Sunday, February 22, 2009

New Shoes & New Stages....







Have you ever seen a pair of Nike tennis shoes look any cuter? Caleb is already in a size 6.5- his new tennis shoes seem so big for his little body :) He is growing, no doubting that!


What else is new in Caleb's world? Well, he no longer takes his bottle. That's right! He is a sippy cup baby now. This both makes me happy and sad. Happy because he transitioned so easy from his bottle and because I know in the long run this is a good thing. Sad because he no longer takes a bottle which means.....he is growing up- reality, huh?

He is really beginning to pick up on a few words and meanings. Though he can't vocalize all that many words yet, he can identify certain objects in books- dog, cat, ball, bird, etc. and can also identify a few colors as well. He also has began to say "uh-oh" when he drops something and puts his hands up as if to say "I don't know" or "Where did it go?" when he hides his toy.....so cute! He also can identify most of his facial features, but his favorite part to show you is his belly- he might try to find yours too :) Okay, I better stop now- I could go on and on. We are just so proud of him!

This weekend Papaw and Granna Caldwell stopped by to visit and Aunt Micah and her friend as well. He had a great time playing with them and it was great to have them here. Chad and Karen Bowman, our friends from Lexington also came down for a visit. It was good to catch up with them and to talk with them about their upcoming court date for their precious daughter Natalie. We were able to show them some of our video from Ethiopia (their daughter was on it :) and also answer a few general questions about the trip. Please keep them in your prayers- their court date is March 17th. As you can imagine, they are quite excited and anxious to meet their new daughter! We have already had the pleasure of meeting her- she is so sweet.

Well, that is all for now! At the end of this week, Caleb will have been home for 2 months!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Aren't You Glad We're All Adopted?




This is one of my favorite pictures of Caleb...not only because it is sooo cute, but because of what the onesie says (thanks to the White family for this gift).

God desires to adopt all of us into HIS family as HIS children! Is this not amazing??!! Ephesians 1:5 says God's unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ, and that this brings him great pleasure! Wow! We really are all adopted :)

I was thinking about adoption, and about how at the beginning of the process you must make several choices. For example, we had to choose domestic or international, then we had to choose an agency. Then it gets very specific. A boy or girl? One or two? (or three if you are really brave) What age? Will you accept special needs? There are many choices to be made. Those choices are one big difference between earthly adoption and spiritual adoption. Why we must make choices about the type of child that we would like to adopt, Christ died for all! He made no special requirements except to believe in Him! He desires for us all to be his children! What a wonderful truth!
I pray today that you have trusted in Christ as your Savior. It is wonderful to be adopted!

Friday, February 13, 2009

First Visit....Happy Valentine's!




This past weekend Caleb made his first trip to visit his Papaw & Granna Caldwell. I will admit, I was a little worried that it was too early for him to stay in a new place overnight as he has only been home about a month a half, but he did so great! The trip from London to Ashland is around 3 hours, and he was a joy in the car until the very end, when he was just tired of being in his carseat. When we arrived in Ashland, he was able to meet some very special ladies that work with my mother in law, Punky. Boy did he really show off for them....he did most all his tricks :) Then it was on to meet his great grandparents. They were very happy to meet him, and Caleb again was very cute and well behaved at their home. To end the night we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant with papaw and granna. Caleb enjoyed looking at all the people, had his first taste of refried beans, and given that it was past his bedtime and he had been through quite a day, he did great!

I was most nervous about easily he would go to bed at a new place- it might seem silly, but think about it- even we adults don't always sleep very good our first night at a new place. He had been doing so well at home, I was hoping that if we kept the same bedtime and same bedtime routine things would go smoothly for him. So, I took his blanket, Mr. Lion, and his favorite lullaby cd and a couple of his favorite books. After reading him his books, listening to his cd, and turning off the lights, he still seemed a little unsure- he was definitely aware he was somewhere new. I decided to just see what would happen, so I laid him down in the crib, gave him a little pat, and walked out of the room....not a peep! He went to sleep just like at home and didn't wake until the morning. We are blessed with a great baby!

The next morning we played at granna's house all morning, and later in the afternoon we went for a short trip to the mall. He loved spending time with his granna, and also got to meet granna's best friend Nancy. He loved Nancy! Daddy and papaw were gone most of the day car shopping, so they missed out :) It was finally time to go home, so we got him in his pj's, gave him his evening bottle, and he was set. He slept the entire trip home except for waking when we had to stop to get gas. His first trip to papaw and granna's was definitely a success!

This weekend is Valentine's Day, and I have been thinking a lot lately about what a blessing my valentine truly is. I actually won't be seeing him much this weekend at all, as he has to work tonight, Valentine's morning and evening, and Sunday morning and evening. Most of you know that Zack's last day as youth minister at our church was December 31, 2008. He now works as a pre-trial officer with the Kentucky Court of Justice. He loves his job, well except for the hours. He is gone half the evenings/nights every week, so that has been quite an adjustment along with having a new baby. I am so proud of him. Though he would rather be at home with his family, he never complains about having to leave- he is happy to do whatever he needs to do to provide for us. I have to admit, after Caleb goes to bed, I am alone for the next few hours, and I really start to miss him.

Last night he was off, so we watched the movie "Fireproof" together- he had seen it, I had not. What a great movie! Every couple should see it, regardless of how "good" you think your marriage is. I watched the movie and by the end was just overwhelmed with thankfulness at what a Godly man my husband is. God has transformed both of us through the years, and of course, we need lots more transforming, but I am just so blessed that God saw fit for this man to be my husband. I love him more and more each day, and seeing him grow daily as a father makes me love him all the more! I still look forward to going to sleep with him each night, and waking up with him each morning. Happy Valentine's Day Zack! And now I have another special Valentine as well :) Happy Valentine's Day Caleb!




Monday, February 2, 2009

14 Months Old Today! And, the Mocha Club


























Today Caleb is 14 months old! To celebrate, he got to go to the doctor again :) It was just a follow up, but we found out his ear infection has not cleared up all the way yet, so another round of antibiotics for our little guy....poor thing. On a lighter note, he did get to taste his first Oreo :) I discovered that he likes the creme, not the cookie part. He worked so hard to separate the two, and he got most of the creme, then he finally gave up and threw the rest to Pooh (that's a no no!)
Yesterday was such a nice day that we took him on his first wagon ride over to the school playground. He loved it!! He even went down the slide himself (it did take a little push from mom :) He seems to be changing and getting bigger with each day.....
Oh, and I am so excited to tell you about an amazing organization that I have been introduced to by other adoptive families. It is called "Mocha Club". The premise is that for $7 a month, basically the cost of what you would spend on two drinks at Starbucks, you can change lives in Africa! Is that cool or what!!! And you can even choose how you want your $7 a month to be used- they have various projects including education, HIV/AIDS care, orphan care, etc. They share Christ by first meeting physical needs, and they empower people from the "ground up" so to speak. They are fully credible and members of the ECFA. Please check them out! Just think how your $7 could make a difference in the lives of hundreds...much more than it could do at your local Starbucks :) Remember, only one life, will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last! To check them out, just follow this link..... Mocha Club and please, watch the video! You will be challenged.....