Swim & Snow In the Same Week?

This past week Caleb had his first experience in the pool and the snow....the pool was indoor, of course....Kentucky weather is crazy, but not that crazy :)

We thought he would love the pool, because he loves his bath time so very much. He splashes and splashes and loves the water. So, we got him all suited up, put on his baby life vest, but before we could actually get him in the water....catastrophe! He slipped on the wet tile and hit his head....there were lots of tears! Poor guy!!! First parent mistake, big time! We took of the life vest and I held him for a few minutes until he felt better. Then, we put the life vest back on and carried him over to the edge of the pool. The teenage daughter of the owner of the home was in the pool with the kids, so we helped Caleb get into the water with her. He seemed to like it at first, and let her move away from the edge and take him into the water. Everything was going great until we asked her to let go of him to see how he would do with his life vest. Catastrophe again!!! The life vest apparently was a little too big, and he went face down into the water! Oh no!! That ended the pool experience- needless to say, it was not a success. Better luck next time :)

So, then a few days later we got about three inches of snow overnight. This was the first snow since Caleb had been home that he was actually healthy enough to go out and play in it, so we weren't passing this chance up! We got him all bundled up- it reminded me of the scene from the movie A Christmas Story where the little brother is all bundled up for school, so much so that he can't move- Caleb wasn't bundled up that much, but from the way he was acting, you would have thought he couldn't move :) It was very cute- he just stood there with his arms out, like he was saying, "Help me!!". Anyway, we took him outside and at first, he was not very impressed with the snow. He wouldn't walk on it, and he really didn't even want to touch it. Then we got him on the sleigh and pulled him around, and he liked it a bit more. By the end of his snow experience, he was especially interested in eating the snow. So, all in all, the snow experience was much better than the pool!

At the end of last week, we discovered from some lab work that my Vitamin b12 levels were quite low- this, along with Lupus, was no doubt at the root of my fatigue issues. I was so thankful to find out this information! So, this past week, I have gotten an injection everyday, and I will continue to receive injections periodically for several months. I don't want to be overly hopeful, but I do feel better, praise the Lord! Today I completed (prayerfully) the last step to receiving my master degree- I took the comprehensive exam for my master program.That probably was weighing me down as well, and it feels great to get that over with! I will find out how I did in 2-3 weeks, but I think I did well enough to at least pass.....which at this point, is all I am concerned with! I really love being a student, but now that I am a mommy, there are more important things :)

Caleb's First Haircut

Today Caleb had his first haircut by his 2nd cousin Kelly, or as I have always called her, Keke. She has been doing my hair for a long time now, and she has always been a very special cousing to me, so it was really cool that she got to give him his first haircut.

He was fascinated at first by the sound of the clippers, but that soon gave way to fear or something else....see for yourself in the pics above :) His new haircut looks so adorable, and he looks so grown up now- doesn't look much like a baby anymore. Isn't he a handsome little guy?

Home 2 Months!

Saturday marked the two month anniversary of Caleb being home with us- it is beginning to feel like he has been with us forever! He is such a part of our family now, we can't imagine him not being with us. He is loved by everyone who knows him, and it is easy to understand why. He lights up the room as soon as he enters. I remeber when we had just received our referral, our program director, Duni, had emailed me about a paperwork issue. At the end of her email she added, "I have never met a baby that can capture your attention from across the room with just a smile." Now we know what she meant! He truly has a joyous spirit!

As most children do, he is learning so much with each day- it is truly amazing. New sounds, new movements, new games, each day is a new learning adventure. Never could we have hoped that he would be doing so well after only being home for two months. In some ways, he seems like such a different little boy than the tiny and scared child we met in Ethiopia. God has removed the fear in his eyes and replaced it with love and happiness. We give him all the glory for that!

Zack and I are continuing to learn the joys and challenges of being parents. I am still struggling with fatigue, mostly due to Lupus, I feel sure. We rely on God for strength for each day, and he is faithful. The love he has placed in our hearts for Caleb grows with each day- we are so blessed.

Well, that is all for now- this is one tired momma :) More to come next week, including Caleb's first haircut :) Should be fun :)

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!

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!

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!

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.....