Finally!

I'm happy to report that Thomas is finally starting to crawl! We really thought he would skip crawling and just walk instead. While he does like walking in his walker and occasionally will take a few steps before tumbling face forward in our arms, he has now discovered how to crawl. I'll admit right now it is still an awkward crawl, but nonetheless he is trying!

What inspired him you might ask? I believe it was the kitty. Calvin, with the broken leg, was laying on the floor Tuesday and Thomas was playing with his toys a few feet away when Thomas spotted him. Thomas must have said to himself, "I've got to get that kitty!" The next thing I know he is on his knees going as fast as he can to get the kitty. When he finally got to Calvin, I think even Calvin was surprised and quickly moved!

When he perfects his crawl , I'll post pictures. Until then, here is a picture of Calvin propping his head on his broken leg. We put a sock over his stint to try to keep from taking it off...a long story & a late night.

11 Months

Today our sweet Thomas is 11 months old. It doesn't seem possible that his birthday is only one month away. I can begin to see that he is becoming more like a toddler and less of a baby. Here are some of his most recent accomplishments or milestones:

• He is now eating table food! When I noticed he was starting to chew his Puffs, I started giving him our food and he did great. The only downside? He won't eat baby food anymore, and that was always convenient, especially when if I was in a hurry.


• He is finally able to sit himself up. This happened about 2 weeks ago. I went into his room one morning and he was sitting up in his bed playing with a stuffed animal. The peditrician said he would get it and thankfully, he figured it out!


• He is very close to walking. He has stood on his own quite a few times now and even taken a few steps between people. He still isn't ready to let go completely; he wants to know my hand is there to hold onto. (Although he let go of a table when we were in Louisville and tried to follow me and fell on his face! I had no idea he would try that.)


• He is talking a lot more. He can say "daddy" and "kitty." He even tries to say "thank you," which comes out as "tou you."


• He loves to sing and dance. Josh taught him how to sing "ha-ha, ha-ha" and anytime we sing a song to him, he begins swaying!
  

Thomas is a joy to us and I love watching him grow and discover new things. He is such a sweet and even tempered baby. Even though it is a little sad that he will soon not be a baby, I'm so thankful that he is healthy and growing. Below is a picture of my sweet baby last week waking up from nap time.

Sippy Cup?

I am currently trying to break Thomas' attachment to the bottle. The sippy cups have been tried before, but only for apple juice. This week, after buying different types of sippies, I decided that for lunch Thomas would have a sippy cup instead of a bottle. Thomas doesn't seem to like this arrangement too much. He only drinks a little bit and when I urge him to drink more, he pushes it away. Today, I fed Thomas his lunch around noon and he didn't drink much at all from his sippy, so Josh gave it to him again when he was in his walker a short time later. Well... a few minutes later we stumbled across the sippy cup....

Yes, there is urine in that toilet! After much begging, Josh retrieved it from the toilet, but it was my job to clean it off.

That pretty much tells you what Thomas thinks of the sippy. A couple of lessons learned: don't give him a sippy while in the walker & keep the bathroom doors shut! I will continue to persevere with the sippy, but I think I'll be using a different one!

New Furniture

Josh & I have been wanting new living room furniture for a long time. We were thankful for the furniture my mom had given us, but it just wasn't our style. The slip covers were a temporary fix and after four years were beginning to get holes. We have been saving for quite a while and in May, we finally began shopping for furniture. Those of you who have shopped for furniture know what a headache it can be. We visited multiple furniture stores, sat on countless pieces of furniture, and examined numerous fabrics. Finally, on May 31, and after 3 hours in Lay-z-boy, we bought new furniture. Because we picked out new fabric for everything, we had to wait about 8 weeks to receive it. Thankfully, it arrived on Tuesday. Here it is:

Couch, overstuffed chair, recliner, & lamp (shade is coming tomorrow)

We need curtains - that is next.
Yes, we need something different for the tv too - that is later too!

Two lamps are new too.

We also inherited a dining room table and china cabinet from Josh's paternal grandmother. Josh's parents were so generous to us and had it refinished since it is about 60 years old. We got this about a month ago.

We are missing a chair - the 6th one broke years ago and someone threw it away. If you happen to see a chair like this (style Duncan Phyfe) please let me know. I've searched the Internet, including Craig's List, and still haven't found anything similar. We eventually would like to have 8 chairs, but for right now one more would do.

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Our prayer is use this furniture for the glory of God. We want our home to be hospitable and to share the love of Christ with all who walk through our doors. You're welcome to stop by for dinner or just to talk!

Pigeon Forge Getaway

Our trip to Pigeon Forge was relaxing, a little stressful, and even convicting. We got there around 6pm on Friday, checked in with the rental agency, and then went to find the cabin. As I was backing out of the parking space, we heard this awful noise. Josh immediately got out to see what had happened. The right side of the front fender had come completely loose! There was a huge spike sticking out of the concrete in front of the parking space. When Josh parked, he apparently got too close to it, and when I backed up, it held on to the fender. We didn't worry about it too much while we were in Pigeon Forge, because the only time it mattered was on the mountain roads.

The cabin we stayed in was beautiful! We were at the top of a mountain road, and while it was a little scary driving up there (I always felt the car was going to fall backwards), it was well worth the view. We had a pool table on the ground floor; a living area, kitchen, bathroom, & porch on the 2nd floor; and two bedrooms and a bathroom on the top floor. Josh & I enjoyed sitting on the porch and even playing a couple games of pool (I was awful). Thomas also enjoyed the pool table (see pictures below).

We stayed at the cabin most of the time, because we just wanted to relax and not spend a bunch of money. On Saturday evening, we ate at the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant and had some of their wonderful apple fritters! Josh was very sweet to me and happily went shopping with me at the Tanger Outlet Mall.

Sunday morning we left around 11am, not realizing that everyone else was leaving at that time too. Once we got through traffic and ate lunch at Cracker Barrel, we were ready to go home. However, now that we were headed toward the interstate and driving around 55mph, we realized we couldn't drive home with the fender hanging loose, because it was dragging the ground. We stopped at a gas station to buy duct tape (we were trying anything we could), but as Josh came back to the car, a guy that we had seen earlier and had been very judgmental about, came over to help us. He told Josh that duct tape wouldn't hold it and we needed rope or wire. Thankfully, he had some rope and he fixed the car up for us. After he helped us for free, Josh and I felt very convicted about our thoughts toward him. He had tattoos all over him, and was wearing very baggy pants that showed half his underwear. More than likely, this guy wasn't a Christian, but instead of sinfully judging him, we were convicted of how we need to pray for him.

We are very thankful for the time to get away, but are glad to be home again. Here are some pictures of our trip.

Mini Vacation

This week our family has been in Louisville, KY. Josh had to take a class this week at the seminary. Thomas and I have visited with friends and taken lots of walks. Southern Seminary is such a beautiful place, and they are working to make everything look wonderful because the SBC annual convention is in Louisville next year to mark the seminary's 150th anniversary. While Thomas and I have been relaxing, Josh has been busy with his class.

Thankfully, he finishes today at lunch and before we head back to SC, we are going to Gatlinburg! We have rented a cabin, with a mountain view, tonight and tomorrow. Josh & I are ready to relax and just do nothing for a couple of days. We decided to rent a cabin because it was about the same price as a hotel room and we have a lot more space. Our cabin has a big porch with rocking chairs and a hot tub! We even have a flat-screen tv in the cabin! I'm sure we are not going to want to come home on Sunday. I'll post pictures next week.

Just a quick update on Calvin: He had his surgery on Monday morning and is now recovering at Josh's parents. He has a recovery time of 8 to 12 weeks - poor kitty. Thanks again to Josh's parents who so graciously took him to Greenville for the surgery, and now are giving him 3 medications a day! I've got to think of something really sweet to do for them!

Calvin, The Kitty

As many of my faithful blog readers (probably around 5 of you!) know we have a cat. Calvin was given to us right before Thanksgiving of 2006. He was 6 weeks old and just the cutest little fur ball (see picture here). A year and a half later, he has grown to be a rather large cat, and one of the sweetest cats we have ever met. He has NEVER scratched us intentionally, hissed at anyone, or bitten anyone. Calvin is very vocal about what he wants and lets us know when he has a need, such as wanting food or to go outside. Most of the time, Calvin sleeps in the house during the day and then goes outside all night. Usually, when I get up in the morning he comes to the window and lets me know he wants in to eat.

On Thursday morning, Calvin didn't come to the window. I called for him a couple of times, but he didn't come. I just assumed he was out having fun and he would come around when he got hungry. Thomas and I were leaving to run some errands around 8:30am and as I backed up in our driveway, I saw Calvin laying in the pine straw in front of the house. I called to him and he lifted his head for a moment and then put it back down. When I went to check on him, I noticed his face had abrasions and he wasn't moving too much. I brought him inside and showed him to Josh. We both assumed he had been in a fight and he would be better soon.

Josh called me about noon and said that he thought Calvin's leg was broken. He called the vet and we took him later that afternoon. We were so shocked to learn that he had been hit by a car and the abrasions on his face were road rash. Calvin's leg was broken so badly that putting a stint on it wouldn't be enough - he needed surgery or to amputate the leg! I was just trying to not get too emotional and so glad Josh was there. The vet told us she would keep him overnight and give him pain medication and fluids, and to make sure he didn't have any internal injuries.

Yesterday, the vet called back and told us that he was doing so much better! He was sitting up, eating, and using his litter box. We told her that we wanted him to have surgery (thanks to my dad's generosity!) instead of amputation. We have to take him to Upstate Veterinary Specialists in Greenville on Monday for his surgery. The only problem - we are going to Louisville tomorrow. Thankfully, Josh's mom and niece are going to take him for us. Calvin is doing well enough that we got to bring him home today. He is hobbling around, but so glad to be home.

Cloth Diapers

About a month and a half ago, I was browsing some forum topics on Upstate Moms, as I often do, and one topic caught my eye. Some mamas were discussing cloth diapering and one mama had linked a video of a lady demonstrating how easy cloth diapers are. Surprisingly, I was intrigued and wanted to know more. One of the mamas on Upstate Moms is a doula and knew a lot about cloth diapers. I sent her a message and asked if she would be willing to meet with me and give me more information. She graciously agreed and Thomas and I went to meet her at the end of May.

I had no idea until meeting her that there were so many options for cloth diapering. For those of you who think of safety pins, cloth diapering has come a long way. One of the best options is a diaper called bum genius. It is a pocket diaper and it has velcro to keep it in place (works much like a disposable). The great thing about a bum genius is it fits a baby from 7-35lbs! There are snaps on it that adjust to small, medium, and large. I was very intrigued, but obviously had to come home and talk to Josh first. Since I change most of the diapers anyway (he thinks it is gross), he told me to go ahead and get what I wanted.

The only catch? Cloth diapers last a long time (bum genius will probably last through three children), but they aren't cheap. Twelve of them are $200 at Cotton Babies. I decided to buy 3 bum genius (green, blue, & white colors) and a "try-it" package of Chinese prefolds and two covers for the prefolds. After finding the right detergent (you can't use just anything), I washed them and began using them on Thomas. And you know what? I love them! They aren't hard at all and for any mama used to dealing with bodily fluids, it won't gross you out. The only negative is they are a bulkier than disposables, but Thomas' clothes still fit over them. Until more money is available, I'm using 2 prefolds during the day with disposables too, and the bum genius at night because it keeps him dry all night long (11-12 hrs). Josh is even okay with using the bum genius if he gets him ready for bed.

Right now I wash about every 3 days. I just use a small trash can with a lid as a diaper pail and it works great - no odors. By using cloth diapers, I'm helping our budget and the environment. Plus, most babies who use cloth diapers potty train earlier. The lady I met with said her daughter began pooping on the toilet at one year and was fully potty trained by two - that is great incentive for me!

Here is a recent picture of Thomas in his green bum genius (of course Daddy put the shorts on his head - aren't daddies great?)