Playtime!

Over the past couple of weeks, Meredith has really come to enjoy "playtime". Smiles are now a regular part of her day , and she also does a lot of "talking". It's adorable!

While she prefers human interaction (as most of us do!), she also enjoys playing on her playmat (or whatever it's called).

Here are a couple of photos of her enjoying playtime today....she loves to look at the star that hangs above her....it plays music and lights up and always makes her smile and coo.

Wish I Was There....

Thanks to those of you who have been praying for our niece, Evangeline. She is at home, and doing so much better. Glory goes to the Lord for the amazing work that was done in her little body last week.

Here is a photo of her taken yesterday....she is healthy, beautiful, and absolutely precious. And, look at that smile!



I am a little (okay, a lot) bummed right now, as I had originally planned to be in Tucson this weekend. About a month ago, we booked a flight for me (and Meredith) and I was so excited about getting to meet my new niece, and almost equally excited to surprise Kir and Jon with my visit. And Kris was pretty excited about having some time with just Caleb while we were gone.

But, we decided, at the last minute, to cancel my flight......even though Evangeline was getting better, the potential risk of exposing Meredith to the flu outweighed my desire to go. So, here I am....still in IL, having to only look at photos of my beautiful niece instead of holding her and seeing her sweet face in person. Sigh...

But hopefully, I'll be able to head out there another weekend soon.....if not, they will be here for Thanksgiving. I hate to think about waiting that long to meet her, and for them to meet Meredith, but such is the life when miles separate you....

Most importantly, though......Evangeline is home and back to her "old self" (whatever that means for a child who is only 2 weeks old!).

Thank you, Lord.

1 through 14

I think my favorite part of this video is how he excitedly says "watch movie" at the end....he loves to watch whatever we have just recorded. =)

Pray...

Update (afternoon, 9/24):
They are going home....TODAY!
Keep praying that Evangeline continues to get stronger, that she keeps eating well, and that the Lord continues to heal her little body!

Praise God...I have NO doubt that He has amazing things planned for this little girl's life.

Update (morning, 9/24):
Evangeline has been doing better....praise God! Hopefully they will get to go home...soon!

Keep praying!

I am not sure who actually even reads this BLOG, but if you happened upon this posting today, please stop what you are doing and take a minute to pray....

My new niece, Evangeline, was born to my sister and brother-in-law just 11 days ago. She was born healthy and beautiful. Unfortunately, a high fever put her in the hospital this past Sunday and they have been there since. After many tests, they have ruled a lot of things out, yet haven't quite determined the cause of little Evangeline's sickness. As of this point, they are treating her as if she has H1N1.

Please pray.....that Evangeline's fever would go down, and that the Lord would heal her and take away the virus that is affecting her little body. We know that the Lord HEALS, PROTECTS and that He LOVES. In fact, His love for Evangeline is greater than we even understand....we have to trust that He is caring for her. Though we KNOW that, it does not make the sadness and frustration and fear disappear.

Please also pray for Kirsten and Jon (and my mom, who is there - in Arizona - visiting), that their bodies would resist this virus. Pray for comfort for them in this scary time.

So, whether you know this family or not, please pray to the Great Physician on her behalf.....He hears you.

Smiles

Meredith has been smiling for us for the past couple of weeks. If we talk high-pitched enough, hold eye contact enough, and smile enough, we usually get a little smile in return! Sometimes, she even responds to the peek-a-boo game that I play with her. I will look at her, close my eyes, and then open them slowly, and say "peek-a-boo" and she loves it!

It has been a lot of fun to see her respond to us!

Here is a quick clip of Caleb and I trying to get some smiles today. Not the greatest video, and definitely not the best lighting, but I thought it was cute.
**Note: Caleb calls Meredith "Neff"...not sure why! This morning, he was even calling her "Neffy"! So cute. =)**

Our Little Monkey

Today, we went with friends to Monkey Joe's....it was so much fun! Caleb absolutely loved everything about the place.

He smiled, he laughed, and he sweat....a lot.

We will definitely be playing there often throughout the winter!

Jumping...


Climbing...


Sliding...


Mom even managed to play a bit!

Latest Well Visits

Big Brother and Little Sis
(one of these days, our firstborn will learn to say "cheese" AND keep his eyes open...all at the same time!!!)


We took both kiddos to their well visits today....Caleb had his 2-year check up and Meredith had her 1-month check up. WOW! This last month has flown by.

They are both doing great! Healthy, growing, and happy (most of the time!)...=)

caleb...

Caleb has officially hit 3 feet....exactly 36 inches on the dot. My mom told me that my brother was 36 inches at his 2 year appointment, and he is now 6'4"....makes me curious to see how tall Caleb will eventually become! I keep joking around that, now that he is 36 inches tall, we should take him to Great America so he can ride the Whizzer!

Caleb impresses us daily with how much he is learning....as hard as it is sometimes to see our "baby" grow up, it is absolutely amazing at the same time.

meredith...

Meredith has been growing as well! She is now 9 pounds, 15 ounces (74th percentile)....she gained almost 2 1/2 pounds in her first month...yay! She is 21.5 inches long (55th percentile). While she definitely has her "moments", she is a precious baby. She sleeps great for us and is getting stronger by the day. She has been smiling for us for about the past week now....it is so fun to interact with her, and to be able to make her smile. She even smiled when Big Brother got "in her face" this morning! Love it!

This was taken of Meredith last Thursday,
when she was exactly 1 month old.



We are so thankful for our two precious children. God has really blessed us. Although being a mom isn't always easy, I can't imagine my life any other way.
Thank you, Lord.

I'm an Aunt, He's an Uncle, and They are Cousins!

Friday, September 11th, my beautiful sister and her hubby welcomed their first baby into the world....which makes me an AUNTIE for the very first time, Kris an UNCLE for the very first time, and Caleb and Meredith have their very first COUSIN!

Introducing....

Evangeline Meghan



We are so thankful that she is healthy...and she also happens to be incredibly beautiful!

Congratulations, Kirsten and Jon! We can't wait to meet your special daughter!

The First (of Many) Trips to Edwards

We made our first trip to Edwards Apple Orchard today....Edwards is in Poplar Grove, about 15 minutes from where I grew up...and my family has been going here for many years!

We enjoyed the time outside, had a yummy lunch, and picked up a few "staples" from their store...I am looking forward to doing some baking over the next few days with the apples we bought...and I am very much looking forward to going back again soon to actually pick apples from the orchard!












If you would like to check out the posting from one of our trips to Edwards last year, click here.

Lack of Labor Day

Yesterday, we spent Labor Day relaxing at my parents' house...thus the title of this post..."Lack of Labor" day. =)

We always get very well taken care of when we go "home". Yesterday was no exception! Caleb and Meredith got a lot of grandparent-lovin', we all got lots of beautiful fresh air, and my Mom did a fantastic job of feeding us all (as always)!

Tackling "Gampa"...


Playing on the slide...


"Hewwo!"


And, here are some pictures of what our little princess did most of the day!