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!