6 months

Yesterday Israel turned 6 months....such a big boy! Last Thursday he went to his 6 mo check-up. He weighed 19.2 lbs (50-75%), 28.5 inches long (95%), and his head circumference was 17 inches (25%). He had to get poked twice and then they gave him an oral vaccine.

This was the first time that he seemed to have a slight reaction to his vaccinations. The next morning his leg was a little swollen where the shots were given and he was really fussy all day. I had to hold him for all of his naps....although I was sad that he was not feeling well, I have to admit that I enjoyed the cuddle time. He is typically not much of a cuddler. When he is tired he does better if I just lay him down, otherwise he will be distracted by his surroundings and it takes him longer to fall asleep.

Israel can now sit up all by himself. I still put pillows behind him because he doesn't know how to get out of a sitting position very easily. He is all over the place still with his rolling from point A to point B to C, etc. He loves toys and can focus on playing with one toy for quite some time.

I am loving being a mommy, it is the greatest! Israel is such a joy!

I can feel a tooth!

oh my! last Wednesday I felt a swollen lump where Israel's bottom right tooth is and last night when he was violently munching on my wrist I felt a little sharp thing poking me. I am not sure if it has actually broke skin yet but it sure feels like it. The only symptom he has had is shorter naps. I can't believe he is getting his first tooth....he is growing so fast.....already 5.5 months...yikes! I am sure the other one will be coming in soon.

He is one active little guy with the way he rolls around the room. He is getting pretty good at sitting alone, he can sit unsupported and alone for approx 5 minutes as long as he is not tired or in a new surrounding where he would rather observe things. He still topples over so I keep pillows nearby to soften his falls. He is talking much more, saying dada, mama, baba and other random squeals and babbles....how fun!! I love him so!!

Jer and I are stilling teaching 1 John to the youth group kids....what an amazing book that forces you to examine yourself and walk with the Lord. My prayer is that the kids would grow in their relationships with the Lord through this study. I have had some really sweet times with the Lord lately and he is challenging me to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and what He would have me do.

God Bless!

5 months

Israel is 5 months old today....wow....it is hard to believe he has been with us this long, yet I can barely remember life without him. He is getting more of a personality by the day. He really loves his daddy.....daddy is always making him laugh so everytime Jer even talks or looks at him he starts laughing. He is starting to look to mommy for approval....he watches me a lot and loves when I praise him. When he was 9 weeks old he started rolling from belly to back then a couple of weeks ago he rolled from back to belly and didn't do it again until this Monday. On Monday it was like something clicked and he realized he could get around the room by rolling all over the floor. He is loving that he can explore now. I came in the room the other day and found him trying to pull himself up to a sitting position using the leg of his swing with one arm. He is one strong little guy and I am starting to realize that it won't be long before we have to really start baby-proofing. It is so exciting to see him learn new things....I am so proud....but at the same time it makes me sad because it is the beginning of him growing out of the baby stage. I love him so much and I thank God every night for him.

In other news, I have started to plan a lock-in for the youth group. I think we will have it on New Year's Eve. It should be fun.....the kids have been wanting to have one so we thought we would see what we could do. I found some game ideas online and it should be a lot of silly fun. We will probably go bowling, have pizza, jer will give a message, and lots of games. Not sure yet what I will do with Israel....I could have him sleep in the playpen at church but it might be easier if I have someone stay at the house with him so he can sleep in his own bed. I have never left him overnight, but I guess I could still put him down that night and probably be home in time for him to wake up....we will see!

Israel's likes and dislikes

As Israel is approaching 5 months I am really starting to get to know him more so I thought I would post some of his likes and dislikes!

Likes:
to eat (breastmilk only, as of yet)
when daddy sings and dances for him
when daddy comes home
kisses- sometimes if you put your face real close to him he will grab your face and pull you toward his mouth with it WIDE open..haha!
to kick
to grab his feet and pull off his socks
when you get him out of his crib for naps
attention....if people are around and they are talking to one another he will often make noises until you talk to him and then he will smile and laugh.
bedtime- at night when it is bedtime he is ready and hardly ever fusses anymore..typically, when he is down...he is down!
to babble

Dislikes:
waiting for food
taking his late afternoon nap, but he is starting to be better about this as he is learning this is what he has to do!
not too fond of being where he can't see mommy unless he is really concentrating playing with a toy or doing something new!
when other babies cry or squeal..it scares him

He is a very good baby. He is usually pretty reserved when we take him out in public....he will hardly ever smile when we are around a large group of people...and will turn his head from strangers....BUT he does this to me when he is tired too! I love him and am excited to see how his personality develops over the next year.

Organization

This week I have been working on getting organized. I started Wednesday with getting Israel on a schedule. Before I was just basically following his lead...giving him what I thought he wanted but now he has a specific wake time, eat times, nap times, and bedtime. Boy, is it making life easier! He is napping way better as I have had him "cry it out" this week. I had no clue that he still needed to sleep so much. I read that babies in the 4-5 month range can really only stay awake 1.5-2 hours before they need a nap. Now that I think about it, I am sure I have been feeding him when he was simply fussing because he was tired. As of now he is scheduled to take 3 naps per day. The first two naps he naps great but the last one he is having more trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. I have decided I am going to wake up an hour before he wakes up each morning to give myself time to take a shower and get in the Word. It is hard to get up but I feel great once I do...it is a little me time and the house is nice and peaceful:)

Today, I started making lists so that I can keep up with housework AND care for Israel. So far I have barely been getting by on the housework. I wrote a list of things that I will do EVERYDAY, which is as follows: Shower, Prayer/Word, make bed, 1 load of laundry, exercise, dishes, sweep kitchen floor, and pick-up before bedtime. Then I made a list of daily tasks which goes as follows:

Monday- Empty all trash & grocery shop
Tuesday- General pick-up (pick-up every single thing that is out of place and put in its place)
Wednesday- Dust the entire house
Thursday- Sweep & mop kitchen and laundry room
Friday- Clean the bathroom
Saturday- Vacuum & general pick-up
Sunday- Plan grocery list

Next, I went through each room and wrote down things that need to be cleaned and categorized them as deep cleaning. These are things like clean floorboards, clean light fixtures, organize, clean curtains, wash windows, etc. I will choose one item from the list each day and cross it off after it is completed...when I finish this list I will make a new one and start over.

Then, I made a list of monthly tasks...these are seasonal things like cleaning windows inside and out, weeding, taxes, switching out clothes, etc. Each item has a month assigned to it....where I have the whole month to complete the task. I made spreadsheets to organize these lists and I have boxes next to each item so that I can cross it off when I complete it.

I feel so blessed to be a stay-at-home mom that I want to be a good steward of my time. So I am starting to look at my home like it is my job where I have daily goals and a schedule. I want my son to grow up in home that is in order and where he has consistency and a place where my husband comes home and can be blessed. That is why I start my day with a shower....like I would if I was going to work. Then the most important part is my time with the Lord.....what a blessing it is to seek Him early in the morning.

Next, I would like to figure out how to structure Israel's awake time but I want to leave some flexibility here. I want to make sure he gets time with mommy but I also want him to learn to play on his own and to have a good attention span....I think I will pray for guidance in this area because I am not sure what would be best. As he gets older, I want to be able to do activities with him each day to develop different skills....this will be lots of fun....coloring, blocks, painting, playing ball, ABC's, etc.

Well, this is what I have been up to.....not sure if anyone even reads this but it is nice to write about all this so I can organize my thoughts.

Now it's time for PJ's, ice cream, and movie on the couch with my hubby:)

4 months

Israel is 4 months old now and we are seeing more and more of his personality. He is such a blessing and I thank God every day for him! He is very quiet and serious when we take him out in public...we are not sure yet if he is going to be shy or if he is just observing his new surroundings. He loves his daddy and loves to watch him...it is so cute! When I am nursing him he will stop and turn his head if he hears his daddy's voice. As of now he is working on rolling from his back to his belly. He can roll onto his side but he still hasn't went all the way yet.

In other news, I have started to write out the Bible and I have to say that it has been awesome so far. Writing out the words of the Bible helps me to really think about what I am reading and the Lord has really been working on my heart about some things. I know...this is going to take me forever! I got the idea from this guy I was listening to and he said he has been doing it for 9 years and he is only in the Psalms. But he said his written Bible with his personal notes is his most treasured possession. That is how it should be, after all, the Bible is THE WORD OF GOD!

We are still leading the youth group and are really starting to get to know the kids. Starting this week, Jeremiah's parents are going to watch Israel during youth group so that I can be more involved. We are actually going to separate the guys and gals, while Jer leads the guys and I lead the gals. I think it will be an opportunity to get more comfortable with one another and to open up a little more.....I am looking forward to it! Although I am a little nervous because I am not too sure what I will be teaching them as of yet. This week I am just going to share with them about myself and how I came to know the Lord!

In closing, I have to say I am so thankful to the Lord for my husband and little boy! I have such an amazing husband who truly desires to please the Lord and now we have our love to share with Israel. My prayer is that each day Israel will see the love of Jesus in our lives....even now!

Time to catch up...it has been a while!

Our baby boy, Israel Jackson, was born June 6, 2009 and he is such a blessing from the Lord. He weighed 8 lbs. 14 oz. and was 21 inches long. I had to be induced which I was not happy about because I was planning to go the all natural route. But the doctor said my fluids were too low and so I was induced. I made it to 8 cm without any pain relievers but the nurse told me it could be another 3-4 more hours before I was ready to push....so, I caved and had the epidural. In the end, I was glad that I got the epidural. The pushing was really intense even with the epidural b/c I was not completely numb. I had back labor but overall I had a really smooth delivery.

Now, 3 months later, I am absolutely loving being a mommy. The last time I weighed and measured him he was 17 lbs and 25 1/2 inches long. He is definitely a BIG boy. He started off having a pretty difficult time latching on and getting the hang of nursing but around the 5th day he finally figured it out. This was a loooong 5 days for mommy and daddy!! But obviously, he now has the eating thing down pat. I am still exclusively nursing and plan to introduce solids as late as I possibly can. He is in cloth diapers so the longer I wait on solids the easier it will be for me as far as washing his dipes.

Israel is doing all sorts of things. He makes the funniest faces and cutest sounds.....he cracks me up!! He rolled over for the 1st time starting right at 2 months (from belly to back), and starting doing it every day at 2 1/2 months.

The Lord has blessed us so much by giving me the opportunity to stay at home and raise Israel. Being a stay at home mommy has been a desire of mine for the long time and something I have prayed about long before Israel came along. It is definitely answered prayer b/c there was a time where we definitely needed the second income. Jeremiah has been blessed with plenty of work, even in this down economy. It is awesome b/c he even gets days where he doesn't work and gets to spend the day at home with Israel and I. Other days, he has to work very long hours but we are amazed at how the Lord has provided for our needs.

Well, this is it for now.....I will try and keep this up to date from now on as I would like to keep track of Israel's growth and development. God bless to whoever may come across this blog!!

27 weeks

Tomorrow I will be 27 weeks pregnant. I have been having a fairly easy pregnancy so far, with the exception of the back pain I was experiencing last month but that only lasted for a couple of weeks. The baby is moving more vigorously and he has recently started getting the hiccups. I love to sit on the couch and watch my belly move. I don't know if I already wrote this on the blog but we have decided to name him Israel Jackson. Israel means "governed by God" or "God prevails" and Jackson means "son of Jack"....haha, I just like the way Jackson sounds! I cannot wait to see what he looks like and to get to know everything about him. I feel so blessed to be able to carry a child in my belly....it is such a miracle:) I will post my 25 weeks belly picture.

My sister-in-law, Claudia, is throwing me a shower on April 18th so that will be a lot of fun!!

20 weeks and it's a BOY!

We found out last Thursday that we are having a BOY! I was in shock but so excited because I was secretly hoping for a boy! Jeremiah and my grandparents went with us to the ultrasound. It was very special. We plan to name him Israel Jackson. I have been feeling the baby move for over a month now but it just gets stronger every week. Last week Jeremiah was able to feel the baby move too! He said, "Now that was cool!"

In other news, as some friends of ours and youth group leaders plan to move to Lexington, Kentucky......we will become the new youth group leaders! We are pretty excited about the opportunity to minister to the youth of Calvary Chapel.

The pics I posted are of the baby's last ultrasound and a pic of my growing belly from a few weeks ago!!