in the South!

Because I like to keep it real around here...

2011-12-06T17:42:00.001-06:00

You know all those cute "baby in the lights" pictures that are going around pinterest? Like this one? I tried to recreate it today for our Christmas card. And I did get some that will work, but it was not easy work. Jack tried to put those lights in his mouth EVERY SINGLE SECOND.

And this is what happened when I pulled them away...

Yup, not so happy.

On another note, watch this video. It is beautiful. I cried the first time I watched it. Then I watched it again, and cried again. I would love to blame this all on post partum hormones, but I think I would have cried anyway.

Pictures!

2011-12-04T20:29:00.001-06:00

I haven't put up pictures in about a week, so I thought I would add some new ones!

I mentioned it once before, but Jack is now sitting up! He is such a big boy.

He is still a little wobbly, so, unless we are right there, we cushion him with the Boppy. Here is Jack showing off his new skills. I love this outfit on him. Bech's parents got this from Prague (I think?).

He's still not a fan of tummy time, but sometimes we make him do it...we're so mean...

This next picture is awful, as far as lighting is concerned! I need to figure out how to take good pictures of Jack in front of the tree. But I put Jack in one of his Christmas outfits, and I needed to get a picture of him in it!

Also, Jack has officially dropped the dreamfeed, and now sleeps from 7:45 ish to 7 a.m. Last Thursday, Jack ate a little late, so I decided to just skip the dreamfeed and see how long he could go. And I was completely surprised when he went all night. I have a feeling that he could probably have done this a couple of weeks ago, but I love snuggling with him after the dreamfeed! Oh well, I know there are so many fun things about this age too. I just miss my little baby!

And finally, here is Jack, showing off his newest skill, saying "Ba." Of course my mom thinks he is really trying to say "Bella."

xanga and other randoms...

2011-12-02T20:06:00.001-06:00

I have little to no motivation today. It is almost the end of the semester, and I really need to get stuff done. But instead, I have just been rereading all of my old xanga posts. Let me just tell you, it is a wonder I ended up normal at all. I was a weird, strange kid.

But it is fun to remember things I was excited about. For example, here's a post from November 1, 2004:

C. S. Lewis had this idea of sehnsucht, or of longing, "sweet melancholy," desire for that which one is alienated from. Corbin Scott Carnell writes (in a book of his about Lewis): "The Day is coming, however, when we will join in a great cosmic dance or ride magnificient stallions through the heavens, when we will have reached the individuation we have longed for, and when the cord of lnging will lead directly to Him who bids be one with Him in a great mutuality of loves." Lewis wrote (in his copy of von Hügel's Eternal Life):

"It is not an abstraction called Humanity that is to be saved. It is you,…your soul, and, in some sense yet to be understood, even your body, that was made for the high and holy place. All that you are…every fold and crease of your individuality was devised from all eternity to fit God as a glove fits a hand. All that intimate particularity which you can hardly grasp yourself, much less communicate to your fellow creatures, is no mystery to Him. He made those ins and outs that He might fill them. Then He gave your soul so curious a life because it is the key designed to unlock that door, of all the myriad doors in Him."

How beautiful is that? To imagine that all of our distinctly unique and individual quirks were shaped by God and are completely understood by God. We are made to be filled by Him. Blaise Pascal had this idea that every man has in him a God-shaped vacuum. We all have holes made only to be filled with our Creator. We were made to be worshippers of that Creator. There is no other thing in this world that will fulfill and satisfy us. And we can feel it. We can feel the longing, the sehnsucht, to be with our Creator.

I am so glad I recorded these quotes. The xanga could do with a lot less of the "oh my goodness, my boyfriend broke up with me and I think I'm going to die" posts.

On a different note, this was the last full week of classes! I have class next Monday and Wednesday. Then I have a test on Wednesday, a paper due on Friday, and an exam on Monday. Not too bad.

Then, that next Wednesday (the 14th), Jack and I will be heading home (Bech will come a week later)...CANNOT WAIT!!!

Babywise Update

2011-11-30T07:17:00.001-06:00

Okay, as usual, this is really much more for me than for anyone else. I just want to have a record of Jack's schedule at this point for future reference/children. So, if you are going to think this is super boring (which you probably will), just skip this post!

Jack is 23 weeks and now on a 4 hour schedule, and he is doing so great on it! This is actually, from what I've read, not the Babywise method but the "Baby Whisperer" method. Babywise suggests you first completely drop the dream feed before moving to a 4 hour schedule, but the Baby Whisperer suggests 4 hour schedule before dropping the dream feed.

We decided to move to a 4 hour schedule because Jack just seemed ready for it. There were a few times where we were out and he wasn't eating right on the 3 hour mark--and he was totally fine and happy. Also, he wasn't napping well anymore on the 3 hour schedule. So we moved and he has done so great on his new schedule. He is back to taking great naps.

Right now, his schedule looks like this:

7:00 -- wake and eat (sometimes on the weekends,we sleep in until 7:15ish)

9:00 -- 1st nap

11:00 -- wake and eat

1:00 -- 2nd nap

3:00 -- wake and eat

5ish -- cat nap

6ish -- wake up from cat nap

7:00 -- eat

7:30/8:00 -- bedtime

9:30 -- dream feed

A few comments: Thanks to daycare, I actually know how much he eats--about 6 ounces. When I drop the dream feed, I will probably bump him up to 7 oz at daycare to see how he does.

Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of his naps. If I go in and give him his pacifier (as a side note, I hate when people call pacifiers Nuks or Binkys--it gives me the heeby jeebies...no idea why, I guess I am just weird), he will go back to bed. Sometimes he will wake up about 15 or 30 minutes before his nap is over. If he is just talking to himself, I leave him in the crib. If he's fussing, I'll grab him, but (as long as he's happy just being awake and playing) I will wait to feed him.

I am about to drop the dream feed from 9:30 to 9:15...we are getting so close to being done with it! Usually after you have dropped it down to 2 hours after the last feeding, you just drop it completely.

And a final note--I hope you all know that I don't think Babywise is the only way to do any of this, or that I think I am an expert by any means. Babywise has just worked really well with us and with Jack. Part of that is that I am a scheduled person--I work best with a set schedule. Part of it is that Jack is a really easy baby--and that is definitely not because of us. I plan on trying Babywise on all subsequent babies, but who knows how they will do with it?

KK's Visit

2011-11-27T10:50:00.001-06:00

This past week, my sister, Katy, was in town, along with her friend Paige. We had a busy but fun week. Tuesday we lazed around in the morning, then hit up Church Street for shopping then dinner at El Gato's. Wednesday, we headed to Stowe and Waterbury. Thursday, we went to a Thanksgiving dinner with our church plant, then had a Thanksgiving breakfast for dinner meal at home. And Friday

The only day I really managed to take pictures was Wednesday, so I'll share those.

We had our first snow on Wednesday. It's back up to 50 degrees today, so most of it has melted. But I was glad Katy and Paige got to experience a little of our winter. And it made our drive to Stowe gorgeous!

Here is Jack with his KK in his first snow! He's not so sure about it...

We ate lunch at Frida's, then stopped at the Von Trapp Family Lodge. Katy LOVES "The Sound of Music" and went on the SOM tour while in Austria.

We stopped there for some hot cocoa in front of the fire.

I think Jack liked his first fire! And doesn't he look so cute in his little snow outfit?

A picture out front of the lodge.

Here are some scenery shots. How beautiful is the snow??? I will have to look at these pictures in March when I am SO tired of all of the snow and cold weather.

We drove back through Waterbury on our way home and stopped at the Ben & Jerry's factory for a tour and a sample. Then we headed home to make spring rolls and fried rice for dinner!

5 Months!

2011-11-26T07:23:00.001-06:00

Jack is now 5 months! Actually, I took these pictures 3 days after his birthday, but I wanted him to be wearing his Thanksgiving outfit.

I have no idea how much he wears now, but I am sure it is a lot. I would bet we are at 19 lbs. He does seem to have slowed down a bit in the gaining.

About 2 weeks ago, we switched Jack to a 4 hour schedule. He is doing amazing on it! And I love it, because it's one less pumping session for me during the day. So now Jack eats every 4 hours. His last regular eating time is at 7, and then we sneak in a dream feed at 9:45. But last night, I moved it down to 9:30 and he did great. He is getting so close to dropping the dream feed, but I am a little sad. I love going in there and cuddling with him while he's sleeping.

Jack is in size 3 diapers (and in the 2nd rise on his bumgenius') and wears size 6-9 month cloths.

In the past week, Jack has developed a new skill--sitting up! Jack can now sit up on his own. You have to spot him, though, because he will get tired and just plop right over.

He also officially started to teeth. Nothing is poking through yet, but he is a little fussy and will gnaw on anything he can get his hands on.

Jack had another big month. His "KK" came to visit, he saw his first snow, he visited Stowe twice, and he has his first Thanksgiving!

Likes: being tickled by his Daddy, cuddling, bath time, his Aunt KK

Dislikes: teething :(

And for a little comparison, here are Jack's last four month pictures!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:51:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving from Bech, Jack, and me!

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for a sweet husband, loving family, and a healthy, happy baby.

I am also thankful for a God who would redeem me, even while I am still enchained to my sin. I am thankful that I can approach God because of Christ's death.

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name."

Psalm 100:4

"Everything sad will come untrue."

2011-11-20T21:24:00.001-06:00

We have been given so many amazing gifts for Baby Jack. And The Jesus Storybook Bible is definitely at the top of the list.

I absolutely love this book. I actually cried the first time I read from it. Most children's Bibles just simply tell all of the "stories" from the Bible. This Bible tells the stories as well, but shows them all in light of the gospel. Each story ties into Christ.

We read this most nights with Jack before he goes to bed. I know that he probably doesn't understand what we are saying. But he might. And if he doesn't yet, he will soon. I want him to grow up hearing this story everyday, so that someday he can say that he never knew a day in which he didn't know and believe in God.

And this book is not just for children. I think all Christians, married, single, young, or old, could benefit so much from this book! I have already been so moved by it! I have read the story of Leah so many times, but this book helped me to see it in a totally different and new way.

My favorite part so far has been the chapter on Isaiah. Here is what the books says (I bolded my favorite parts!):

"Do you know what your name means? Well, there was once a man called Isaiah, and his name meant 'God to the rescue!'

That might sound like a bit of a funny name to you, but it was just the right name for Isaiah because God had a special job for Isaiah. You see, Isaiah's job was to listen to God and then tell people what he heart.

Now, God let Isaiah know a secret. God was going to mend his broken world. He showed Isaiah his Secret Rescue Plan: Operation 'No More Tears!'

This is the message God gave Isaiah (it was like a letter God wrote to his children)...

Dear Little Flock,

You're all wandering away from me, like sheep in an open field. You have always been running away from me. And now you're lost. You can't find your way back.

But I can't stop loving you. I will come to find you. So I am sending you a Shepherd to look after you and love you. To carry you home to me.

You've been stumbling around, like people in a dark room. But into the darkness, a bright Light will shine! It will chase away all the shadows, like sunshine.

A little baby will be born. A Royal Son. His mommy will be a young girl who doesn't have a husband. His name will be Emmanuel, which means 'God has come to live with us.' He is one of King David's children's children's children. The Prince of Peace.

Yes, Someone is going to come and rescue you!

But he won't be who anyone expects.

He will be a King! But he won't live in a palace. And he won't have lots of money. He will be poor. And he will be a Servant. But this King will heal the whole world.

He will be a Hero! He will fight for his people, and will rescue them from their enemies. But he won't have big armies, and he won't fight with swords. He will make the blind see, he will make the lame leap like deer! He will make everything the way it was always meant to be.

But people will hate him, and they won't listen to him. He will be like a Lamb--he will suffer and die.

It's the Secret Rescue Plan we made--from before the beginning of the world!

It's the only way to get you back.

But he won't stay dead--I will make him alive again!

And, one day, when he comes back to rule forever, the mountains and trees will dance and sing for joy! The earth will shout out loud! His fame will fill the whole earth--as the waters cover the sea! Everything sad will come untrue. Even death is going to die! And he will wipe away every tear from every eye.

Yes, the Rescuer will come. Look for him. Watch for him. Wait for him. He will come!

I promise

Poor Isaiah. He read God's letter over and over to God's people, but no one listened to him--at all. Ever. They didn't want to hear God's promise. They didn't believe it.

Did it sound maybe too good to be true? A story that ends happily ever after? Well, it does sound like a fairy tale, doesn't it? And, as anyone will quickly tell you, fairy tales aren't true.

Or are they?"

Pretty amazing...Makes you want to read it, right?

More Laughs...

2011-11-17T17:28:00.001-06:00

This video makes me happy!

The beginning of holiday season

2011-11-15T16:22:00.001-06:00

It's only a little over a month until Christmas...I cannot wait. And it's less than a month now until Jack and I head home for 2 1/2 weeks.

It's actually super warm here in Vermont (or at least warm for this time of year!). The past couple of days the temperature has been mid to high 50's. And so far we've only seen snow twice, and it didn't stick either time. Although, it's going to get into the low 40's over the next week and a half. And next Wednesday has a snow forecast, but the weather should be too warm to stick.

I am thankful that we don't have snow yet! I am not looking forward to having to worry about Jack staying warm enough outside.

Next week, my sister and one of her best friends are coming for Thanksgiving. We are planning a trip to Stowe, and I definitely want to show them all around downtown Burlington (especially Church Street). And, of course, we might need a trip to my new favorite restaurant, El Gato's.

I was able to get a good amount of homework done during the day today, so I am going to pull out the Christmas decorations tonight...YAY!

Jack, the Baby Model...

2011-11-11T12:32:00.000-06:00

On Thursday's, I get to spend all day with Jack Attack--best day of the week. Yesterday, Jack and I had a fun day at home. It was semi warm out (at least for Vermont), so we took a little walk. We read some and cuddled some.

And Jack was wearing one of my favorite outfits, so I had to snap some pictures!

Jack has gotten so strong!

Isn't the blanket gorgeous? One of Bech's good friends from college sent it to us. I love the vintage feel of the fabric!

There's that Elvis lip!

And my little boy, kinda sitting up by himself. He is getting pretty good at the "tripod" sit up.

More Randoms...

2011-11-10T17:16:00.001-06:00

Yes, I did just post random thoughts yesterday. But it's my blog, so I am going to do it again today!

1) Check out this post by BooMama. We give mostly just to ABC, but this post has made me consider sponsoring a compassion child.

2) My mom always gives me grief about not watching the news. But I have actually begun to watch the news! Jack eats at 7 every morning, so I watch the news segment of the Today show every morning. Here are my observations:

* My heart breaks for all of the victims of everything going on in State College, PA. And I am glad the board of trustees came down so harshly. Sexual abuse (especially to children!) is something that needs to be taken VERY seriously.

* Rick Perry needs debate lessons. Like seriously.

* I am not a big fan of Herman Cain. And I don't think he should accuse the Democratic party of making up a scandal about him. I'm pretty sure the Democrats are not that worried about Cain.

* I am a Romney fan.

* Maybe I shouldn't say that on my blog. It isn't polite to talk about politics too much.

3) Only two weeks until Thanksgiving. And a week and a half until my sister comes!

4) We are going to another family's house for Thanksgiving dinner, but we are still going to have a Thanksgiving lunch. But we are going to have fun with it--not do Turkey (maybe steaks?). We are also thinking maybe pumpkin martinis?

Midweek Randoms

2011-11-09T08:23:00.000-06:00

I feel like all I ever post are random updates. But that's just how my mind works!

1. Check out this post by my sister. It is one of the best things I read about Prop. 26. It spelled out both sides of the issue very clearly.

2. In case you haven't heard, the amendment did not pass. I would have voted yes for the amendment, but I do understand the problems many Christians had with the wording. In a way, I am both heartbroken and relieved at the results. I wanted this to pass because of what it would mean for abortion in my home state. But I wish the bill had been more carefully researched.

3. Today, I am so thankful that I am not called to live for this world. Don't get me wrong...I believe as Christians, we have a call to care about the politics of the country we live in. We have a call to fight worldly injustice and to take care of the physical needs of others. But at the end of the day, when we lose battles, we can rest assured that Christ has already won the war.

4. Okay, on a lighter note...I am going home for Christmas in 5 weeks! Yay! I am so excited.

5. Of course that means that this semester is over in 5 weeks--ahhh! Luckily I have kept ahead on work so it's not going to be crazy.

6. Does anyone here get the Zulily emails? Yesterday the high chair of my dreams was on sale. Bech's mom was asking what she could buy us for Christmas, and I had mentioned that we don't have a high chair yet. She said to send her links to some we liked. So when I saw the sale, I sent her a link! So come Christmas, we will be proud owners of a Svan high chair.

Seriously, y'all--I have been lusting over this high chair for several years! And now I own (well almost own) it. It is going to be so cute for pictures of Jack. And it's sturdy, so it should last for all 6 of our kids (okay, I shouldn't say that--Bech only wants like 4, but I want 6. So all 4 to 6 of our kids!).

7. Jack is now on a 4 hour schedule. I cannot believe how big he is getting. It is kind of bittersweet. I remember when he was a newborn and cluster feeding, and now he eats every 4 hours! He still gets his dream feed, but I honestly think we are getting close to dropping that.

8. Today is the first Bible study for the Church plant...so excited!

9. And finally, because Bech made me move the whole downstairs around last weekend, he said we could decorate for Christmas this weekend!!! CAN NOT WAIT!

Busy Weekend!

2011-11-05T21:33:00.000-05:00

I was hoping we'd have a calm and relaxing weekend, but it isn't turning out that way! But it has been good and fun so far.

Bech called me Friday afternoon at about 3-ish and asked if we could move around some furniture (one of the pieces being a really large bookshelf, that he built when we lived in Jackson). I was up for the idea, but not that exact day. Well I get off the bus at 5:30, and he has already started the process. Which is not super fun because I am exhausted. And I am not the sort of person who can just go to bed with a project like that partly done. But we got everything moved around, and we went through our books and got rid of tons!!! I was so excited. We have so many books, and they are (mostly) really good. But a lot of those books, even though they are great books, we just don't use. We got rid of a few cds and plan on getting rid of more.

With every switched around (and all of the extra books gone), everything looks really great! Plus there is a ton of extra floor room downstairs, which will be great for Jack. But all of that moving up and down stairs was exhausting!

Today, I hit up my favorite kid store for Jack. I needed a few more cloth diaper things. I'm going to try out hemp liners with his diapers for nighttime. Right now, he sleeps in a disposable at night. I wanted to make sure we got his nighttime sleep pretty established before we experimented with staying dry at night in cloth. So I'm going to try out a hemp liner and see how it works. Anyone got experience with them? I also grabbed a wet bag for daycare.

I got a few toys for Jack, as well, and I dropped off our baby swing at the consignment section there. If it sells there, I get 100% of the price in store credit. They have a fun jumperoo I would love to get for Jack!

Then this afternoon, we headed to Stowe. It was my friend Amy's birthday, so a few of us went there to eat at Fridas--sooo good! Plus the town is just really fun and cute.

I put Jack in a Thanksgiving outfit (See, Dan, I am celebrating Thanksgiving. I only went on that little rant because people always give me such a hard time about celebrating Christmas too early. Thanksgiving is a great and special holiday, too) for the afternoon/night. He looked so cute, that I wanted to snap a few pictures of my little chunk.

Jack has started to grab Bech and my faces. It's pretty sweet.

Love that smile!

I love how Bech is making such a goofy face. This is the face we make to get Jack to smile.

And Jack's totally rocking an Elvis smile.

Here Jack is in his first pair of shoes. You won't see him in too many. I am actually not a big fan of real shoes on babies (you know, like tennis shoes, or shoes with hard soles). But I do love really cute soft sole shoes, like Robeez or these. His grandmother got them for him, and he looks pretty darn cute in them! Plus, they are going keep his feet warm the colder it gets.

Tomorrow looks like it will be pretty busy again. We have church in the morning. Bech then plans to go into the studio to get some work done, then he has a pottery teachers meeting. And finally, we have a get together/potluck for the Burlington PCA church plant (actually, it has a name--Redeemer!).

Finally, if you had any doubts at all that my son is pure boy, check out this picture. This is Jack after he woke up and ate this morning. I love the hands on the crotch. He looks like all he needs is a canned beverage and a football game on tv!

Nighttime Prayers

2011-11-03T20:27:00.000-05:00

Every night I give Jack a dream feed. Basically I go get Jack out of his crib, feed him while he's asleep,then put him back into bed.

But after I feed him, I always hold him for a few minutes, just cuddling up with him on my shoulder. And it has become absolutely the best part of my day. I just take it all in, his warm breath on my neck, his sweet smell, his little body curled into me.

And as I snuggle with my baby, I am reminded of how blessed I am right in that moment.

I think about the many families like Baby James' parents, parents who have lost their precious child.

I think about the many women who can't get pregnant, who have suffered various miscarriages.

I think about the many women who want so much to be married, to have the chance to become mothers.

And often I wonder, why? Why do I get to have this healthy baby? Why, God, have you allowed me what you have not given to so many others who so desperately want?

I am not totally sure why I am sharing these thoughts. Maybe because I want any readers who fit into the above categories to know that I am always thinking about you. That you are constantly in my thoughts and prayers. I pray every night that you all may have these nighttime feeding moments, these sweet milky breaths breathing in your ear. I don't take what I have for granted. I know I am not promised tomorrow, that I am not promised a healthy life, and that Jack may not always be healthy. But I am thankful for what I have.

And that I want you all to experience the same. And I will continue to pray every night that you can.

Midweek Randoms

2011-11-02T20:07:00.000-05:00

To start off with, I made another batch of my humus this past week for our first ever dip dinner. I made Bech snap a quick picture before everyone came over.

Second, it is now officially November. Which means I can now officially start celebrating Christmas. Because tonight is premier party for Mistletoe Marketplace. And to me, that officially kicks of Christmas season.

And I know some of y'all are going to be thinking, "But what about Thanksgiving? How dare you forget about Thanksgiving?" And you know what...I'm okay with jumping over Thanksgiving. Jack has three Turkey day outfits that he is going to be wearing over the next few weeks, and that will be fun. And I love Thanksgiving Day.

But it's just a day about the earthly world I live in. And Christmas is about the coming of Christ. Christmas is about the redemption of the world and of us. Thanksgiving is a fun holiday...Christmas is an absolutely beautiful celebration of the gospel!

Okay, sorry about that tangent. All that to say, I plan on beginning to celebrate Christmas now, and I think that's okay!

I absolutely LOVE Christmas, and am so excited about another Christmas season. Especially our first Christmas with Baby Jack!

Seriously, I love this little guy.

He has to be one of the happiest people I have ever been around. I really hope that this is what his personality will be like as he grows older. He is just so laid back and fun.

As a side note, I had an absolutely awful day today. Could you think of me in your prayers this week? I have a not so fun situation that I have to deal with, and I am not looking forward to it.

As another side note, I am going to be buying our Christmas tickets for home tomorrow! Yay! I am so excited to be home again.

I hope that you all are having wonderful weeks. Sorry for such a random disjointed post...My brain is just crazy right now!

Reformation Day

2011-10-31T07:40:00.001-05:00

On this day in 1517, Martin Luther wrote what is known known as "The 95 Theses." Although he wasn't intending to, he started the Protestant Reformation.

I don't celebrate Halloween, but I do celebrate Reformation Day (which just so happens to also be on October 31st).

My favorite Luther quote is from when Luther stood before the Diet of Worms:

"Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. Here I stand, I can do no other. May God help me. Amen."

And another favorite:

“So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: "I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also!”

Happy Reformation Day!!!

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas, with every Christmas card I write...

2011-10-29T13:48:00.002-05:00

There is snow forecasted for tonight--1 to 3 inches, can you believe it??? While I am not looking forward to the cold cold COLD winter that is coming up, the snow is a reminder that Christmas is almost here!

If you have read this blog for a while or you know me in person, you know that I LOVE Christmas. Absolutely and completely LOVE Christmas. It is by far my favorite holiday.

Last year, we sent out our very first Christmas card. I am excited to send out cards again this year, because Baby Jack will be on the card!!!

This year we are going to use Shutterfly. They have so many different options, and I can't wait to figure out which one I am going to use! Okay, Bech gets a slight say in it, but really it's all me!

I have already been scoping out all of the cute Christmas cards. A few of my favorites:

(I like that this one would allow for a really big picture!)

I love the simplicity but bright colors of this one!

This card has stripes AND bright colors--two of my favorite things!

But I think this final one might be it...

I am crazy about this card! I LOVE the patterned trees!

(Please act surprised if you get this in your mailbox!)

My favorite search technique for Christmas cards is to look at the "Whimsy" or the "Merry and Bright" categories. But that's just me--you should check out their other categories.

I also love Shutterfly's birth announcements (and other types of stationary). A sweet friend gave us our announcements, but I had been looking on Shutterfly before we knew about that gift.

I'm also kind of crazy about the photo notepads--too cute! Do you think Bech would like one of these to carry around with him? (He is constantly taking notes on the weirdest things--wouldn't he rather take it on paper with Jack's picture?)

Check out all of the cute cards at Shutterfly--you will not be disappointed!

Are you a blogger? Want a change at 25 free cards this holiday season? Register here!

2011-10-25T19:57:00.000-05:00

We have been back from Mississippi for a week now, and I just now feel like we have caught up!

We had a busy weekend, with two housing events. We also had a BBQ dinner for our housing boss who is moving back to Guam.

This week will be busy as well. Tomorrow night we are having a "dip dinner" with some friends and neighbors--it's like a potluck except we will all bring fun dips! Thursday night we are carving pumpkins with other neighbors. And Friday night we are roasting chicken with some more neighbors.

This weekend, I plan on getting lots of homework done! I am completely caught up (and even a little ahead now) on all of my homework. But I want to begin working on my final paper in one of my classes. I have started the research process (printed off articles from JSTOR and requested others from ILL)--now I just have to begin reading!

But I will be sure to take tons of study breaks to cuddle with this chunk:

Seriously, that smile just melts me. But Jack attack has some serious hair issues. His hair is partly falling out and partly coming in.

Thanks Bella for the cute outfit!

He looks so old in this picture!

4 Months!

2011-10-24T13:41:00.000-05:00

So, this is definitely a few days late. But, I'm still doing it, because I want to look back at these!

Jack weighs 17 1/2 lbs (and that was a week ago, so let's be honest--he weighs more by now!). He is a big and tall baby! He eats 6 times a day, about 5 oz each time. He is still EBF. We are going to wait to add in solids until 6 months. My dad and our pediatrician (who we love) both advice waiting that long.

Jack still has a dream feed (now around 10:15), but we've been slowly moving it earlier. In fact, I might try for 10:00 tonight! Hopefully in the next monthor two, we'll have dropped it and he'll sleep 11 hours straight!

Jack is in size 3 diapers (although they're a little large) and he is almost out of his 3-6 month clothes.

Jack is getting to be more and more fun to play with! He will laugh and laugh. He loves playing with toys and being tickled.

I would not be surprised if we have a tooth or two poking through by 5 months. He has been chewing on everything and drooling like there's no tomorrow. I can't feel anything yet, though.

Jack had a big month--he flew down to Mississippi again and went to his first Ole Miss game (well he sat in the grove, but that counts!).

He also went to the pumpkin patch and apple picking.

Likes: laughing and playing, baths, cuddling (I love having a cuddly baby!)

Dislikes: very little, maybe being cold?

And a comparison...

I love my little chunk!!!

Best Hummus Ever

2011-10-23T11:00:00.000-05:00

Okay, so maybe that is too lofty of a title. I am sure that my hummus is not the best hummus ever. But my latest batch is the best hummus I have ever made.

I love to read blogs. If you know me, you probably know that about. But I'm usually not too big on food blogs. However, last year I found Macheesmo. I LOVE this blog. We have only made a few recipes from this blog so far, but he always has great ideas. He includes pictures but doesn't go overboard (actually that's why I don't read Pioneer Woman--too many pictures!).

Sometimes Macheesmo does posts about Homemade vs. Store bought. He will compare the two in the categories of nutrition, cost, and flavor. This summer he did hummus. Jack was only like 2 weeks old at the time, so I knew I wasn't going to make hummus anytime soon. But something he said really stuck out to me--the best texture wise was using canned beans that you rub the skins off of.

Bech and I usually buy the dried beans and cook them ourselves. The hummus I make is good flavor wise, but always lacks a little something texture wise. I can never get it smooth enough.

I went to Costco the other day and got a HUGE can of garbanzo beans for like 3 dollars (seriously, how is that even possible? how is Costco making money?). So I decided to try out Macheesmo's hummus method.

Oh my lanta...sooo good! The hummus was so creamy. Bech and I both declared it my best hummus yet. Sure, the hummus took about 15 extra minutes, because I had to rub off all of the skins. But compared to how long it takes me to cook the dried beans, that's nothing.

So anyway, this may be the most boring post ever. And I have no pictures of my yummy hummus. But if you make your own hummus a lot (or if you don't but want to start), you should definitely try out this method!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-22T09:09:00.001-05:00

The day before we left to go home, Jack's pumpkin outfit finally arrived! I had wanted this in so I could take pictures here in Vermont. But I brought it home so we could try for pumpkin pictures there.

We found a little pumpkin display at the Market Basket in Brookhaven. And although it looks like Jack is sitting up completely on his own, Mom and I took turns hiding behind him and holding him up! Whatever it takes to get a good picture, right?

I love his little foot in this picture.

He wasn't so sure about taking pictures at first.

But he started to warm up to the idea.

Love this little half smile!

There's a real smile!

Pretty sure my child is massive. Look at all of the fat in those cheeks! We weighed him at my dads office and he was 17 1/2 lbs...oh my lanta! I always wanted a fat baby, and I definitely have one now!

Back from the South

2011-10-21T07:23:00.002-05:00

We are back! Jack and I had a great, albeit very fast paced, time!

Last weekend was homecoming at Brookhaven High, and Ansley is the mascot. So of course on Friday night, we had to go see her as "Peppy the Panther." Jack wasn't really sure what to think of her in her outfit.

This is Precious. She was Katy's little sister through Boys and Girls club way back in 2001, and we have loved her ever since! When Katy when away to college, Mom became her "Big Sis." Precious just started college this year, and we are all really proud of her!

Friday night we drove up to Oxford, getting in very late! But we hit the grove on Saturday about lunch time. Here is Jack sporting his grove attire. He looked adorable--I love a cute pair of jon jons on baby boys!

Blaise's favorite way to hold Baby Jack. Jack loves his "Bubby."

This guy is hilarious. Jack is definitely not so sure about taking a picture with him. But when else would he have a picture with a real live "Colonel Reb?"

Jack with one of his other uncles, Hunter (Bech's little brother). I love this picture--it's so sweet. About 5 minutes after this picture, Jack fell asleep in Hunter's arms. It had been a long day!

Sunday morning, we headed over for a quick visit with Jack's fourth great grandparent (and his last one to meet)--Grandma Jean. Um, pretty sure Jack looks huge in this picture. Actually, he is pretty huge.

We had a wonderful time! Traveling by myself with a baby was not great but not awful. On the way to Mississippi, I had to get rerouted. I was supposed to be on 2 flights, getting into New Orleans at 9:30. Instead, I had 3 flights and got into Jackson at midnight...not fun!

And I was surprised at the lack of people in Burlington that offered to help. When I went through security at the airport, people just watched me struggle with all of the stroller equipment, the diaper bag, and a baby. But when I was in the New Orleans airport on my way back, everyone and their brother offered to help--I love the South!

Finally, a picture of Jack and me. I have been told by so many women that they wished they had more pictures of themselves with their children. I hate having pictures of myself and feel like I look like a hot mess most days, but I know I will want pictures with Jack someday. So here we are cuddling at my parents house---I love that boy!

Trip down south

2011-10-11T20:03:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow afternoon Jack and I will set off for the South. Y'all, please pray--I am flying solo with Jack! He was amazing on his first set of flights, and I hope he is the same. And honestly, he is such a sweet and easy baby. But sometimes, he gets his fussy moods, so lets hope that does not happen on the plane. I do not want to be hated by all of the other passengers!

My mom is picking us up at the New Orleans airport tomorrow night, and we are headed to Brookhaven. Friday is Brookhaven High's homecoming, and since the mascot is absolutely wonderful (it's Ansley), I have to see her perform! And this will be Jack's only chance to see her as the Panther. After the game on Friday night, we will head to Oxford, also known as the Promised Land. Actually, it's not known as the Promised Land, but it feels that way to me!

I am hoping to get a breakfast in at Bottletree before hitting the Grove. We are playing Alabama, and I have no illusions of us winning. In fact, Mom and I are going to hang out in the Grove with Jack rather than watch the game. I think the stadium would be a little overwhelming for him.

Then Jack and I will head back to Btown with the family, and head home on Tuesday. A whirlwind, but fun trip!

Here are some pictures of the Grove in past years...

My last time in the grove, 2 years ago!

I'll be missing this guy... :(

But Bech will be visiting graduate schools while Jack and I are gone!

This picture is from my senior year...whoa...Blaise and Ansley look so young! Katy, you look the same, which is a good thing!

Can't wait to be back in Dixie!

random pictures

2011-10-09T13:45:00.000-05:00

I love when I upload pictures from the camera and find a Jack photo shoot of Bech's. So here you go...

Look at that little wrinkled brow...so serious!

Again with the wrinkles.

I'm pretty sure those eyes aren't getting any darker. It looks like we are going to have a blue eyed, red headed little boy!

Here he is sticking out his tongue. My mother taught him this when we were home and she is so proud of herself.

Seriously, I'm in love with those eyes! I love my cute little boy.

Jack's visit to the pumpkin patch!

2011-10-08T20:44:00.002-05:00

Today, we headed out to Sam Mazza's farm to get a pumpkin! I wanted to go last weekend, but Saturday was really cold and rainy, so we had to wait. But it ended up being a beautiful day, so that was great! Today was really warm, and tomorrow is supposed to be warm and sunny as well.

I had really wanted to take some pictures of Jack with the pumpkins, but he fell asleep on the hay ride out to the patch. So there were very few pictures taken. His wake time window is so short that its hard to get somewhere with him still awake to take cute pictures! But my mom and I plan on trying again next week while we're in Brookhaven.

Here we are in the pumpkin patch. Not the best picture, but I wanted one to remember the day.

These are our friends Lea and Doug. They actually went to Belhaven College. Lea is from Vermont, so they moved back up here so Doug could get his masters in English from UVM. They went for a BIG pumpkin!

Sam Mazza's is great. They have a corn maze which we (sadly) didn't do. They also have a fun little country store-esque shop with pastries and tons of fresh vegetables! We got a butternut squash and a pie pumpkin to cook with this week.

Going to the pumpkin patch and picking apples were both on my list of must do fall activities, so I'm glad to have done both! I really wanted to do a corn maze, but that may just have to wait. Anymore suggestions?

Prayers for my Jack

2011-10-03T20:05:00.003-05:00

I got into a conversation with a Classics friend the other night. He is currently applying to graduate school and wants more than anything to be at an Ivy league school. He made it clear through the conversation that he thought that everyone wanted to go to an Ivy League school. As I (along with the others there) tried to explain that not every one wants that, I mentioned that I wouldn't really encourage Jack to aim for Harvard (because of the stress and the costs). He couldn't believe this--why wouldn't I want my child to go to Harvard!?!

But my statement really made me think about what I do want for Jack, what I will encourage him to do and be, what my prayers are for this little baby I get the joy and honor of raising. And academic honors and cultural accolades are not at the top of my list.

First and foremost, I pray that Jack to love Jesus. If Jack works at McDonalds when he is 50, I honestly don't care as long as he loves Jesus.

I pray that Jack will be kind. I want him to have a tender heart. I want his heart to break for what Jesus' heart breaks for.

I pray that Jack will notice and love the outcasts. I want him to immediately gravitate toward those in the room that look lost or scared or left out.

I pray that he will be respectful toward women. I want him to be a gentleman, to always open doors, pull out chairs, walk dates to the door.

I pray that he will love family. I absolutely love any time I get to spend with my family. I know he will go through a stage in his teens where he would rather live in his room than spend time with us, but I want him to quickly grow out of that stage!

I pray that he will be loyal. I want him to cling to family and friends, to believe them, and to stand by them.

I pray that he will be honest. I want him to tell the truth, no matter the consequences.

I pray that he will be a leader, or at least march to the beat of his own drums. I want him to go against the crowd, even if that means being uncool.

And, speaking of that, I don't really want him to be cool. I hope his peers like and respect him, but I don't want him to be cool. It is too hard to be kind and sweet when he is cool.

I pray that Jack will be wise. I hope that he is smart, but that is a wordly hope. I want Jack to have wisdom, the kind of wisdom that comes through prayer, through time reading the Bible, through listening to his elders.

I pray that he will be assured of his identity, as our child and as God's child. There are few things more attractive and beautiful than a person who is so completely assured of their worth--not an over estimation, but just a person who knows that he is loved far more than he could ever imagine.

I pray that he will love creation, in whatever way that love manifests itself. Perhaps he will make pottery like his dad or fall in love with God in the form of Aslan like his mom. Perhaps he will take a completely different path and amaze us all.

I love this little baby so much, and, while I am not excited to think about him not being a tiny baby anymore, I also can't wait to see who he grows up to be! And I pray that both Bech and I can love him and teach him, even when we are tired or he has disobeyed for the millionth time. I am so thankful that I have my Jack!

To end, I love what Paul writes to the Phillipians:

"And this is my prayer for you: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God."

Sunday night randoms...

2011-10-02T20:01:00.001-05:00

Well it has been another crazy week around here! This is going to be an insane semester. So in no particular order, here are some thoughts/happenings...

1. This week we successfully dropped the swaddle! I was pretty apprehensive about this. Some babies sleep swaddled until 8 or 9 months, but most drop it around 3 or 4 months. I had two reasons for wanting to drop the swaddle.

(1) Last week Jack woke up twice in one night simply because he had broken out of the swaddle. We wrapped him back up and he went straight back to bed, but it was a sign that he might be better without the swaddle.

(2) We are kind of a slave to the swaddle. He is so strong, so nobody but Bech (and kind of me, although Bech is better) can swaddle him tightly enough. Even at daycare, they can't do it tightly enough. And

Bech's mom is going to be spending a week with us in late October, and will be watching Jack during the day. She has never swaddled, and I really wanted Jack to not be dependent on it by the time she got here.

We tried two days with one arm unswaddled, and Jack did amazing! So we completely stopped wrapping him and he has slept so well.

2. Fall is officially here! It is cold! This weekend it was high 40's/low 50's. It's beautiful, but I know that Winter is right around the corner!

3. My little chunk went in for an appointment and he weights...16 lbs 14.5 oz!!! OhMyLanta! He is so huge! He is in the 95th% for weight and the 90th% for height (25.5 inches). But he is a really cute little chunk, so it's okay.

4. I think I know where all of his weight is coming from--I am 1 or 2 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight...yay! But I feel like my whole body has rearranged itself...ugh.

5. I am going home to Mississippi in a week and a half. I am flying home to see Ansley be the mascot at Brookhaven High's homecoming. Then I am going to the Ole Miss/Alabama game that Saturday. I am so excited to get to go to Oxford! The last time I was there was my 24th birthday.

6. We went to our first meeting today for the Burlington PCA church plant. We are really excited!

7. I would really like to have some free time to read a book for fun. I am kind of reading a book about Narnia for fun as well as Keller's "Kings Cross," but it is slow goings. What I really need to be doing is reading Homer to get ready for my comps!

Well I think that's all I got! I am tired, but life is good.

Apple Picking!

2011-09-26T20:03:00.000-05:00

Sunday was a beautiful and warm fall day here in Vermont. So after church and lunch, we packed up in the car and headed to Shelburne Orchards to pick apples.

We went to Shelburne Orchards last year when my parents and sister came. It is a great orchard, that also has fresh apple cider, cider doughnuts, and homemade apple pie, straight from a wood burning oven! This year, we just got apples and cider doughnuts.

After we hit up the orchard, we headed back into Shelburne, a small town just south of Burlington. It looks so cute, and I have always wanted to walk around and explore. They had some really cute shops, including the cutest toy store ever and a country store (I am a sucker for country stores! And this one had homemade fudge for sale--which of course we bought!).

I am trying to get better about actually being in pictures with Jack. I know I will want them later on, even if I don't enjoy taking the pictures now! So since my hair was already straightened from church, I thought Sunday would be a good day for some pictures. Here we are next to some honeycrisp trees.

Bech had so much fun getting Jack to hold the apple. I don't think Jack had much fun, though. (And thanks, Sarah, for the cute smocked outfit! We got it this week! You'll be getting an actual thank you note, too!)

The view in the orchards. The leaves are just beginning to change. And the mountains in the distance are the Adirondacks in New York.

A family picture

Possible Christmas card? Except Jack is not smiling :(

We had a wonderful day! We plan on picking apples at least one more day this fall. And I also want to head out to Danville, VT, for one of the world's largest corn mazes.

I've got to enjoy all of the fall I can before winter comes!!!

Jack laughing...

2011-09-23T15:32:00.000-05:00

If you're friends with me on facebook, you may have already seen this.

But if not...enjoy!

3 months!

2011-09-22T15:29:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Jack turned 3 months! I cannot believe he is already so old!

I am not sure how much he weighs now. Last time he was weighed was at 9 weeks (and now he's 13 weeks old). He weighed 14 lbs 7 oz, so there is no telling how much our little chunk weighs now! We have a doctors appointment next week, so I am excited to hear his weight.

He eats every 3 hours, except for at night. And because of daycare, I actually know how much he eats--about 4 1/2 oz each time. He takes a bottle really well. At night, he eats at 7, is in bed by 8, has a dream feed about 10:45, and usually doesn't eat again until 7 a.m.! The past few nights he has woken up fussing a few times during the night, but calms back down really quickly.

He is in size 6 month clothes and size 2 diapers.

This week, he started laughing, and we LOVE it. He has been talking and cooing for a couple of weeks now.

He has even started to roll over! He usually only can go halfway and then he gets stuck. He has figured out how to use his hands. He loves to suck on his fingers and to play with the toys on his play mat.

He still is such a sweet and easy baby. There are days that go by where I hear him cry maybe once (and usually only cause he woke up from a nap!). I am so thankful that he is such a good baby--it makes my crazy schedule a little easier. Of course, I do know this means I am probably due for a colic-y baby next time around! (I was a second child and had colic!)

Likes: Playmat, baths, being tickled, talking

Dislikes: not much...maybe when he breaks out his swaddle in the middle of the night!

And so you can see how much he has changed:

(I remember when we thought he was a chunk at 1 month...boy, were we wrong!)

We love our little 3 month old!

Cloth Diaper Update...

2011-09-16T19:48:00.000-05:00

Okay, here is another post you might want to skip (unless you are interested in CDing)!

When I was trying to figure out the logistics of cloth diapering and what all we would need, I scoured mom blogs, searching for any posts they had done on cloth diapering! So on the off chance that someone reading my blog is interested in cloth diapering, I thought I would share what we do and how its working out so far with us.

First of all, the stash:

We have 14 FuzziBunz. They are All in Ones pocket and one size. These diapers will fit Jack until he is potty trained. The perk about these diapers: there is elastic around the legs and the waist that can be sized. So basically, you can get them to fit perfectly. Since they are AIO's with a pocket, there is no fooling around with a prefold and snaps or pins (think old school diapers). You put the diaper on and snap it closed, just like you would a disposable. Which means its easy enough for a babysitter or daycare...or, let's be honest, a dad!

We have 10 bumgenius (7 are from the artist series). Again, these are one size AIO's with a pocket. These are sized with front snaps. But I actually like these better than the fuzzibunz. They are less bulky (which I know will change the bigger Jack gets), and the artist series is so cute! Again, super easy to use.

We put on the diapers just like normal. When we change a diaper, we pull out the insert and throw both parts in the wet bag. This is the wet bag that we keep in Jack's room. We just hang it on his changing table until its time to wash. So far smell has not been an issue. At the daycare, they just throw his diapers in a pail we bring, and then I pull out the inserts at home. We also use cloth wipes and we just toss those in there as well!

The wet bag is great, because it gets washed along with the diapers. See how there's a zipper on the bottom? You just unzip and dump all of the diapers into the wash, then throw the bag in, too!

Here's our travel wet bag. We keep this in the diaper bag. It can hold about two dirty diapers. Again, it gets washed with the diapers.

Okay, here is the only sort of hard part (I actually don't find it that hard)--the washing! I put the diapers in the wash and run it once without detergent on cold. Then I add detergent (but a small amount). We use Rockin' Green. It's cloth diaper and baby friendly! Then I run it through again on hot. Then I either hang it all up to dry, or I grab out the diapers and wet bags (they can't be dried) and machine dry the inserts and the wipes.

A couple of notes about the washing:

* Jack is exclusively breastfed, so his poop is all water soluble. So it can all go through the wash. In a few months when he starts eating solids, we will need to dump out the poop into the toilet. We have an attachment that will spray the diapers to get everything off.

* We don't have a washer and dryer, so I have to use the laundromat in the housing area we live in. That's the only part that isn't easy. If we had a washer and dryer in our house, cloth diapering would be ridiculously easy. I mean, honestly, if you have a washer and dryer, you are crazy to not at least try! It doesn't take much time and is so much cheaper!

* After the first run through in the washer, you can throw some extra clothes in. I usually throw whatever is in Jack's dirty clothes into the washer at that point.

* If there are any stains left on the diapers, drying them in the sun will take them right out. Literally, it happens in minutes. It's amazing.

Here are my diapers hanging up to dry!

Here are the inserts, ready to be stuffed.

Once the diapers are dry, I stuff the inserts in.

And, voila! Ready to go!

So far, this system is working great for us!

The only negative: Diaper rash! Jack keeps getting bad rashes. I have cloth diaper safe rash cream, but it doesn't clear it up very quickly. I think part of the rash is due to his sleeping all night. When he is in the same diaper all night, he has that wetness on his skin for almost 12 hours straight! The past few nights, we have been putting him in a disposable and lathering him up with Boudreauxs butt paste (which is definitely not cloth diaper safe!). It seems to be helping. Anyone else had this problem? Any tips or advice?

Anyway, that's how we cloth diaper around here. I am certainly not an expert. I emailed friends and read lots of blogs! I also read a ton online about what all of the different kinds and brands of diapers are. I love my choices.

And I love Jack in his cute cloth diapers!

Happy Anniversary!

2011-09-15T10:14:00.000-05:00

4 years ago today, Bech and I got married!

I loved my wedding (it was perfect--thank you, Mom and Dad!).

But I love my groom even more. I could not ask for a sweeter husband. I have loved seeing him be a dad as well!

"Next door there's an old man who lived to his nineties

And one day passed away in his sleep.

And his wife, she stayed for a couple of days,

And passed away.

I'm sorry, I know that's a strange way to tell you

That I know

That I am the luckiest."

"If it's half as good as the half we've known,

here's Hail! to the rest of the road!"

Bollywood Night!

2011-09-12T19:42:00.002-05:00

I am so thankful that God created other cultures! Bech and I live at (and actually work for) Apartment and Family Housing at UVM. There are tons of internationals that live at AFH as well, and we LOVE getting to interact and know these students.

This past Saturday night, Bech and another CA (Community Aid--what we are) put on a Bollywood night, with the help of two Indian students. We had a wonderful time.

This is the poster Bech created for the event. I was very impressed!

Bhel Puri--a traditional Indian snack we served.

Bech and the students made Masala chai. I didn't get to drink any (because the caffeine might keep Jack up!), but I heard it was really good!

The movie we watched--"Jab We Met." So good! I loved it! And it's actually on Netflix watch instantly right now.

A picture from the movie. I think the main actor is super cute. Seriously, watch this movie. It was wonderful!

Like I said before, I really am so thankful to God for creating all of these different cultures for us to enjoy and participate in. And I am thankful that He has placed us in a community with so many internationals. What a treat (and an opportunity)!

Random...

2011-09-09T08:16:00.001-05:00

Today is the end of a very long and exhausting week. So here is a list of all of the random things floating around in my head:

1. It has started to get chilly here. Which is fun, because it's fall. Which is not fun, because that means it's almost winter. And let me just tell y'all, winter is not fun. It is cold and long. The snow is fun for like a couple of weeks. Then, no more fun.

2. I need to just try to enjoy the fall, though. Because I LOVE fall. And New England falls are absolutely gorgeous.

3. Josh and Mary Elizabeth (Bech's brother and his wife) are coming to spend a long weekend with us at the end of September. We will get to do lots of fun fall things then. I'm thinking dinner on Church Street, apple picking at Shelburne Orchards, maybe a drive down Smugglers Notch to Stowe (and of course, lunch at Frida's!).

4. Next Thursday is Bech and my 4 year anniversary. We usually go out to eat to celebrate, but we aren't really sure what we are going to do this year. We could get a babysitter and go out, but I'm not really too crazy about that idea. I know I leave Jack at daycare 3 days a week, but I still am not sure about leaving him again. We could take him out with us, which is totally doable (we've done that a few times), but that will change where we eat (just so it's more baby friendly). Maybe Tiny Thai? I always love that.

5. On the Baby Jack note, we had some rough sleeping days this past week. Thursday and Friday night he slept from 8 or 8:30 until 7 a.m. (well we gave him the dream feed at 11, but he sleeps through that). But then he was back to waking up at least once at night (this time it was more like 5:15). I tried to figure out if I had done anything different, and I realized that I had--caffeine! Each of those days, I had at least a cup of coffee. So I am back off of the caffeine (which I don't normally drink, but I have been so tired lately!). And last night, Jack didn't wake up once.

I am so thankful that he is sleeping well, and I don't want to do anything that upsets his stomach or anything like that. But I really miss caffeine. Last year, I didn't drink very much while I was pregnant, and now this year I won't be either!

6. Alright, that's about it. I better get back to my Greek translation!

Have a wonderful Friday!

2011-09-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

During Hurricane Irene last week, we had a few neighbors over to play Seafarers of Catan (just the Settlers board with ships and pirates added). Bech had the brilliant idea to take a picture of the board each time one of us added a piece to create a stop motion animation movie (same idea as claymation).

This video was thus created...

Seafarers from Bech Evans on Vimeo.

Babywise Update and New Pictures!

2011-09-06T11:58:00.003-05:00

This is one of those post that I don't think most people will find that interesting. But I do want to document it for both myself and anyone who is doing Babywise.

Our schedule hasn't changed too much since I last posted about it. The main difference is that we have stopped the cluster feed at night. So now Jack eats at 7 a.m., 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and 7 p.m. We then put him to bed around 8 or a little after that. He gets his "dreamfeed" at 10:45 or 11:00.

He then usually wakes up once at night to eat. After we got back from Mississippi, he was consistently waking up around 4 or 4:30. Then last Thursday and Friday night he slept all through the night! Can I just tell you, it was glorious! Seriously, amazing! But the past few days he has woken up at 5:15.

I am totally torn. I have been feeding him, but just less (cause I want him to still eat well at 7 a.m.). And he isn't starving at 5 a.m. or anything. But now I know that he can go the whole night and be fine.

Anyone reading this do Babywise and have this issue? He is only 10 weeks, so I don't necessarily want to make him cry it out for a day or two to break him of the habit. I think I may just keep feeding him a little at 5:30 (so he'll go back to bed), and see if he'll drop this middle of the night feed on his own!

And, as you can see below, this boy is not hurting for food!

He's figured out his hands, and I love to see him grasp them together!

Look at those arm rolls!

And those tummy roles! He is one chunky baby!!!

There's a feeling in the air...

2011-09-03T07:26:00.001-05:00

It's finally here...football season! Now to be honest, I don't get too into football. I suppose I do, when compared with people up here. Mostly I just love the grove and the whole experience.

But both Bech and I graduated from Ole Miss, and my whole family (well except for Katy who is all about her Auburn tigers) loves Ole Miss. So Jack really has no choice in who he will cheer for!

Dressed up, ready for opening Saturday of football season!

Hotty Toddy, Y'all!

Back to school...!

2011-09-01T21:15:00.000-05:00

School has started back up again, which means Jack had his first day of daycare!

It actually was not horrible. I cried that morning when we dropped him off, I missed him throughout the day, and I was so eager to pick him up at 5. But the day went pretty smoothly.

Jack did really well at daycare. He stuck to his schedule and napped fairly well. He seemed a little overwhelmed and overstimulated when we picked him up. I am not surprised by that--there is just a lot more going on there than when it's just the two of us at home!

(Don't read the next paragraph if breastfeeding weirds you out!)

I was worried about pumping--where I would pump, when I would pump, if it would go smoothly. And everything went really well. There is a professor who is on sabbatical who's office I am able to use twice a day (and right about when Jack eats which is great!), and a nursing room in the student center I am able to use while I am working at the library. And UVM has specific laws that protect me as a nursing mother. Of course, that was only the first day, so we'll just have to wait and see how it all goes. I really want to be able to nurse Jack for at least 6 months and ideally a whole year. So I am going to be trying really hard to make sure this all works! At least I am home with him Tuesday and Thursday. I can't imagine doing this 5 days a week!

Okay, breastfeeding paragraph is over! This semester is going to be hard but good. I am taking 9 hours. One class is thesis research, which will be enjoyable. I am also taking Latin composition and Greek tragedy. Right now in Greek, we are translating Euripides' Cyclops. Latin composition is mostly learning the rules of Latin (in a much deeper level than what you learn in basic Latin) as well as writing in Latin. I have two professors that I have yet to have before. While I miss my professors from the last two semesters, it is always fun to experience different teaching styles.

I can tell I am going to be super busy. Already I have been working on homework for half of the day. But I did manage to take a break to visit the Champlain Valley fair!

Alright, that's all I have for today...I'll close with some recent pictures of my very cute, very fat baby!

Love that smile! You can see how red his hair is in this picture.

So serious!

He has almost outgrown this outfit and I am so sad. Maybe I'll have to name a future son with the same initials just so I can use it again!

Baby feet!

His sweet hands.

Hurricane Irene

2011-08-28T09:46:00.004-05:00

Hurricane Irene is headed our way...well kinda. But headed our way enough that they canceled school on Monday.

While I am not happy about the hurricane (because I know it's done some major damage thus far), I am happy that I have one more day until I have to take Jack to daycare.

So now D-Day is next Wednesday. :(

On a happier note, since we have the day off on Monday, I think Bech and I are going to take Jack to the fair!

We went last year and loved it. I know he is too little to really enjoy it, but I am super excited to go again. Plus, who doesn't love fair food?

Actually, fair food is kinda gross. But if you just eat it once a year, it's good.

So right now, Bech and I are going to cuddle up on the couch and watch a movie until Jack wakes up from his nap! We've got extra water and food, plants pulled inside, gas in the car, and we're ready for Irene!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-08-24T10:30:00.003-05:00

I have only linked up once (to Kelly's Korner "Show Us Your Singles"), but I thought I would try to link up to another site!

This is "What I'm Loving Wednesday's," found on this site.

1. I am LOVING Chobani yogurt. It's greek yogurt with fruit on the bottom and it's amazing. Plus it's high in protein which I need because I'm breast feeding. I normally suck at getting the right amount of protein--I'm just not crazy about meat. But theses are amazing!

And if you live in the Burlington area, they are on sale at Shaw's this week.

2. I am loving that it is almost fall here! I absolutely adore fall, and fall in Vermont is incredible.

I cannot wait to go pick apples, get fresh cider, and go to a pumpkin patch. I think we are going to be able to take some really cute pictures of Jack at the pumpkin patch!

And the leaves here are ridiculous. This picture is from when my parents came last fall--Amazing!

3. Finally, I am loving the theme of this new season's America's Next Top Model...Fan favorites!!!

Alison (who totally should have won) and Laura will both be in it...yay! I love this show (in fact, it's the only show I downloaded while in Malawi, and that's really saying something!) and am so excited.

2 Months

2011-08-23T13:00:00.001-05:00

Sunday, Jack turned 2 months old! Of course, I am just now posting this, and I also took the picture a day late. Oh well.

Jack is a chunk! We weighed him at my dads office when he was 7 1/2 weeks, and he was weighing in at 13 lbs, 9 oz...whoa!

This was a big month for him. He went on his first plane ride (well actually 4 plane rides) and did amazing!

He also got to meet his grandfather, his aunts and uncles, and his great grandparents. I personally think he loved the South and completely gets that that is where he is really from!

He had just started smiling at 1 month, and now he is a full on smiler. He loves to smile, and we love to see him smile.

In the past couple of days, he started really making noises. You can tell he is so proud of himself for making noises.

He has also discovered his hands. He is getting really close to getting that thumb in his mouth.

We are still swaddling him--not sure when we'll drop that, because it works like a charm.

He loves his activity mat. He also loves bouncy seats. And he loves his family! Unfortunately, his aunts and uncle taught him how to stick out his tongue. Thankfully, we have not had a recurrence of that bad habit since returning to Vermont!

He is in size 2 diapers (we wore disposables while home, so I actually know his size this time), but is still wearing mostly 0 to 3 month clothes. I think his time in them is limited, though. I'm kind of obsessed with this cute smocked outfit he has on in the pictures (thanks, Bella!).

At first he wasn't so sure about this month's picture.

But he warmed up pretty quickly!

(I tried and tried to get him to put those hands down and out of his face...but he loves them!)

He even started flirting with the camera.

I can't believe it has already been 2 months!

"a man of hands..."

2011-08-22T10:35:00.004-05:00

Recently, Jack was given an activity mat. I didn't even have an activity mat on my radar because they're just, well, a little too bright. I mean, look at our bouncer. It's simple and calm. But in the past few weeks, I've realized that Jack might really enjoy one.

The Evans had borrowed a mat that Jack played on one morning while we were home. And he loved it. And since getting the mat, he has had so much fun on it!

And yeah, it doesn't really fit with our "decor." But I am learning that most baby things don't!

I know he's being all serious here, but he is usually cracking himself up while playing with the toys. He especially loves the octopus that hangs over him!

We love seeing all of the new advances Jack makes everyday (although it makes me sad, too!). Several times Bech and I have wrapped one of his hands around the rings that hang down. Today I was washing dishes, while Jack was playing on the mat. When I finished up, I saw that Jack had found rings for both of his hands all by himself!

We have a genius!

Okay, don't worry--I really don't think that because Jack can now wrap his hands around toys by himself that he is brilliant. But he seems pretty brilliant to us!

Babywise update

2011-08-21T08:36:00.002-05:00

So this post is mostly for me. I want to have records of how Jack was doing and what his schedule was so that I can look at it months and years later. And I know that if I write it down somewhere, I will just lose it.

Plus, if anyone else is doing babywise, this might help them with their own schedule.

Okay, Jack is 2 months tomorrow, and we are on a 3 hour schedule:

7 a.m. -- wake up and eat. I'll let him sleep until 7:30 for this one. Usually he is up around 7 or 7:15.

8:15 or 8:30 -- go down for a nap.

10:00 -- wake up and eat.

11:15 -- go down for a nap.

1:00 p.m. -- wake up and eat.

2:15 -- go down for a nap.

4:00 -- wake up and eat.

5:00 -- go down for a nap.

6:00 -- wake up and eat. In the next two hours, we give Jack a bath (not every day, just when he needs one), get him ready for bed, etc.

7:45 or 8:00 -- eat, go to bed.

10:30 ish -- dreamfeed

4:30 a.m. ish - Jack wakes up and eats. I unswaddle and change his diaper, then reswaddle.

A couple of explanations:

The 4, 6, 8 feeding schedule at night is called a "cluster feed." Jack is sleeping longer at night, but I still want to make sure he gets 8 feedings in a day. Thus, we cluster feed.

A dreamfeed is just a night feeding in which you don't wake up the baby. I started doing it a few weeks ago. At first I wasn't sure it really was worth it, but now I like it. Part of the reason I was hesitant was that I have to stay up a little later. I would really rather go to bed at 10. But it is better (at least for me) to stay up later rather than be woken up twice at night. It makes a big difference in the way I feel. Also, I pump for the dreamfeed. It lets me see how much he really is getting, plus Bech can help with it some nights.

He's doing really well on this schedule. He was off a little yesterday, so he ate earlier some of those times. I think it's because he is sick so he hasn't been eating as much at some of his feedings.

One great thing is that we haven't had to do much "cry it out." For naps, I watch for tired signs: yawning, red eyes, maybe a little fussiness. I then take him upstairs, swaddle him, and put him down. When he was 4 weeks old, he cried for 2 days (and even then it was only for, like, 3 or 4 of the naps and only for 10 or so minutes). He cried a few times while we were home. But here at our house, he never cries for naps.

This week he has been waking up early for naps. Again, I think its because he's sick. He'll start coughing and then wake up crying. Thursday and Friday, I decided not to fight it when it happened (because he only had 30 minutes left for those naps), brought him downstairs, and put him in the swing. But Saturday morning, he woke up 30 minutes early, I went and soothed him (but kept him in the crib), and he fell back asleep!

Also, I think Jack is getting close to extending his nighttime sleeping even more. Right now, he is at about 5 1/2 hours consistently. He has done 6 hours twice. But he either doesn't eat much at his middle of the night feeding or he doesn't each much for his 7 a.m. feeding. So he is close to needing just one of them. But I am not going to try to make him drop one yet. He is doing so great for his age! I think in the next 2 or 3 weeks he will drop one on his own.

A few final notes:

If you are interested in Babywise and read this post, I would encourage you to try it! Some people think that Babywise means not feeding a baby when he's hungry. But if Jack is really hungry, I feed him, no matter what the schedule is. I have had a couple of times this week already where we have tweaked the schedule because he was hungry. But for the most part, he sticks to the schedule.

What I love about Babywise is how it affects me and how it affects Jack. I am an ordered person. I like to have a plan and a system. Babywise creates an order that I can somewhat depend on. I say somewhat because you do have to allow for your baby's changes. Jack might be going through a growth spurt and that throws everything off for a few days, for example. But overall, I know that I will feed him at the times listed above. I know that I will have free time during the day while he naps.

I also love how Jack does on this schedule. He is such a happy baby! He gets enough sleep and enough food (definitely enough food as evidenced by his 95th% weight!). He is smiley and so fun. He rarely fusses. He rarely just cries (other than waking up in the middle of the night and sometimes early from naps). He is, as my mother says, a "dream baby." And some of that is just his personality. He really is just an easy baby. But I think a lot of it is the schedule. I know Babywise is not great for all babies. But it is great for Jack.

Keller

2011-08-20T08:07:00.003-05:00

I have finally jumped on the Tim Keller bandwagon. I had done a Bible study of his in high school and read various quotes and articles of his. But The Reason for God was the first book of his that I read. And I absolutely loved it.

I would describe this book as a slightly more practical version of Mere Christianity. Keller isn't as poetic and eloquent as Lewis. But he does delve more deeply into scientific and political issues.

Here is my favorite section of the book (from the Intermission):

"Here, then, we have a way forward. We should not try to 'look into the sun,' as it were, demanding irrefutable proofs for God. Instead we should 'look at what the sun shows us.' Which account of the world has the most 'explanatory power' to make sense of what we see in the world and in ourselves? We have a sense that the world is not the way it ought to be. We have a sense that we are very flawed and yet very great. We have a longing for love and beauty that nothing in this world can fulfill. We have a deep need to know meaning and purpose. Which worldview best accounts for these things?

Christians do not claim that their faith gives them omniscience or absolute knowledge of reality. Only God has that. But they believe that the Christian account of things--creation, fall, redemption, and restoration--makes the most sense of the world. I ask you to put on Christianity like a pair of spectacles and look at the world with it. See what power it has to explain what we know and see.

If the God of the Bible exists, he is not a man in the attic, but the Playwright. That means we won't be able to find him like we would find a passive object with the powers of empirical investigation. Rather, we must find the clues to his reality that he has written into the universe, including into us. That is why, if God exists, we would expect to find that he appeals to our rational faculties. If we were make 'in his image' as rational, personal beings, there should be some resonance between his mind and ours. It also means that reason alone won't be enough. The Playwright can only be known through personal revelation. That is why we have to take a look at what the Bible says about God and the human condition.

In the Christian view, however, the ultimate evidence for the existence of God is Jesus Christ himself. If there is a God, we characters in his play have to hope that he put some information about himself in the play. But Christians believe he did more than give us information. He wrote himself into the play as the main character in history, when Jesus was born in a manger and rose from the dead. He is the one with whom we have to do."

If you haven't read this book yet, do it! It is an incredible book, both for Christians and non-Christians to read.

I just started his new book, King's Cross, and am really enjoying it as well.

Jack's baptism

2011-08-18T13:43:00.002-05:00

This past Sunday, we had Jack baptized at Faith Presbyterian Church in Brookhaven, Mississippi.

This is actually not our "home" church, per say. But we are in a strange situation. We are still members of Christ Presbyterian in Oxford. We left there for Malawi and attended IBF (on campus) as well as various village and local churches throughout the year. In Jackson, we attended First Presbyterian, and would have joined. But then I started applying to graduate school, so we decided to wait. This past year, we have attended Christ Memorial Church, but have not joined. It is a great church, but there are some issues that we disagree with them on. There is one PCA church in Vermont, but it is 30 minutes away. We attempted going there at first, but it's just too far. There is also a PCA church plant starting here in Burlington, but it will be a while till they are ready to baptize.

So we asked if we could have Jack baptized at Faith. Faith is really special to us. I spent the last 3 years of high school attending Faith. We were married there. Faith commissioned us to go to Malawi. My dad is an elder there and my parents are really involved. It is a sweet, sweet church full of people that love us and that we love.

I hope that the next place we live will have a PCA church we can join. But we are so thankful that we were able to have Jack baptized at Faith this past Sunday!

Here is Jack, in his beautiful baptism gown. My mom made it--isn't she talented?!? And yes, he has a pacifier in his mouth, but it was about to be time for him to eat, and he was getting fussy.

A lot of people have problems with infant baptism. But a lot of people also don't understand infant baptism. We don't believe that Jack is now a Christian. We don't believe his baptism saves him. We believe that we deal with a Covenant God, a God who has grafted us into the tree of his people (the Jews). We believe that in the same way that circumcision was a sign of God's covenant with his people, so Jack's baptism is a sign and seal of God's covenant with His people. One of the primary ways God uses of advancing his kingdom on earth is through believing families. And we hope and pray that God will do just that through Jack.

Here are the questions asked of Bech and me as parents this past Sunday:

1. Do you acknowledge your child’s need of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, and the renewing grace of the Holy Spirit?

Basically, do we believe that Jack is a sinner who cannot save himself.

2. Do you claim God’s covenant promises in his behalf, and do you look in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ for his salvation, as you do for your own?

3. Do you now unreservedly dedicate your child to God, and promise, in humble reliance upon divine grace, that you will endeavor to set before him a godly example, that you will pray with and for him, that you will teach him the doctrines of our holy religion, and that you will strive, by all the means of God’s appointment, to bring him up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord?

Here are a couple of articles and links that explain infant baptism much better than I ever could. And here is a link to the section about baptism in the Book of Church Order.