On the road again

Gideon, Noah and I just got back from our first road trip to Chicago. We headed north on Saturday morning to visit our great grandma and grandpa Wittrock. Noah teased on the way home that I'd already compiled a blog in my head, and would be itching to write as soon as I got home. He was right! I had a great series of silly events all mapped out and ready to blog about like forgetting our toothbrush (ick!) and Gideon's middle of the night freak out. But, after downloading our pictures and movies from the trip, I thought I'd let those be worth the 1,000 words I'd already written in my head. These videos just prove that babies are truly magical creatures. They can make everyone feel better, laugh more and lighten hearts. Here is Gideon with his great grandma Rie Rie and his great grandpa Ern. I love it! These videos and pictures are so precious! I am so honored that Gideon was able to meet his great grandparents, and even more honored that they were so impressed with him. They are truly wonderful people. They are kind and loving; they possess so many values and ideals I want my boy to inherit. While the weekend was indeed filled with wacky stories I could most definitely blog about, I think what I will most take away was the awesomeness of the experience. On the way home, it dawned on me that this meeting would be like meeting with Gideon's children's children. Wow! I can't even possibly fathom. So, here they are. A boy and his grandparents. The videos are a bit dark, but lovely none the less. I told Noah he must now learn the pony boy song. And Grandma's giggles will long be with me. What a wonderfully perfect weekend!

Diapering an octopus!

Have you ever tried changing an octopus? Well, I haven't either, but I'm fairly sure that changing Gideon is as close as it gets! Lately our boy is all legs, arms and twists once you get that diaper off. It's madness! So, Noah and I have started our parenting and have begun using the "dad voice" to get him to lay flat and let us diaper him. Well, in my case, the "mom voice". Yeah, uh, not so much working here. For some reason, the "dad voice" works way better than the "mom voice". He just grins at me. Stinker! We have finally gotten him to the point where he starts to cry but lays there so you can change him. Yup, this parenting stuff is a breeze (sarcasm, people!) Today the little rascal got a little feisty during one of his changes so I whipped out the "GIDEON TIMOTHY!" That got his attention. Note I did not get to Patrick, I'll save that in reserve for when he's really bad! What struck me was that when we were choosing names, we tried out the full name to see how it sounded. Noah and I joked that a good full name would help in discipline and that we'd be using it enough, it ought to sound good when yelled at the top of the lungs after a naughty boy! We tried all sorts of combinations, but Gideon Timothy Patrick stuck. It was quite a surreal moment this morning when using it. One of those "oh wow, we really do have a baby" moments. I know it's silly. You'd think after almost 9 months I wouldn't have those moments. Well, I do. We'll get this diaper thing down, along with all the other curve balls he'll eventually throw at is. One day at a time, one change at a time. It's just a good thing he's so darn cute! Notice the tee shirt. Yup, he sure is!

What happens at Grandma's...

Gideon has the best grandparents. Hands down, they're wonderful. While I'll eventually blog about them all, today's ramblings are aimed at Grandma and Grandpa Cazzell. Each month, they keep Gideon one Saturday night to bond with him while Noah and I have a date night. Their idea. See why they're so awesome? Anyway, they claim they like to bond with him, but I secretly think they like spoiling him rotten! These are the grandparents who have given him his first taste of ice cream and coke, and recently purchased a tiny baby swimming pool for him to splash around in. Yup. Bonding. Usually it's the same old routine. We drop him off around 4 Saturday afternoon and return around noon Sunday to a fresh faced youngster and 2 smiling, doting grandparents. They offer us coffee and we discuss how things went. My mom has the same answers each time- everything was great, Gideon was an angel, didn't wake up once, ate exactly how he was supposed to, etc. My dad nods in agreement. We then pack up the boy and his 8,000 pounds of luggage and head for home. Good times. This past weekend was slightly, different? We arrived at 4 with a cranky little guy. I hoped (prayed?) he'd straighten up and fly right for Grandma. We went on our way. We returned around noon Sunday to quite a sight! Grandma's hair was quite disheveled and Grandpa's eyes were bloodshot! Our little angel was just grinning. Were those horns I saw under his sweet blonde hair? I could only imagine what he put them through! When I asked, my mother mustered all the tact she could and simply said, "Gideon didn't have a great night". Note she did not say, "You and Noah have spawned evil. Please do not ever bring him back". I think she had reason to state the latter. When I asked how it went, my dad proceeded to tell me he'd had a long talk with Gideon about when little boys should go to sleep. This was at 2 am. My mom mentioned that he didn't want to sleep at all, and that he'd pretty much been up since we dropped him off. Ever the optimist, she said she was sure he'd sleep great for us that afternoon. Bless her heart! Gideon can have those days where he boycotts sleep, and they're rough! I can only imagine for grandparents not used to having a baby not sleeping in their house, it was even rougher! Bless them for taking one for the team and not calling us to wave the white flag in defeat. So we loaded up Gideon. I could tell he was ready for a nap, and so were Grandma and Grandpa! Once home, our little man was an angel! Slept when he should have slept, was cute and perky and went right to bed. Little stinker! About 2 hours after we left with Gideon, I called my mom to ask her a question, and when my dad answered, I said, joking of coarse, "We need to bring Gideon back down tonight for another sleepover", and without missing a beat, my dad said, "Sure thing, come on down, we'd love to see him!" Is that love or what?

Jump around!

Ok, so Gideon and I are in a rather silly mood today. He's been all smiles (and drool!) since that second tooth finally popped through last night. So we decided to do a little jumping around in our cousin Jack's borrowed jumperoo. Couldn't help but tape it as it is quite the sight! He loves this thing! What a wonderful invention! Anyway, please enjoy the little wild man in action!

A letter to my son

You amaze me. You are so much fun to have around. I am so glad you are in my life. This morning as we were sharing breakfast, I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of love for you. I look at you, getting so big and learning so much and I am astounded. Humbled, even, that you are mine. That I get to share it all with you. You have 2 teeth now. Dad discovered the second one last night. You are so close to crawling, you can taste it. You can sit up all by yourself. You are a super hero! And you are all mine! I so much enjoyed taking you to the zoo the other day, and watching your expression as you saw for the first time, all of the critters of the world. Your eyes, wide with wonder, while you took it all in. I was giddy for you. I couldn't wait for you to see it all. I knew you would love it. And last night, while we read our books with daddy, you rubbed his head with one hand and firmly grasped my skirt in your other. So sweet! You looked at the pictures while dad read the story and you sat in my lap and relaxed. Simple evening, yet it meant so much to me. I am worried you're growing too fast. Can you slow down please? I don't want to miss any of it. Blogs and cameras and memories can only do so much. One day I think I'll turn around and you'll be all grown up. I have so much planned for us, Gideon. So many mud puddles to stomp in, forts to build and worms to dig up. So many books to read, adventures to share and ice cream to eat. I dream of Friday night snuggles in the big bed while watching silly kids movies you'll pick out, and Saturday mornings spent at the ball park cheering you on. I know it will all be here before we both know it, but I secretly hope it will wait a bit longer. Walking with you, holding you. Knowing you need me for every little thing right now. That's a very good feeling. I don't know if I'm ready to give that up just yet. I know, just like you are growing and developing at just the right pace, I'll grow with you and be ready for all your next steps. We can grow together. It will be our biggest adventure yet. I love you, my son. My joy. My light and life. Just wanted you to know that today.

Time flies

It is late for a Sunday. 8 pm and dinner still isn't done. Gideon's napping peacefully, finally, after a long day of fun. We started the day off at church with the Winters for Emma's dedication. It was a beautiful service in which we promised to honor God and help Emma along the way find her Savior. We vowed to be there for her and pray for her along her journey. What really struck me was that Carly and I were in the church of her old youth minister. We had come full circle. I remember going to church with Carly soon after she and I became friends. I remember seeing glimpses of Jesus through her youth pastor, Toby, and learning so much. While it was Noah who ultimately brought me to Christ, Carly and her youth minister definitely introduced me to Him. What I found so profound was that we were sitting there now as women with children of our own to worry about, where once sat 2 young girls. Amazing. God is good. He brought Carly and I together and has allowed us a friendship that is most precious. I couldn't help but reflect back to those 2 carefree girls who'd sat through Toby's class once before and wonder if Gideon and Emma might share a special relationship like their mothers.

And then this evening Noah, Gideon and I made a special trip back to where we first started out. The NICU at Community North. We brought cookies and joked along the way. Joking to cover the nervous feelings I had at going back. How would it feel to see it all again? To see our wonderful nurses again. While we had some of the finest ladies caring for Gideon, I knew it might be hard to see them again. It's been 7 wonderful months since Gideon's release from the NICU, yet those first feelings of terror and dread still bubble up at times. I knew it would not be an easy visit. I prayed that God would give me strength to go back once again to show off his wonderful works. I prayed I'd be able to push the nervousness back just for a bit, to make it through the visit. As the elevator doors opened to floor 6, it all came rushing back. The smell, the look of the lobby, everything. But, by God's grace, it was ok. As the big double doors opened mechanically, revealing the inner workings of the NICU, I made my way back to the nurses station with fresh cookies in hand. As I passed all of the rooms lined up, a trip I'd taken hundreds of times, I took a quick second to peek in at the residents. So small! Such a distant memory it is of Gideon being that tiny. I listened to the whir of machines, saw the monitors blinking away, the far off distance of the horizon out the 6th story window. How I remembered sitting and looking out that window so many times, imagining being anywhere but there with my baby. It is so easy now to take for granted just picking him up and going. How far we've come. After locating the nurses station and announcing my presence, I made my way back out of the NICU world and into the lobby to wait. Somehow this time it felt so different. I was an intruder. A visitor. Not a resident. No longer was I one of them. As scared as I was to go back, it was totally different this time. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief and waited with my two boys for our nurses to come out and say hello. I happily shared Gideon's current stats (17 pounds, first tooth came today, rolling over like a champ!) and listened as they praised my boy for being so wonderful. It felt good. Heck, it felt great! Now once again at home, back in my now normal world, where diapers and dishes are king, I feel so smug to have been able to weather the storm and live to tell about it. What a truly wonderful day today was.

Medium rare, please!

Yup, today is the day Noah's been waiting for. Gideon woke up after a rather fitful night with a big, fat tooth! Noah immediately began promising meat for our big boy. Gideon just giggled. Our boy is growing up fast. For a quick moment, all sorts of firsts flashed before my eyes and it was bittersweet. But for today, we will relish in our son growing up and enjoy it. We're headed to church today to watch Carly and Micah give Emma back to God in a dedication ceremony, and then off to the zoo for a day of fun with the Winters. Details, and pictures, surly to follow. The Son is shining, the day is perfect and we are going to enjoy it as a family! God is so good!

Good morning, sunshine!

I must be the luckiest woman in the world. I lead a charmed life. I have 2 men who adore me, and have wonderful ways of showing their affections. Last night, my darling husband came home late from work and tilled up my garden in preparation to plant this weekend. He knew how very important having a garden is to me, and has literally moved mountains to insure I have one. Then this morning, as my baby boy babbled from the next room alerting me he was ready to get up and start his day, I came in to find this- how precious is he? What woman wouldn't want a little alarm clock who looked this cute. Sigh. Just one of those great days to be alive. It may be rainy and bleak outside today, but my home is filled with sunshine and warmth!

Tricks are for kids

So our boy has mastered his latest trick- the sit. Yup, we are all about proper posture in this house! Check him out as he demonstrates his latest marvel.

Walk like a man

I hear very often from folks that Noah's blessed to have a son. That he will teach his son so much "manly" stuff. That Noah could never have stomached tea parties and estrogen if we'd had a girl. I smile, grin and chuckle to myself. Yes, all of those things are true, although I'm sure Noah would have been a perfect tea party guest (he's a big ol' teddy bear), but many of Gideon's early "manly" lessons have come from his momma. Yes, I know, shocking. If you know me, you know I am a girly girl. I like all things pink, I like shoes, I like to shop, and I hate getting dirty. And while all of that is true, it's also true that I wield a mean paint brush, can haul trash like the best of them and am quite the helpmate to my wonderful husband. I do all the yard work, and am a whiz at pressure washing. If something breaks, I attempt to fix it before calling in the calvary. I do not hesitate to hop in the man truck with my boy to go to the hardware store for something we're lacking. What I'm saying here is just as there is more to Noah than a rough, tough man, there is more to me than flowers and bows. I like the fact that I have a boy. I like the fact that he sees his mom tackle all sorts of projects while dad is at work. I like that he sees a strong woman working just as hard as his dad at making his house a home. The other day while I was hauling drywall and tile into the bed of the truck in preparation of going to the dump, I sat Gideon outside in his stroller so he could watch. We talked the entire time about how dusty the job was, how much daddy would appreciate our efforts, and just how much fun the dump would be. I loaded and sweated while Gideon chewed on his octopus and giggled. Seems fair enough. I also mentioned to him that this would be his job in a few years, so he'd better take notes. I hope one day in 10 or so years, while Gideon's out mowing the lawn or fixing the toilet, he'll remember who taught him those first valuable lessons about hard work. And I hope it will be his father and mother he remembers getting dirty!

Perfection

Several weeks ago, my mother-in-law snapped this picture of Gideon on the floor just as the sun was setting. Talk about right place, right time. It's perfect! And it shows how perfectly made my son is. I was praising our Father for his wonderful gift the other day, for 10 perfect fingers and toes, for beautiful blue eyes and curls in his hair. For strong legs and an even stronger personality. How great is our God for making such a wonderful creature! How blessed are Noah and I to watch him grow and teach him how to be a good person. How to love God and serve him faithfully. And the Lord brought this scripture to my heart while looking at my little boy. I think it sums up exactly what I am feeling at the moment.

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well."
Psalm 139:14