A Reason to Celebrate!

What a joyous sight - Gage is actually smiling in the bathtub!

He has not liked his bath, ever. So last Saturday when I found this duckie tub at a garage sale I thought it was worth a try. It wasn't immediate, but for the past two baths now he has smiled and splashed and not cried a bit! Woohoooooo!!

Look at this little happy cutie:

We are so happy too!!!

A Multi-Purpose Pampers Box

Here is Gage's latest trick: pulling himself up on the Pampers box! (He can also pull himself up on the side of the bathtub!) He's almost able to pull up on the couch, but for now the box is a big help! And you can see he's pretty proud of himself...

More Cheese Please!

Gage is just starting to eat finger foods. We've been practicing with cheese...


and Cheerios.

I'm so excited to think that we can keep him happy a little longer in the highchair now! :)

Little Playzone Lifesaver

Once again, I made a good purchase through Ebay that my hubby has to admit to...! A Little Playzone.

This thing has come in so handy as we have needed to "babyproof" since Gage has started crawling! I love that it can become a rectangle enclosure if need be, or in our case right now, a long gate blocking two areas!


Gage likes to spin the spinners and play the music in the activity center.

Eventually we will mount a real gate at the top of the stairs, but for now this is working out great!

Growing Hands

Oh, those hands! Remember this post? I am still in love with them. They are so sweet.


So perfect.

I will never, ever tire of them...

Pregnancy Update - 25 Weeks!

I feel terrible that poor Baby E2's progress is being neglected! Of course with Gage I had no other distractions, or interesting things to blog about for that matter!

I have been feeling lots of movement since about Week 15, and finally last night Craig felt it too! It all comes back so clearly from last time...putting Craig's hand on my belly almost everyday and asking, "Did you feel that?" "No." "Did you feel that?!" "No." And then finally, "I felt that!"

25 Weeks Pregnant with Baby E2:


23 Weeks Pregnant with Gage:

I have felt much bigger, sooner, this time around, but I guess it looks pretty similar compared to last time!

Praise the Lord everything has been going very well so far and I feel great! Gage is excited to meet his little brother/sister too...

A Big Hurdle Crossed

A few months ago I had the idea that Craig and I should take a little trip before the new baby comes and leave Gage with Grandma and Grandpa. I first thought Galena would be nice, but later decided to stay closer...

The time came this last weekend. Honestly, I was looking forward to it, and dreading it at the same time. As I have posted before, I am a worry-wart and can't stand the thought of Gage being hurt or lonely or scared! Well he did great, according to Grandma and Grandpa! And so did I!

We started out our "date" with a movie, something we just don't get to do these days! Then we checked into our B&B, the Beiderbecke Inn, located in downtown Davenport overlooking the Mississippi.


That night we walked to a great restaurant called, The Woodfire Grill, which was recommended by our very nice innkeepers.

The food was fantastic! But it was a good thing we weren't in a hurry because the wait was excruciating. We found out they were short-staffed and busier than they expected to be. Without complaining to anyone (but each other!) we were given a very nice surprise upon leaving...the owner himself came over to us and apologized for everything, handing us a gift card for two free entrees so we can come back and see what the restaurant is really like. We were impressed and we will definitely go back!

On Monday morning we had a delicious breakfast and enjoyed visiting with the other guests, a fun benefit in staying at a B&B. Before heading back to Craig's parents we went down to enjoy the view of the river (and take some silly pictures).

We had a great time and will surely do it again soon, but I couldn't wait to get back to Gage! And just as I predicted, he didn't get too excited about seeing me! He was a little preoccupied with being cranky when we got there since it was getting close to his naptime. But I didn't care, it felt so good to be the 3 (1/2) of us again!

8 Months Old

Dear Gage,

Could it be? You are 8 months old already? The months keep going by faster and faster and before we know it, you are going to be a big brother! But for now you are our one and only, our pride and joy, the apple of our eye. And that won't change when your little best friend arrives, you'll just have to share the spotlight!

A lot has happened this past month! For starters, you are crawling! It only took about a week for you to show signs of this coming on. And all of a sudden you can crawl and sit up from laying down and just plain move around!

Your two top teeth have broken through! One day I thought I saw two white buds and the next they were poking out. You have handled it beautifully...no crankiness like with the bottom two...

Ears ears ears! You love to have your ears q-tipped and stroked! I can tell it is very calming for you because you let me do it and seem to stop all activity and lean in closer. You have discovered my ears too and like to play with them.

When I am on the floor with you, you like to crawl into my lap and cuddle for a bit, then you are off again. It is one of my favorite things! When I am talking on the phone you like to watch me and then eventually you are in my lap hanging on to me for dear life. It is the cutest thing! I am not sure why you do it but it happens every time the phone call lasts more than about 10 minutes. You must not want me to forget about you!

Some of your favorite things are:

Your Mommy and Daddy! You will let others hold you for a little while but eventually you make it known that you want back in our arms, especially if we are in reach. When you are tired it is usually only your mama who has the right touch...

Your little push-car! You might even like it more than your stroller now...

Reading books before naptime. You have your favorites and let us know if the one we're reading is not one of them...

Being held upside-down. Daddy did it so much early on that now you tip yourself over in my arms for me to do it to you too.

Laughing! You have the most infectious laugh. Sometimes we have no idea what is so funny! It makes us (and others) laugh and the cycle continues...

Oh my sweet boy, how I love you so! You are God's gift to me, my wish come true. I pray that you will grow up confident and secure in who God created you to be. May I be a good teacher and example of Christ's love. You are our shining star!

Loving you always,

Mommy

A Confession...

I am an over-protective worry wart of a mother!

And I don't want to be this way! I know I need to give all of my worries and fears to the Lord. I know that He is in control. I know that His Word tells me not to worry and fear, that those feelings are not of God. I know these things and I still worry! I do have confidence that God will answer my prayers if I trust that He will.

In the meantime this is what I think about...that when Gage is not in my care he may find something in someone's house and choke on it. That he will get hurt somehow when no one is looking. That he will be sad, scared, confused without me there.

The good news is that I am working on it! First of all, I am devoting time each day to pray! I am also going to start swapping childcare on a weekly basis with a friend from church, which I am very excited about! And this weekend we are leaving Gage overnight with Grandma E while Craig and I spend a night at a Bed & Breakfast in the area. That was my idea by the way! And I am excited about it and dreading it at the same time...

Does anyone have similar experiences? Was it worse with your firstborn? How have you overcome your worries and fears?