Goings On

First of all, let me say Happy Mother's Day to all the other mothers and grandmothers out there. What a special occasion this day becomes after you have your first little bundle of joy. And today I realized that my little bundle of joy is no longer so "little"...he has just grown up before our eyes. This week he got his 2ND hair cut, and just looks so much like a little boy!

He is constantly frustrated that he can't crawl or walk or employ some other form of forward motion...so, we got him a walker. But he can only walk backwards in it. Hence more frustration.

Despite what my mother would say, I have absolutely no idea where he gets his strong will and determination. Must be his daddy's genes! We even started going to "mother's day out" at a local church in an effort to provide outside stimulation, not only for the little man but for Mommy too. After 6 months in the house, it was time to spread our wings! Even though I couldn't help feeling a little sad packing up and labeling all his little stuff, I think he enjoyed getting to go play and meet other little guys. Mostly he just chews on the toys :)

In other news, we decided to plant a garden this year, despite the fact that I historically have a black thumb, and have been known to kill anything in a pot including cactus and ivy. However, things seem to be going surprisingly well. We have squash, beans, okra, lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes. Props to Jim for the bed construction :)

And, finally, I have to brag just a little. Today was the first day James and Daddy spent time together out of the house without Mommy, and while that still makes Mommy nervous, I have never seen him so excited. Whether I like it or not, my little man is growing up, and with that comes ever-growing independence and a need to do "guy stuff" with Daddy ;). This time he got to accompany Jim on his weekly pilgrimage to Lowe's, then they stopped to get Mommy her first Mother's Day present. He even signed the card, with a little help of course!

Well readers (however few of you there may be), I will leave you with a wish for a wonderful Mother's Day tomorrow. May you be as richly blessed as I have been this year!

"Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her."       ~Proverbs 31:2

The Little Man

Sitting down at my computer tonight, I realized how LONG it has been since I updated this thing! How time flies when you're...busy. There have been lots of new developments lately, specifically with our Little Man. At 5 months and 1 day old he decided that he was tired of being horizontal, and started sitting up! He also decided that he was bored with just drinking plain old milk all the time and declared himself a solid food eater. I say "declared", because he would not be denied...after plunging his chubby little hand into multiple plates of our food and attempting to shove whatever he could grab into his mouth, we figured he was ready ;). Of course, like every nervous new mom, I had read all the blogs and studies and articles about how detrimental it is to give your baby the evil solid food before they are officially 6 months and 1 hour old, and about how if you did they would turn into one big allergic hive and be cursed with constipation and/or diarrhea for life. So I fretted about that for a few days and tried to pacify him with tasteless rice cereal in formula. However, as we are quickly finding out, this little guy has his own ideas about most everything. It's his world, we just live in it! To date we have downed everything from sweet potatoes (the favorite) to peaches, squash, bananas, avocado, and I think a few "unapproved" substances from Daddy when Mommy wasn't looking. And he's still alive. Today we even sampled an apple-cranberry slush from Sonic because Mommy was silly enough to assume that a 5-month-old can't drink from a straw! I'm starting to realize that the Lord gives you by way of your children exactly what is necessary for the refinement of your OWN character. For example, before James came into my life, I was definitely somewhat of a perfectionist, liked things in their place, did NOT appreciate last-minute changes of plans, and was not heavy on the side of patience...enter Little Man. Now things are never perfect, always messy, and usually unpredictable...and it's fabulous :). He has brought so much joy into our lives, and I am sure he teaches me much more than I could teach him. Well, it's been a long day so I will bring this to a close. I hope to start writing more often, as once every 2 months is definitely not enough! I'll leave you with a pic of our little munchkin:

      "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord..."                                          ~Psalm 127:3

"Just a Mom"

Well, it's a gloomy day here today so the little man and I are stuck (again) indoors for the duration...37 degrees and raining, I say bleh! It wouldn't be so painful if we hadn't been in quarantine for the past 10 days or so with our first baby cold...and what a learning curve that is. It just breaks your heart when your little one is sick, doesn't it?

Today I wanted to talk about something that has been on my mind. As you know from previous posts, most of my life to this point has been spent in school or working, and I recently quit to stay home with our baby. This has definitely been a huge adjustment, as I had gotten so used to being away from home all day. Having careers as a nurse and then a nurse practitioner were both challenging, exciting, scary, and rewarding. People depended on me for everything from advice to lifesaving intervention. And then one day, it all stopped and I found myself at home away from all of that. I have struggled somewhat with what I call the "Groundhog Day" effect...every day is much the same. As a new mom you spend time changing diapers, rocking, playing, soothing, feeding, etc. It doesn't take long to start thinking that what your doing is neither noticed nor appreciated. Heck, most days you don't even put on makeup or "real" clothes, and getting a hot shower or bath to yourself is a luxury! After weeks of these feelings building up, I expressed them to my husband who, holding our son, pointed to him and said, you think this is a waste of time?? Look at how much you have accomplished! And there's nobody else in the world who can do this job like you do.

I guess what I am trying to express is that, like many new mothers, I had begun to think that unless I was getting up and tackling the world abroad every day that my life had no meaning - a sentiment too often echoed in our society today. Nobody cared how well I kept James on his schedule or how clean or well-fed and happy he was. And nobody sure noticed all the hard work it took to then fit in laundry, cooking and cleaning into the day as well. But I was wrong. If you're still reading this I'm guessing there's a good chance you are not only female but a mother yourself. So, today I want to offer encouragement to you and myself as well that the gift of motherhood is a high calling. No matter what else you do in life, it is the most important "job" in the world. Next time you find yourself thinking, or telling someone, "I'm just a mom", remind yourself that it is truly a privilege to be the conduit of God's love to your precious little ones.

"Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her."  ~Proverbs 31:2

Reflection of Love

Hello again, friends! James just finished eating and is happily swinging and watching cartoons, so I will take some time to think about something besides spit-up and diapers ;). (I know, 3-month-old watching cartoons...if I had a dollar for every time I said "I'll never...") Anyway, earlier when he was napping, I found myself as I often do creeping silently into his room and watching carefully as his little chest rises with each breath. I then take a reassured breath myself, and return to whatever I was doing. During these times when I'm watching him so closely I think about how amazed I still am that he is here and how much I LOVE him. I love him sooo much, I never want anything bad to happen to him, I want him to always be smiling and happy, and for his life to be perfect. And, of course, I know that is not reality. In reality he will cry when he doesn't get his way, and skin his knees, and get his heart broken. But, if the way I feel about my little guy is just a small glimpse into the way our Heavenly Father feels about us, then I am blown away at how much we are loved! It must hurt His heart so much when we are rebellious and hateful toward Him. Just like right now at this young age, I can smile at James and he will predictably smile back. When I go to get him out of bed or sit down to play with him, he is beaming that his Mommy is there. I know that will not always be the case, such as when he is a teenager, but I will love him just the same :).

I know last time I only included a "newborn" pic of the little man, so I thought I'd add a more recent one. Here's James at 3 months:

Cute little stinker, huh? Of course, I am rather biased...

"If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"                                                             ~Matthew 7:11

A Little Background...

Hello fellow Bloggers. To be honest, I never thought I would find myself here, but here I am. Not just creating a blog, but also on the threshold of a new and very different kind of life adventure. It has been a recurring pattern throughout my life that just when I think I have things somewhat "figured out", just the way I think they should be, I could not be more misguided. You see, we spend our lives making great plans and timelines and agendas, only to discover that the path does not lead us where we thought it would. Thankfully, our Father in Heaven has designated our days not to give us every whim of our hearts, or to leave us to "figure it out" on our own, but to gently guide us and mold us into His image for His glory. Just as He has been an ever-present guide and comforter through the many ups and downs in my life, I know this season is no exception. There is simply no other way to explain the gentle stirring that I have felt deep in my heart. A stirring that has led me into a new chapter of life - motherhood.

After much prodding and "encouragement" from my friends with blogs, I've finally decided to take the plunge so to speak and start recording our lives in pictures and words. I think it will be a creation to treasure for years to come. Hopefully it will offer my son a window into his mother's heart and thoughts during these precious days of babyhood, and childhood, when he is older. Maybe I can also offer some encouragement, or even just a laugh, for another mom out there struggling to figure it all out. I can say after just 3 months of this adventure called motherhood that it is the most challenging, joyful, heartbreaking, and worthwhile "job" I have ever had, and that there is no way I could have anticipated the impact this little guy has had, and will have, on my life.

So, without further delay...I will introduce you to the newest love of my life, James Arthur Evans IV:

This picture is from his "newborn" photo shoot, I think he was about 10 days old. He has grown so much since then, it is so fun to see how he changes every week! He is now 14 weeks old, and has gone from 7 pounds 4 ounces to 14 pounds 9 ounces! He was born October 26, 2011...and our lives have changed forever. I have gone from being a "career" girl, working 5 days a week, to a "stay-at-home" mom, working 7 days a week! And what a transition it has been...hence the title "A Work in Progress"...both appropriate for this season of life, and to describe myself in general. I hope to talk more about that in the future. My apologies for such a loooong first post, but I guess I have more to say than I thought! Until next time...