Life Lately - Wyatt

I've been a little negligent in updating the blog lately despite a lot of things happening over the past month. It's hard to believe it's March already! Spring is just around the corner and we can't wait! Cabin fever has kicked in (weeks ago, really) and we can't wait to be able to spend more parts of our day outside. There's so much I could blog about but for the sake of wanting to post this and needing to get to sleep, I'll keep it simple and try to update on more happenings in the coming days.

HALF A YEAR OLD!

Our sweet Wyatt recently turned 6 months old! I know I keep saying it, but I seriously can't believe how quickly time is going by. Funny how the initial months of having a baby can seem so long but before you know it, they're already closer to being one year old than they are a newborn! Wyatt is such a good natured baby and brings so much sunshine to our lives. He is eating his solid food well and is getting on a fairly predictable schedule during the day. He's getting pretty good at sitting on his own, he LOVES his big sister and is discovering his voice more and more each day, practicing his consonants, with his favorite being, "da da." :) He also been raising himself off the ground and getting in a crawling position....we anticipate this happening any day! Teagan crawled at 6 months too so it looks like Wyatt may follow in her footsteps!

Last Sunday we had the privilege of dedicating Wyatt at our church. We were honored to share the day with many family members as we publicly committed to living and raising Wyatt in a way that will guide him towards a personal love relationship with God! It was such a beautiful day in so many ways! Wyatt wore a blue knit onesie that Tim wore on his baptism day...so awesome! It even had a little cowboy on it. ;) The scripture verse we chose to be as our prayer for Wyatt has been our family life verse since our wedding day:

Ephesians 3:16-19 "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."



Wyatt with all of his grandparents!

Wyatt has recently taken a liking to his buddy, Bailey. He's also teething and is almost constantly trying to put things in his mouth. This is the only one of many pictures I took where he wasn't leaning towards Bailey with his mouth wide open. :)

Now that he's a little older and bigger, he can finally join in on the "rough housing" with Daddy rather than just watch Daddy and Teagan have fun. He LOVES flying, going upside down, and being tickled.

Wyatt and his friend Ryder during a play date!

The kids are finally settled into their respective new rooms and it feels nice. We kept Wyatt in our room longer than what I thought we would, mostly due to having to switch Teagan's room to downstairs (a post about this will come soon), re-do the nursery, Wyatt still waking up to feed during the night (we're working on that) and probably, most of all, because I just loved the comfort of being able to look up and see my lil' babe sleeping in his bassinet/pack n' play next to me and being able to be right there to care for him. I know having a baby in the same room during the newborn phase isn't for everyone, but it worked well for us and is a phase of the journey that I cherish. Nonetheless, it was time to make the move.

I enjoyed decorating Wyatt's new stomping/sleeping ground in an outdoor/cowboy theme. I actually bought the quilt (Woolrich Kids) before he was born, with the intention of having him use it on a regular twin bed down the road (thanks to my friend, Carrie, for giving me some adorable cowboy decor items from her son's old room!). Here are some pictures :

I painted these pictures based on graphics from the quilt and lamp.

Check out the tiny cowboy boots on the top shelf...ADORABLE!!! I can't wait until Wyatt can wear them in a couple of years. They were a special gift from his Nana and Papa with help from his Great Grandma Dock in South Carolina. :)

Goodbye...

Pillow.

Yes, after ____ years (I'm too embarrassed to admit how many....let's just say I remember using it when I was in grade school), I parted ways with my beloved pillow, my faithful companion at sleepovers, on road trips, in beds all around the world, my sort of security blanket. I even had it shipped to me after leaving it at a hotel during my honeymoon....that's how much I loved it, for sentimental reasons, really. I toyed with the idea of keeping it even longer, for these sentimental reasons, however, I've come to terms (with some help from certain other people in my life...hehe) with the fact that it's just plain...gross. So beloved pillow, thank you for letting me rest my head on you for all those years. I will forever remember you (tear). :)

Here is it's replacement. I promise not to keep it as long.

Hope you're proud of me, Mom. :)

Growing Up...

Our sweet Wyatt is becoming such a big boy! It's crazy how quickly 5 months has passed by...slow down, life!! His smiles and ADORABLE laughter light up our lives and some of his accomplished milestones as of late are rolling over (the day before his 4 month b-day) and starting rice cereal (the day after his 5 month b-day)! Teething seems to be in full force although none have broken through yet. Poor baby. Teething is such a long and drawn out process...no fun at all. We're guessing this is the cause of his recent night wakings. :( He's also been refusing a bottle lately and we're not sure we really want to fight/force it. Though having a little more "freedom" would be nice, I love nursing him and am going to do my best to stay positive and embrace this time because based on how the past few months have gone, I know this season won't last long and I'll never be able to get it back! Wyatt is truly a sweet soul and we love him so much!

He's been loving his jumperoo!

Ride 'em cowboy!

We caught his first rollover on camera!

After his first rollover...he was so proud! Tim, Teagan, and I were his cheerleaders. Teagan still cheers every time he rolls over. So cute.

We love to make each other laugh!

Teagan is an awesome big sister and takes such good care of her baby brother. She loves to help out in any way, aways alerts us to when he spits up or drools (she's wiping it here) and is the first to say, "You okay, Wy?" (in a very concerned, high pitched voice) if he coughs or makes a funny noise. Love it! Though she usually does pretty well, now that Wyatt is becoming more mobile and is playing with toys, Teagan has been a little more possessive and has learned the big "M" word...MINE! Needless to say, we're having more and more teachable moments lately. :)


Being the sentimental person I am (okay, and maybe a little bit of a dork), I couldn't resist this great photo op....the first time all four of us sat at the dinner table together! Before being able to sit in the high chair, Wyatt has always been in his swing or the jumperoo. Oh, the things that make my heart smile. :)

What a strong boy!

1st taste of solid food (rice cereal)!

It just doesn't get much cuter than this! :)

Birthday Girl

Teagan is still talking about her birthday...the balloons, her presents, having people sing the "happy birthday" song to her, blowing out the candles, her yummy cakes, the doggie plate she ate her food on, her relatives...it's so cute how memorable this birthday was for her. One of the reasons for this is probably because it was celebrated for about 3 weeks!

We enjoyed a fun day with just the four of us on her actual birthday (January 4), opening a few presents, making cupcakes, going to the Aquatic Center, and going out to eat. Unfortunately, though she enjoyed it, she was a little under the weather so she was not her normal, happy self. :( Boo for being sick on every birthday she's lived through so far (I realize it's not that many but still!). Our suspicion that she was feeling a little off was confirmed the day after her birthday in which she vomited in the car (on the way home from the doctor's office after confirming she had an ear infection). Beautiful. The few days following were really tough. She basically didn't leave the couch which is TOTALLY not her! It was so hard to watch her be sick and not feel well....we just wanted to take it all away! We're glad to say we all survived...with lots of cuddling and some help from Oma....and Elmo and Mickey Mouse (movies she watched on the computer while stationed on the couch).

My family came to celebrate her big day at the end of the week, followed by Tim's dad and step mom and then Tim's mom and step dad and Sara and Scott. All in all, this equaled out to mean a LOT of cake and a LOT of presents and a LOT of fun...a perfect world for a two year old! :) We were reminded, once again, how blessed we are to have such wonderful families who love our children so much!

All dressed up for her big day! This is the only picture I could get where she wasn't sticking her tongue out...see picture below. She forced this smile for me. That's when I knew it was going to be a rough day and that she was not feeling well!


Chillin'...so ladylike, I might add...in her new bean bag. :)

Making cupcakes with Mommy.
She was the sprinkle queen!

I think learning how to blow her candles out was the best part of her day. In fact, she had us relight the candles three more times after this just so she could blow them out again. :)

The Aquatic Center!
She was a little timid of the whole experience at first but eventually ventured out with us to the play area. She really didn't want to do anything but play with the little fountains that popped up from the floor and watch Daddy get soaked by all the waterfalls. :)


Out for a birthday dinner at El Rancho!

Oma and Teagan! My mom has been continuing the tradition of making a lamb cake for her grandchildren's birthdays...something my Grandma Oosting started when my dad was a baby! Love it!

Playing with her new Little People's house (it appears that Uncle Mike wasn't as excited about it as Teagan was....hehe). :) This gift has been a big hit and it's been fun watching Teagan learn how to play imaginative "house" with the little people. She even makes them go on the potty (the toilet in the house makes a flushing noise...these toys have come a long way since we were kids!) and adds her own noises according to what they are doing on the potty. :) Also, in case you're wondering, with Mommy and Daddy's help, she named her Little People the following: Kathy, Roberta, Steven, Suzie, Bob (the baby), and Buster (the dog). Hearing the way she says their names has got to be one of the cutest things ever. She loves her Little People very much. They do a lot of things with her...like paint!


Opening all of her awesome gifts from Nana and Papa after a great dinner and birthday cake!

I'm so bummed that I didn't take any pictures of the birthday celebration with Teagan and her Grandpa and Grandma (Tim's dad and step mom). :( Here's a picture of Teagan in the ADORABLE apron and chef's hat that they gave her. She LOVES to play with her pretend kitchen and food so this was perfect! She even thought it would be fun to dress up her horsie. Check it out. :)


We praise God for our lil' ray of sunshine and look forward to the adventures that await us in the coming year!

On A Lighter Note...

Teagan shut herself in the entryway closet today to poop (in her diaper). Knowing that she obviously prefers privacy when doing this (and yes, we've been working on the potty training), I left her alone for awhile but started to get suspicious of what was taking so long and what was making some ruckus in there (there were no lights on). I opened the door to find her pouring out piles of Bailey's dog food on the ground. Actually, not just pouring it out, but EATING it too. :) Yes, my child was sucking on a large kernal of dog food and didn't seem phased by it until I told her to spit it out because it was icky.

Silly girl.

Haiti

Almost 10 years ago, I had the privilege of spending one week in Haiti (including Port-au-Prince), a country that had captured my heart even during the years prior...and still does. It was truly a life changing experience, one that had forever altered the longings of my heart, my perception of this world, and the meaning of life. My heart has been heavy over the past 10 days for the devastation and suffering that the people of Haiti are going through. Many tears have been shed as I think of the level of anguish that fathers and mothers are facing as they search for their children and the scared children forever alone now without their mother or father's arms to hold them. I strongly believe in the power of prayer and will continue to lift up this country and the faces of those I met during my time there. I believe God cries with us and that His glory will continue to be revealed even in the midst of such tragedy.

Evidence of God and His glory can be seen in this video http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/kent_county/W-Mich-parents-unite-with-Haitian-kids, - my favorite is the 3rd video in the "click to watch video" stream - capturing the first moments that children were united with their forever families (the government expedited the adoptions after the earthquake). These children came from the orphanage in Haiti called God's Littlest Angels, an orphanage that Bethany Christian Services has been working with for many years (thankfully, though the orphanage was affected, no one was hurt, though they are still in dire need of food and supplies). I recognize some of the children and one of the families in the video from my past work as an inter country adoption social worker at Bethany. I love love love watching the kids and parents embrace one another. Praise God!

Here are some pictures from my time in Haiti in 2000:

Port-au-Prince




La Jeune (a village just outside Port-au-Prince where we stayed)





“Sometimes I’d like to ask God why He allowed poverty, famine and injustice in the world when He could do something about it……but I’m afraid God might ask me the same question.”—Anonymous

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