Fabulously Five

In his 18th week:
He weighed 16 lbs and 1 1/2 ounces.
He was in the 75th percentile in weight, length, and head circumference.
Size 3 diapers...  Good-N-E-S-S!
He was introduced to Applesauce baby food.
He L-O-V-E-D to eat from the spoon.
He learned how to spit... On his own.
Teething was a monster.
He went to his first football game.
He played with his buddy, Pierce.
He enjoyed touching the face of whoever was holding him.
He was SO close to sitting on his own... with his hands holding him up.
He discovered the monitor in his crib.
He was beginning to crawl...
He would get on his knees, rear in the air, head on the floor, and just push.
He never really crawled... yet.

In his 19th week:
He started Banana baby food again.
Except this time it WAS NOT organic.
Organic gave him a rash. So strange.
He would only take a pacifier if he could put it all the way in his mouth.
He was big enough to wear 9 month clothes.
He really attempted to hold his own bottle.
He would reach for anything in his sight.
He could sit up IF his hands were on the floor.
But later in the week, he could sit up without hands.
For all of 10 seconds...
He rolled everywhere.
The television continued to amaze him.
His signature face was when his mouth was wide open, drool was running down his chin, and he was wide-eyed.
He chewed on everything.

In his 20th week:
He became more aware of his hands.
He ate peaches like you wouldn't believe!
He smiled more than any kid I know!
He got a lot of visit from his family - because Mommy had to paint and was sick.
He started this weird habit of hitting himself in the stomach.
Changing his diaper was impossible UNLESS you handed him an empty bag of wipes...
He loved to hear the sound it made!
He rolled all over everywhere.  He would not stay put.
He enjoyed his umbrella stroller more than anything else he had.
TEETHING - He drooled.  He slobbered.  He was always chewing on something.
Oh, and he ate the fire out of some baby food prunes!
He watched slept through his daddy playing in his alumni basketball game.

In his 21st week:
He began eating vegetables...  Squash that is.  Baby food version.
Oh, and 1st food jars were not enough for him!
It's official.  6 month clothes were too small.
He sat up leaned mostly.
Well, he would sit up by leaning on his hands, but that counts as sitting up to his parents.
He tried his Johnny Jump Up for the first time!
He shopped 'til he dropped with his momma.
Everybody he knows was having birthdays and weddings!
He started loving his daddy...
He would follow daddy's every, single move.
He'd grin when daddy got home or when he walked into the room.
He took a crawling step...  just one though.  He's working hard on it.
Oh, and he FINALLY took a pacifier to help with bedtime.
But, of course, it's only a certain kind.  Playtex Binky's.
He also ate sweet potatoes, and ate them UP.

Oh, and here are some other events in Daniel's fifth month...

Eating was always a funny and messy occasion.

He was busy learning how to sit up on his own.

Teaching Daniel that the new car seat wasn't so bad.  It's also his new recliner.  Here he was in front of the television.

Visiting his cousins in West TN for his daddy's Alumni basketball game

Playing in his Johnny Jump Up

He surprised us when he took his first step...  crawling, that is.

Getting dressed up for the UT/Florida game...  SOMEONE, please, buy this kid some Black and Gold gear.

At his friend, Addy's 1st birthday party

Kissing Mommy at the party

Playing with some of his FAVORITE girls...

 

Oh, and I forgot to show this when Daniel FIRST had baby food...

Bananas, Baby! from Jenna Johnson on Vimeo.

Fearless...

It's not everyday that I open up and completely share my emotions.  It's not often that I have to admit to my insecurities.  It's not enjoyable when other people see me cry, and I am not a huge fan of feeling vulnerable. 

Oh, but sisters, I am.  I am emotional.  I am completely insecure.  I cry, and I am ridiculously vulnerable in the fact that I need to share something I've learned.  If I haven't said so, I am neck deep in the Esther Bible study with Beth Moore.  I have never been so moved to open my heart and fall face first into the arms of Jesus.  Because Beth is right, "It's Tough Being a Woman." And do you know why it's tough for me?  Do you know what I've been struggling with for months now?

Fear. 

I mean, full-fledged, scared to sleep, terrified to live kind of fear, and I am so sick of it.  I have been dealing with fear from all angles of my life.  Every aspect of fear, from the fearing of my lack of control, being fearful of being lonely in regards to faithful friendships, to being horrified of failing, to my struggles with making decisions, and even scared of death.  I could go in great detail over all of these.  I could tell you that I am fearful of losing control.  I am so miserable over not having solid Christian relationships.  I am sick over the idea of failing at being a wife, a mother, a Christian, you name it.  I have the most difficult time making decisions over fear of making the wrong ones.  I could tell you that I am so scared of losing loved ones. But honestly, it wouldn't do me or you any good.

What I have realized (with the aid of Beth Moore) is that each fear I have is a motive for the devil.  He attacks me when I am fearful and scared, and I am almost certain, if you're willing to admit it, that Satan is doing the same to you.  Sweet friends, let's take hold of these fears and no longer be gripped by them.  Because it's our gift from the Lord to be able to LIVE.  And not just live but live it more abundantly.  Fear is not included in that gift.  Jesus set us free from that fear when He saved our souls.  And that's a good thing for me, because I don't want to live like this.  I want to look life straight in the face and LIVE...  fearlessly.

I don't know how it could get any better than that.

He's Moving On...

To vegetables.  Squash, to be exact. 

Can you believe it?!  He's that big.  Big enough for vegetables.  That's just crazy to me.

Daniel's doing great with this food-introductory phase.  We started when he was 4 months old with fruit, and now that he's made it through all of them (bananas, applesauce, peaches, pears, and prunes) with no problems (other than that organic mess of bananas that gave him a terrible rash in a place I won't mention for his sake), he can now move on to vegetables.  I was worried that the squash wouldn't be good after all of the sweet fruits he has had, but he did amazing.  Just opened his mouth for every spoonful. 

He's growing up so fast, and literally, it's happening right before my eyes.  Next thing you know, he'll be eating birthday cake.  Nuts.  Well, actually with no nuts because that's the rule.  No this, that, or the other for at least so many years.  But, let's not wish his little life away...  We're happy with squash. 

Mmmm... Peaches!

Daniel's in the introductory phase of baby food, meaning we're trying each food for three days before moving onto a new one.  He's made it through organic bananas (which were awful in the form of a rough rash in an odd place), applesauce, bananas for a 2nd time, and now, we've made it to peaches.  They are, by far, the worst nastiest, most disgusting food we've had so far - only because they stink to high heavens and he's needing diaper changes like a crazy fool.  However, the stink and poop don't seem to bother Daniel; he's eating this stuff UP.  See for yourself...

Eating peaches for the first time...

and enjoying them fairly well.

Another day, some more peaches, and yet his parents won't stay out of his face for him to eat.

 

Mmmm, these are some good peaches.

 

He's Decided on a Best Friend...

We thought for sure Daniel would like Pierce, and we knew he'd become great friends with Addy.  We were thinking maybe it would be his security blanket or even one of his toys, but Daniel has decided that his Uncle Andrew is his best friend.  Of course, he's only 4 and a half months old, and we're sure he'll make other friends, but as of lately, the buddy he likes the best is his Uncle Andrew.  See what we mean?

Grabbing at and Laughing with his Uncle

 

Kicking Uncle Andrew's face

  

Just being good buds

  

Uncle Andrew has even been the very best teether...

  

Uncle Andrew trying to get Daniel's attention

  

Playing with his Uncle

 

All Smiles

Daniel just keeps us smiling...
How could you NOT with this sweet smile?!

Smiling & playing with Daddy while working on sitting up

Grinning at Uncle Andrew after they spent a day together

He's not always this cheerful when riding in the car!

Mommy always cracks him up while he's eating

Noticing his Daddy from behind the camera while eating with Mommy

Spitting... Need I Say More?!

Daniel has learned a new trick.  Well, it really isn't a trick at all.  It's something that all mothers hope their children don't figure out.  Yet Daniel, my sweet 4 and a half month old, has discovered how to spit.  S-P-I-T.  Full forced, slobbery wet, disgustingly inappropriate spit!

But, it's the darn cutest thing you've ever seen. 


Spitting is Gross from Jenna Johnson on Vimeo.

Becoming Buddies

Jennifer, my childhood/high school/lifelong friend, and I had baby boys within a few weeks of each other. Daniel was born on April 20th, and Pierce came along on May 11th. She and I went through pregnancy together, and it was such a relief to have someone to unload everything on, complain with, and simply just be fat pregnant together. We, of course, wanted our boys to meet each other. Though they had met before, Jenn brought Pierce by to see Daniel, and they are both at the age where people are just so fascinating to them. Here are a few pictures of their meeting...

 Daniel was asleep when they arrived...

Daniel finally woke up to say hi to Jennifer.

Daniel and his mommy with Pierce and his mommy

 

Daniel really liked Pierce; he just HAD to touch him.

Will you be my friend, Pierce?

Pierce and Daniel: The very beginning of becoming buddies

I'm Gonna Move...

I'll tell you what's hard about selling a home.  And it's not because I have any expertise in the area of real estate.  In fact, I've never sold a house.  Of course, my parents sold three of our houses when I was a kid, and at that age, all I was really concerned about was whether my room was going to be bigger and if the new house would have a swimming pool.  Ironically, I've never once had a swimming pool, and the rooms I had never seemed big enough.  Something about the newness always excited me as a child, so it never bothered me when we'd sell one home to move into another.  How is it that I now know what's hard about selling one?

For a month, the Lord has made it very evident.  From the long drive to our new church home to the occupied walls we have worked diligently to repaint and depersonalize, it didn't take long for us to realize it was time to move on.  Time to take the leap of faith that is Nashville.  Time to move in the direction of where He has planted us.  Time to see that He's got something else in store.

When we figured out that moving was what God wanted us to do, everything fell into place.  We just so happened to get a Tennessee Football refrigerator magnet in the mail that week with a real estate agent's picture on it.  We just so happened to come upon a bundle of brand new boxes from dad's work.  We just so happened to be incredibly tired of all of the clutter that two and a half years of marriage (and 26 & 29 years of life) will bring upon you.  We were ready, and within a week, we had our house on the market.

That was Monday, and all of that was ridiculously easy.  Not near as emotional as I would have expected.  Not near as much trouble getting the house ready as I would have thought.  Not near as difficult seeing that "For Sale" sign in the front yard.  Why?  Well, that's where the hard part of selling a house comes in.

I am ready.  I am completely ready.  And yet, not a single change because we're still here.  It seems as if that's how it always goes in life.  We get in our minds the plans God has for us, and then when He doesn't make them happen right away, we get discouraged.  Somehow, somewhere in the midst of knowing that God is in control, the devil finds his way into our determined minds and really messes things up. 

Now, from what I've been told, it can take two weeks before showings begin, and it can often take six months to receive an offer.  What I've also been told is that God works miracles, and folks, we are going to need one.  I mean, we all know where the economy is sitting, and just today, another house on our same street went on the market.  When I say "another," I mean the fourth. 

What's hard about selling a house (or moving on) (or simply having faith) is this:  we are not in control.  Sure, we are going to sell our house.  The Lord has already made it clear that He wanted us to.  However, He didn't say when or how or in what time frame.  He didn't tell us that it'd be easy or that we'd have "lookers" within the first week, like I had envisioned He would have happen.  I just know that He's in complete control of what's happening.  And whether it's next week, next month, or next year, God can do with this house whatever He wants.  Doesn't matter what the economy looks like or if every house on this street is for sale.  God will move when HE is ready, and that's what makes everything, not just selling a house, hard on us.  It's a matter of faith, friends.  Are we ready to move when HE is?!