3 years, 3 people, one who is 3 mos.

I'm gonna get a little gushy. I think I am allowed seeing as this is my anniversary. When I think about my husband my heart feels so full. I find him more handsome and sexy, more godly and patient, and just MORE of everything my heart desired. When we met, dated (briefly) and were married I knew that he was a gift from above. Every sweet thing he did I knew the Lord was winking at me saying, "Here, this is for you. I know what you desire, my Beloved. Seek no more crumbs--here is a feast!" However, unlike a feast, this gift keeps on giving. Unfolded before my eyes is a man who surprises me with his moral courage, his willingness to think outside the box when all around him are those who would never dare, his love for seeing others come to Christ, his devotion to me and our son. I never met a more amazing man. If you don't know him, you should. If you think me improved, you can thank him. If you think our son cute, it is due him. The good Lord, and eternal Husband KNOWS how to give good gifts. Thank you for these 3 years!

smiley face

welcome to mooooeeeee's!

We have found Moe's! We've missed it and were overjoyed to see it's familiar sign with "open" lit within. Had to commemorate with pictures.

our 9 hour drive turned 12 hour drive

We left for Florida on Saturday morning looking for coffee. We both had in our minds to go to Seattle Drip but lo and behold--closed for the 4th of July. So, we went to Cups which were thankfully opened. We made our way to Columbus, GA. Why? Glad you asked. David's sister, Sara and her family are there and offered to be the middle point so that if we couldn't go any further we could camp at their place. It only added an hour drive (so make it a 10 hour drive). We got there around 4:30pm after making 3 stops that were uneventful. We decided to take a chance and leave for Gainesville after resting at their place for a couple of hours. We mainly wanted to give little David a chance to be out of his carseat for longer than a feeding. The evening was a little more rough. Little David was tired and was harder to console, which brings me to my rant about carseats! I want our baby to be safe but I HATE that I can't hold him while we drive. HATE! HATE! HATE! It is simply unnatural. We got to the hotel and slept a really good sleep. We got about 5 hours in a row which felt great! We spent Sunday getting groceries and driving around the University of Florida to get oriented. So far, things are promising.

chunky monkey

I noticed that all the pictures I put on the blog show our baby looking tiny. Well, he is tiny still but way less tiny. He has caught up in weight. He went from being in the 10th percentile in weight to the 75-90th percentile in two months. The doctors were impressed and I have to say that I feel proud that it was my milk that nourished him. He weighs around 15lbs and is wearing some of his 6mos. clothes. He didn't linger in the 3 mos. category for clothing long enough for him to enjoy those clothes. Our arms are getting a workout since we are holding him so much. He's grown out of the "monkey hold" (as seen above). I'm glad we got pics of it.

He is smiling a lot and we love it! He has an adorable dimpled smile and I don't know that we've caught it on film yet...but we will. He loves to sit up with the help of momma and when he is tired of that view he "asks" us to stand up. He looks very proud of himself as his head wobbles on his strengthening neck. I can see how that is hard work since his cheeks alone probably weigh a lot. He allows us to put him in the swing way more. He spends close to at least 20 minutes in his swing daily. He loves looking at the mirror and dancing lambs. The ceiling fan holds an undefeatable allure for him--good thing we have one in every room. His parents are enjoying the more interactive David. It beats the gassy David of a month before. I love to talk to him in a made up language that I got from David sr. who I think got it from his older brother, Benjamin. I also love to kiss him. He is so very kissable!

happy belated birthday, cora godiva hogue

Our dog and part-daughter, Cora, has turned 2 this past May. I remembered the day but did not acknowledge it on the blog. People often ask us how Cora has responded to our new addition. Well, beautifully. When David was still in the hospital we would bring home blankets and clothes of his so that she could smell it and get used to that smell. When we brought David home, we bent down to let her sniff him and the introduction was over. The only difference we've seen is that she barks more at those who walk by our house and when David cries she comes to investigate. I can only assume she is protective and accepting of him into our little pack. David has not had much of a response when she sees a big hairy nose in his face. He also is used to the barking. I forgot that he actually heard that barking in the womb so he was already used to it when he was born. Here are some pictures of our "children" together.

a change of scenery

I changed the picture of my heading in the blog. Yes, I love my baby david but I was not intending to make the picture so big. I don't know how to make it smaller but I didn't want to change the picture because I like it so much. Eventually, I will have it printed and framed.

kitchen makeover sooner than expected

When we moved into our home, I had a vision for what changes we could make to up the value of our house and make living in it all the more pleasant. I've always enjoyed seeing the potential in homes and have a lot of fun obsessing over it. Well, for fun, David and I went to Home Depot to price countertops. I knew that replacing our laminate countertops would be wise. However, granite was way out of our price range. We looked at Corian and Dupont and came up with a price of about $2500. Well, we were glad to have an idea of how much it would cost but were not going to be doing it anytime soon. About a week later, David gets a call from a mom whose daughter needed Latin tutoring. In exchange she offered to give us....granite counter tops!! Wow! Her husband owns a local company. We picked our granite and our counter tops have been measured. We purchased a new stainless steel sink and faucet (at Overstock.com--a really REALLY good deal). So, soon we will see a dramatic difference in our kitchen. We would have had to pay around $3 grand for these counter tops. What a deal! I have to thank the Lord who gives good gifts--way bigger and better than we expect or deserve. After the countertops, we (well, me actually) will research some backsplashes and decide whether to paint our cabinets (leaning toward yes). I'm excited to see the changes.

david sr. is wonderful and i'm a schmuck!

Father's Day has come and gone. In my sleepy and self-absorbed way I didn't do very much to help David Sr. feel special. He is very special, in fact. His not-so-charming wife just couldn't get it together to make the day stand out for him. I got him a gift and gave it to him early and I also had a card for him. I never filled out the card so I didn't give it to him. I was planning on filling it out sometime that Sunday but it was a rough day with baby David. He was expecting something in the morning and I didn't realize that. So, anyway. I wanted to publicly praise my husband for his faithfulness as a daddy.

David is a great father because:

1. He is very tender and gentle.
2. He helps change the diapers and comfort lil' david when he is upset so well! and even when he is half-asleep.
3. He is proud of being his papa and proud to have others dote on him.
4. He encourages and helps lil' david's mama so that she can keep going with the constant and frequent feedings around the clock.
5. He thinks ahead as to how to bring david up in God's word and is ready to teach him how loving a Lord and Savior we serve.
6. He prays for and over tiny david.
7. He had a great example in duty and faithfulness from his own father and better yet our Great Heavenly Father.

And since it was father's day who better to thank than our Great Father in Heaven for all his rich blessings, watchful and protective eye, and sweet love. We love because he loves. We care because he cares. We do because he did/does. Thank you, Father! You have made our lives worth living. You have given us a great hope! You love us in very tangible ways. May everyone we know realize how great your love is and and how far you are willing to go and have gone to show us that love. Thank you for giving me my heart's desire in a godly husband and a healthy baby. I am always indebted to you!

what are other people doing?

My house is a mess! I don't mean that my house is a mess because I have my shoes in the living room (i do) or that the laundry is still waiting to be taken out of the dryer (it is) but I mean that there is a general filth. There isn't enough time in a day, arms growing out of our bodies, or energy to tackle the daily chores we used to do more regularly. This only bothers me a little compared to the lack of freedom I've felt lately. I miss being able to go for hours at a time to go out to eat dinner with friends, or shop, or hang out at a bookstore. When we do these things it is way more complicated than it used to be. I am sure all you mothers out there know exactly what I'm talking about and probably complained about it a lot less than I do. I like to travel light. But it is the biggest irony that I have to pack like I'm going away for the weekend just to go...anywhere! What is also funny is that I manage to forget at least one essential item. Boppy or nursing cover or extra outfit for our lil' pooper or meds. I can't keep a running list in my head anymore. I walk and talk as if in a strange fog where I can't quite get my thoughts together. I frequently walk away from conversations with this unsettling feeling that I forgot to say something or didn't say it right.

I am watching my son change and grow and look forward to it getting easier but then I remember what it is like to be around a toddler--tiring. And is this when I am supposed to want another one? Hmmm. The last couple of days were a little crazy so maybe that is why I am feeling more inconvenienced lately. One night I had an anxiety attack that happened suddenly and out of nowhere. I was scared that I was going to relive my first experiences with panic and anxiety. The next day I was so tramautized that before any words came out of my mouth I cried on David's shoulder. He was very comforting as he reminded me that I have a lot more coping skills to handle this than I did last time. He also thought that I was experiencing more of a fluke than anything that was indicative of my anxiety becoming worse. While I was crying I looked down at little david and he, with eyes wide open, looked up at me and smiled. Wow. Aside from the fact that he thinks his momma crying is smile-worthy, I thought the timing of that smile was perfect. Thank you Lord! It didn't cure me but it was a sweet moment. That day I didn't have much of an appetite. I ate some eggs and apples throughout the day. I went to try my first yogalites class since pregnancy and it was a great workout. When you add the amount of food I consumed plus an intense workout plus a child who seemingly is going through his 3 mos. growth spurt 2 wks early, you get a woman who could barely get out of bed for low blood sugar. I could barely call david to the bed and when he did I asked him to bring me juice, then cereal. It took me quite a few hours to recover from that. Once recovered, I've been more careful to pay attention to my hunger pains.

This post is getting radically long so I'll stop here. David says as much as I might complain I still look at little david and my eyes light up. I don't know about that but I have definitely grown attached. He is such a cutie!