Hangin' With U. Luke

We haven't been blogging lately. Sorry! We'd like to post more often, but it's just been hard to find the time. Not feeling the pressure from any of you...don't worry. It's just something we'd like to do because so much is going on. So, we're going to attempt to post something each day this week to see if we can catch you all up. We'll see what happens!

To start, Gus had his first overnight trip. We did some house/"kid" sitting for our friends, the Currins, all weekend so we were away from home. Gus didn't seem to mind, so we're hoping that means we will be able to travel in the near future without any problems. One thing we did notice: kids travel with a lot of stuff!

Here are some pictures of Gus with Luke (the Currins youngest boy; the only one still at home; honorary Uncle). Oh, note to Gus: don't smile at friends more than to your own mother. She feeds you.

Playtime

What a difference a few days makes! Today Gus V was in such a good mood (and. therefore, so was his Mom!) that we had some playtime. Check it out!

Survival of the Fittest

I thought I should add a quick update since we haven't written much or posted many pictures lately. We haven't done all those things because we seem to be in survival mode at the moment. Gus has become more and more fussy lately and I (Amy) have cut out almost all activity other than trying to care for him. Scott has been a wonderful help, letting me go to sleep early and then just getting me up for nursing. He spent most of this afternoon with Gus on his chest, finally catching some needed Zzz's, while I went to the store to buy toilet paper (we were down to our last roll!). Our friend Donna Smartt came over yesterday to watch Gus and give Scott and me a chance to go out for lunch. It was so nice to be quiet and alone!!

I have been praying for patience and strength, but today it finally hit me that what I really need to pray for is peace. Every little thing seems to make me worry these days....he's not sleeping enough, now he's sleeping too much, now his poop is green!!

But God is always faithful....today I read that babies sometimes get more and more fussy until about the 6 week mark, so now we are holding out for week 6!! Only one more week to go!

My grandmother sent a card a week or so ago with the following verse, which I have been re-reading over and over:

"I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me." Psalm 3:5

All I can say is, AMEN.

First Date

This blog is overdue, but we did want to mention that Gus had his first date a few weeks ago. Check him out...leaning so slyly into Gracie Horger, his first girlfriend. OK, well maybe it was a little forced, but he'll get used to the arranged marriage at some point. Judging by how cute Gracie is, she won't be too hard for him to accept!

One Month Old!

It's amazing, but Gus turned one month old yesterday! We can't believe we've been at it that long. Hmmm...does that mean that we should expect him to begin sleeping through the night soon???

Settling In

Thanks to all of you that have been praying. This week has been so much better so far. Gus is sleeping better and we are feeling less overwhelmed. In addition, our church has been organizing meals and that has really helped fill the void created by the loss of our freezer food.

Gus has been more fun to hang out with the last few days. I think that it has to do with your prayers, with his improved schedule and with his age/level of interaction. One of our new favorite activities is bath time. He's really been enjoying his baths. We took these pictures last night. If we kept the water at his preferred temp, we're guessing that he'd hang out in the bath all day if we let him.

Happy 3 Week Birthday To Me!

Well, I am officially 3 weeks old! In celebration, we had a real "big boy" bath....since my umbilical cord finally fell off, leaving me with the cutest belly button ever. And I decided to add to the excitement by showing my mom and dad how far I can shoot poop out while they are trying to change my diaper:) They were very impressed by my split second timing and record setting distance. All in all, I'd have to say it's been a very exciting 3 weeks!!

Roar!

Just thought I'd share a few of Gus' profound thoughts from yesterday afternoon...

Eww, yuck!

Really, how interesting!

Actually, Mom, now you are really starting to bore me...

And I just couldn't resist adding this one in honor of Uncle Steve Deterding. Seems Gus has inherited the Deterding blinking curse.

Tough Days (and Nights)

Well, we've had a rough go the last 16 hours. Last night about 8 pm we discovered that our garage freezer door has been opened slightly over the last few days. We lost all the food we had out there. All of our organic meat. All of the meals that Amy and our mothers worked so hard to store up pre-baby. In addition to the monetary and food losses, we now have a clean up project that can't be delayed. It's going to take a lot of work and the smell is pretty strong.

After the initial freezer clean up last night, we had a really tough night with Gus. We think that it may be his two week growth spurt, but whatever the reason he's feeding more often and sleeping less in between. We know that things will get better, but we're pretty discouraged.

We know that everything happens for a reason and we don't write this to complain, but part of the purpose of this blog is to share what's going on in our lives...and these two issues are kind of at the forefront right now.

So, pray for us. We'd appreciate it.

Starved For Attention

The kids (cats) are slowly growing more and more accustomed to Gus, V. Every once in a while, however, we pick up on their need for added attention. Sometimes, it's pretty obvious.