To my little Lovie at Five Months Old

Dear My Beautiful Jennavieve,

You are five months old today! Those five months might have flown by, but they contained quite a bunch of progress for you.

I've seen you change from a baby who just lays there and looks around to one that can do many things. In the past few letters I mentioned your milestones met. It's amazing how much little body strength you have. You now can: sit up all on your own mostly, stand with some help from us (strong legs you have!), roll over from front to back (and sometimes back to front) to get what you want, sometimes move your little bum in the air and scoot forward with your legs (still working on moving those arms too!), grab things and pull hard, also punch things with your little hand to make them light up or play songs... it's simply amazing all that you can do these days!

Verbally you've been really really watching what mommy and daddy have said. We've thought we've heard you say these words this past month, "Hi, Up, Hey, Yep, Hello, Ma" and I am sure there are others I'll need to add in later that I am forgetting! Sometimes you say those words in context and you really make mommy and daddy think you are starting to talk. We'll say how time tells but you are certainly figuring out consonant sounds and repeating them every now and then. Most times you babble and we can tell in your eyes that you know what you're saying or trying to say to us, you just haven't figured out how. Sometimes when we talk you just move your lips like ours trying to figure out how we made those particular sounds! I think I caught it on video once, I'll have to show it to you when you get older.

Right now you are still chewing on everything you can. If it's in your hands it goes in your mouth. You LOVE other people's hands and fingers. It's all we can do to stop you from going for it. You are slightly obsessed. It's pretty funny. You love your little yellow teething ring and now you just chew on your pacifier instead of using it. Gone right now are the days of sucking the pacifier and mostly your thumb. Once in a while I'll catch you sucking your thumb, but most times you are just chewing on it!

Speaking of chewing.... you started solid foods RIGHT at five months. I know that's for the other letter but I think we should mention it now! I made some homemade sweet pea puree and you LOVED it. You swallowed every little bite like a big girl. We are starting you off with sweet peas for five days, then we'll add another puree to the mix. What will it be? Sweet Potatoes? Butternut Squash? Carrots? We'll see! Mommy is making them ahead of time and freezing them so we can just pop a cube out of the freezer for you to try. Yay for easy wholesome food. Plus I don't mind eating what I make for you.

Right now Momma is working on getting us out to do more things. You don't like the process of getting in the car seat to get somewhere, but once we are there you love to look around and check everything out. Now, for the most part, we can sit you in the stroller face out so you can see the world. You are still a little small for it physically, but mentally you are right there looking at everything. Sometimes it helps you fall asleep, which in turn helps momma to be able to look at more things and/or talk with more people. We plan on taking more walks when the weather gets better. Right now our walks are mainly around the block, to Craft Warehouse (cause it's basically in our back yard) and to the mall (which I don't enjoy, but it's somewhere to walk!).

I am getting more and more excited at each milestone you cross! It'll be so much fun to have you crawling around next (you already kinda are getting there) so I don't have to worry as much about having to be with you every second. That does mean that we need to baby proof this place so that you don't get into EVERYTHING and hurt yourself. Because I can already see your little personality shining through and you are one independent, ambitious, intelligent little explorer. I wouldn't have you any other way.

Love,

Momma

A Banner Day

As I sit here trying to figure out how to blog this, I am at a loss for words. Today was a fabulous day! I was able to go to the Mom's group and had Jenna in the nursery at church. She did great and even took a nap there. When we got home I fed her then we were off to Winco.

At Winco I put her in my front pack because she was too active to just sit in a car seat. The moment we stepped away from the car, the stares started. Everyone was looking at us. It was kinda like that Inception movie, but in a good way. Actually, I should say everyone wasn't looking at US they were looking at Jenna. When we got into Winco the stares continued and people stopped to comment on how beautiful she was and how cute she was. Perfect strangers stopped from their grocery shopping to come look at Jenna and smile and talk to me. It was surreal. Jenna, decided to step it up a notch and held onto the grocery cart handle with me. When I stopped to let some people look at her cause they were commenting about her I tried to step back from the cart but Jenna held on and pulled the loaded cart back! Then we got the stares of amazement at how strong she is.

One teenage girl was overwhelmed with emotion and came over to us and said how Jenna was the most beautiful baby she'd ever seen. She wanted to hold Jenna's hand and talk to Jenna. So, against my better judgement I let her. Jenna smiled at the girl and the girl was overjoyed. (No, I am seriously not exaggerating!!!) She couldn't contain herself and told her guy friend how beautiful Jenna was and everyone stopped and looked at us and smiled. It sounds like something out of a movie, it was the weirdest, nicest strangest thing ever.

Do I really have a beautiful baby? I was kinda wondering with how she was looking boyish with the short hair. But put a cute hat on her and she charms even the hardest of hearts. People who looked angry were smiling. Kids even stopped to notice.

When we got home she was asleep. Apparently her feats of strength wore her out. She took a 2 hour nap and I had time not only to put away the groceries, but to bake a loaf of zucchini bread (in the bread maker mind you, I am still bad at baking). I played around with the webcam features, chatted with a friend and all around was in a fabulous mood. When Jenna woke up I fed her and she was a bundle of joy for the next hour until Eric came home. Then she was great with him while I ate.

Seriously.... a banner day. No one would have known this was the same girl that screamed at me most of the day yesterday, was super fussy and made me want to pull my hair out! It's days like today that make the horrible ones like yesterday worth it. Praise God for that.

Four Month Jenna Letter!

Dear Jenna,

These days, it's so busy that I am typing this letter one handed while nursing you! You are one busy little bee, or monkey, yeah I think your actions resemble a monkey! But we love our little wild baby monkey!

Things have been super busy this past month because Christmas was in it! We went up to your grandma and grandpa Cromie's house in Washington for a few days. You did great on the car ride. We were so impressed! You slept from Salem to Olympia, woke up briefly to look around then went back to sleep until Port Orchard. Amazing. There we fed you and took you to meet your great great uncle Jack and great great Aunt Ruth. Yes, that's doubly great for them. Oh and Grandma and Grandpa Cromie were there too!

They had so much fun visiting with you! First gg aunt Ruth held you and you thought that was pretty cool. Then gg uncle Jack held you and you liked him too. We showed them how you like to hold onto our hands and pull yourself up. We even showed them that you could roll over from front to back. They thought that was cool. After our visit it was time to head to Grandma and Grandpa Cromie's house!

I won't bore you with lots of details but you had a fun time there. You loved looking at the lights on their tree. You saw your uncle Andrew and Uncle Adam and smiled more at them this time. Grandpa Cromie showed you their light up Penguins and Grandma Cromie showed you her light up collectible houses. You loved anything with lights. Christmas itself was a little overwhelming for you. You couldn't sit for so long and kinda didn't like all the attention and noise everyone was making. So I took you to the other room and we sat for a while away from the craziness. You were the same way at Grandpa and Grandma Reed's house. It's just 'cause everything is so new to you right now. In the future, it won't be as bad.

We got to visit Lael and you met Pearl for the first time! You loved her and I am pretty sure she loved you. You pet her while Lael held Pearl still. A few days later Lael came to our house with Pearl on her way to move to the east coast. You were SO excited to see them again, especially Pearl. I had to close the bedroom door while you were napping and when you cried I didn't hear you, but Pearl did! She kept running from us to the door to the room and stayed right by that door. What a great little dog! Someday we'll get a dog, but not yet!

You saw your first snow when we were in Washington, and again in Oregon. You are not a huge fan of snow because it's wet and extremely cold. So I don't blame you. Someday you'll love snow.

Hmm...what else... you are liking your daddy more and more every day. He does this game with you where he grabs your arms and legs and says "Uh Oh" and gently picks you up and drops you on the soft bedding. You seem to like it a lot and even said,"Uh Oh" in return! In fact you're making more and more sounds these days. Sometimes you just lay on the changing table and chat it up with me, it's pretty cute.

You also are trying to chew anything in site! Anything you can get your hands on you pull into your mouth. So we're trying to be extra careful on what you can put into your mouth! In a month or so we'll start you on solid foods. That'll be SO exciting. We'll start with carrots. They say Rice Cereal doesn't add much nutrition to your diet and tastes like cardboard, so we'll skip that.

At your four month appointment you did great! Height 25 inches (70th percentile), Weight 14lbs 2oz (55th percentile), Head Circumference 44.5cm (95th percentile). You got your shots and cried at first but then did wonderfully! I was so proud of you! The doctor says you look great too!

This stage of life is getting more and more exciting for you. Your daddy and I are excited to be on this journey with you.

Love,

Momma

Did you just hear what I just heard?

Sorry I haven't posted much! Life with an active infant is well active! I don't have time to type unless it's while I'm feeding, and then I can only type with one hand. Most times I am on facebook is when I am feeding or naptime, just in case you wonder if I am lying! :)

This weekend was Christmas and this year we spent it up in Washington with my (Kristine's) parents. We stopped along the way to my great uncle jack and great aunt ruth's house because my parents were visiting there, and we don't have a key to get into their house without them. Jenna had a good time meeting uncle jack and aunt ruth. They both got to hold her for a bit, which was nice. I got a picture of my aunt ruth holding her. :)

I think I might cut to the chase in case Jenna wakes up while I am writing. (This seems to happen a lot...) I was holding Jenna in the family room of my parents house and we were visiting with my brother Adam. I let Jenna walk up me and she was doing her normal cooing. Lately she's been REALLY watching how I speak to try to replicate it. Well as she was walking up me, I was talking to her and I said,"Hi Jenna" and she said, "Hi!" in response! I was in shock and asked Adam if he had heard what I just heard. He did! She cooed some more and walked up and I thought hmm... this might be a fluke. Later on in that day she almost said Hello and different versions of hi that weren't as clear.

The next day I was visiting in the same room with my mom. I had Jenna walking up me (cause she loves to climb and walk up me) and I said,"Hi" and she responded,"Hi". I asked my mom if she heard what I just heard, and she did! Jenna again proceeded to say versions of hi, but they weren't as clear. :)

So yes, I think I can count her first word as,"Hi" at three and a half months because she said it twice in context. She's definitely a thinker and tries very hard to figure things out. She might not use clear words on a consistent basis yet, but they are coming!

Month Three Letter to Jenna

Dearest Jenna,

My this past month flew by! Momma almost forgot to write a letter to you about this past month. Sometimes it's hard to remember all that's happened. So I might start with what's happening lately in our lives.

Right at your three month mark you found out that you could grab your feet. Not only that, you figured out how to pull your feet into your mouth! Daddy and I have been working hard to help you get more mobile. We realized that we hadn't been doing much tummy time with you, and when momma tried it, she saw you wanted to move, but your arms weren't strong enough. So Daddy decided to start helping you pull yourself up to work those arm muscles. He lets you grab onto his fingers and moves you forward to help you sit up. Momma just started working more from that and helping you stand up on your own too. It's been fun to watch you get so excited to pull yourself up to a standing position! Once you are in a standing position, Momma or Daddy grab under your arms and help you walk.

You've become quite the walker lately too! You are so excited to walk all around the house. We just let you lead us where you want to go. One day you walked from your room into our room and found your little teddy book on the table and walked right to it! You waited for momma to pick it up and listened while I read it to you. It was so sweet! We hope to get a walker thing for you for Christmas so you can move around to your little heart's content and we can save our backs!

Speaking of backs... lately one of your favorite things to do with us is to walk on our stomach/chest while we lay on our backs. It's so sweet! You smile and grin and lately, as of today, you've started to actually laugh! It's so cute to hear you laugh. I can't wait to hear when you start to giggle some more. You try to talk more lately too and love it when I whisper to you. You sometimes try to whisper back. I am amazed at everything you are learning!

I saw a friend's baby video on the internet and realized that we hadn't done much tummy time this month. But I had a feeling you were having good head control. So Momma put you on your tummy and you could hold your head up! You only tolerate it for a little while, then it's back on your back.

This month we also got our Christmas tree! You weren't very excited to go pick it out since the sun was directly overhead and in your eyes the entire time. But now that it's decorated, you really enjoy looking at it. The other day I had you feel it with your hands and you thought that was the coolest thing. You also loved looking at the blinking snowman your great aunt and uncle gave you. It's a year full of new traditions for all of us! Momma even made you a stocking. We decided as a family to donate money from this year on, every year to a charity of choice. We want you to know how important it is to give to others above yourself. So this year we picked out some gifts on the MAF giving website to donate to MAF. You may not know about it much this year, but we hope as each year passes that you'll understand more and more the importance of giving. We also are starting something this year we hope to continue with only giving each other one or two presents under the tree. They can be meaningful presents, but only a few as to not cloud why we are celebrating the holiday. Mommy hopes to buy a children's Christmas story book soon so we can read it together. Yes, we have the bible, but I want something that will spark your interest with pictures at this young age. :)

What else to say about this month, well you were sleeping great up until you turned three months old. A couple of days before then, you started to not want to take naps or to go to bed at a normal time. Instead you want to stay up late. Momma is trying to figure out a good sleep plan for you, but it'll take some time. With Daddy having a cold, it's all momma can do to get some good sleep herself too!

I am sure there are other things I am missing, oh yeah...Thanksgiving! You had a great time with your uncles and grandma and grandpa cromie. You slept great in the bassinet, although we are working to try to figure out how to get you sleeping earlier and how to give you a nap there. It'll be an adjustment for everyone come Christmas!

Momma better get this letter out so that she'll have time to figure out what to write for the next one. We love you baby girl and love seeing you grow up, even if it seems a little fast. Some people say not to encourage you to walk so soon, or do things so soon, but we are beyond excited to help you reach life's little milestones so eventually you can become a strong independent woman who knows Christ and loves those around her graciously. Blessed are we three.

Love,

Momma

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Learning how to be a domesticated momma

As I write this, I am sure Jenna will start to cry and need me....(yep) Okay...hours later here I am. I've had some sort of revelation this morning, I need to stop complaining. I am transforming into a domesticated momma and it's a painful transformation. It's all about learning how to completely care for another and changing my old ways of doing things. This includes my ways of thinking as well as how I do every day tasks that seemed so easy to do before.

I used to be able to clean a room within minutes. Now my cleaning takes most of the day because I am also caring for a little baby. I used to be able to take my time to cook an elaborate meal. Now I have to figure out the quickest way of cooking something healthy for my family. I used to be able to go out easily with friends. Now I've got to figure out how to take care of my little one while visiting and having a meaningful conversation. I used to do a lot of things, now those things are changing and it's a hard transition, but a necessary one.

Phillipians 2:14-15 says," ¹⁴ Do everything without grumbling or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”^{a]" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">[a]} Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky" This is what I must do. Yes, it's hard to care for a baby all day, clean house, do laundry and make dinner. BUT this is what I am called to do right now. I know it seems old school for some of you in the new generation, but right now I am called to be a wife and mother. My life is consumed by it and I've gotta be the best wife and mother I can be. This means taking care of the baby completely, taking care of the house the best I can, making sure my husband knows he's loved and making sure there's food made for him and the bills are paid.

It also means that I am raising my child up to know important values and gender roles. This is the old school part I was talking about. She'll see daddy go off to work during the week and see mommy doing her best to be a good wife and mother by taking care of things at home. It also means daily teaching her about our values pertaining to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Every day I try to read to her out of her little bible. I'm starting to pray with her more and we sing little songs together. I want her to know the hope that I hold so dear. To understand how I am able to do what I do, the driving force behind it. The one that gives us life and life to the full. This is perhaps the most important task as a mom. As she grows I'll help teach her how to treat others with respect and kindness. She'll see how a man is supposed to treat a woman by the love between her daddy and I. Also the love her daddy gives her when he comes home from work. All these things work together for the good.

Now, while I say gender roles, I don't think it's bad that women have to work sometimes. Or if daddy is the one that needs to stay at home. There are all types of families. But I want her to know and see the respect I have for her father for working so we can have food on the table and a place to live. I want her to see and know that I don't mind doing things because I love her and her father. The love and respect part is key. If she wants to grow up to fly airplanes or be a doctor or make things for a living...that's her choice. All I can do as a parent is instill values into her so that she can make smart informed decisions about her life.

This is the process I am in now. Learning how to be a domesticated momma who doesn't complain, doesn't argue, but loves life and loves helping her little girl grow up and her husband look forward to being with his family after work. I look forward to the next chapter that potentially includes us serving overseas so that we can show her more what it means to be a servant and how to show others love and respect in Christ.