Myth Busters

"You can't spoil a newborn."

Well, it looks like we've busted that myth out of the water!

I'm not sure who coined this phrase, but it sure spread like wildfire. It's been quoted to me so many times I googled it to see when "newborn" ended, so I'd know when my infant was likely to suffer permanent damage from my doting.

Even my Baby App updates remind me that our precious angel from heaven is unspoilable, assuaging any guilt I feel for snuggling him "too" much. And then there are family and friends posting quotes like this on my Facebook wall:

You don't have to tell me twice, you don't even have to make it rhyme. I was on board this train from Day 1. "Sidekick" has reached whole new levels of togetherness in our relationship. 

Although Jon and I both STRUGGLED with thumb sucking until approximately middle school age, we let, even encouraged, Zy to find and use his thumb to his heart's content. It's cute! We'll worry about the price of braces later, for now, he can't be spoiled.

And sleeping. This is how your babies all nap, right?

The longest I've been away from our 7-month-old is ~3 hours, and the longest I've slept since he was born is 5. We're hooked on each other. And I'm afraid it's starting to show.

Jon kept Isaiah Sunday morning so I could host a fellowship breakfast for CVM downtown before church. He cried for an hour after I left, Isaiah that is, I'm not sure how long Jon cried.

We've dropped Isaiah off in the church nursery 4 weekends now. Our Child ID has been called (he was so upset we had to go pick him up) 3 of those 4 weekends!!

If you've met him, you know he's the sweetest thing since candy corn. The number one question I get when I have him at tennis matches, parties, or conference booths is, "Is he always this happy?" 

He thought he was hot stuff as the Associate Dean of Auburn's vet school hauled him off for a tour of the booths in the exhibit hall. 

I guess the answer is, 'Apparently, only when I'm around.' Our child is behind in most milestones such as holding his head up, sitting unassisted, and eating anything but paper and cell phones, but it appears he's precocious in the area of separation anxiety. So, don't expect to see me without my tiny assistant for another few years. Looks like we'll be enjoying church from the Cry Room for quite some time. This is pretty much my motto anyway:

"Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift?" -Psalms 127:3 TM

7 Months of Perfection

I see now why 7 is the number for perfection in the Bible. Although, I didn't think there was anything wrong with 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 months, 7 is pretty awesome.

Since, it's still difficult to determine the exact lessons Zy's processing, I thought I'd jot down some of what I've been learning recently.

I'm learning that although the hours in a day may not be, kisses and hugs are infinite.  

I'm learning that even though your baby's a voracious drinker, that does not guarantee he will instantly be a voracious eater. More than a month into feeding solids, and Zy's yet to like anything we've offered him, except his teething carrot, which may as well be plastic for all he knows.

Mostly I'm learning that against all odds, and I'd bet most of your predictions, I'm the biggest pushover any baby's ever had for a mom. True to my no-nonsense personality I'm a pretty tough, direct, consistent, for-your-own-good teenager mom. But when it comes to Sweet Cheeks here, I'm a puddle. Like, a mushy puddle of apple sauce. And now that I'm often covered in apple sauce it seems fitting.

This kid will likely never sleep more than 5 hours in a row, cause I'm just convinced he'll starve overnight if I don't feed him at least once. I mean, if I let him start metabolizing some of those fat stores in his sleep, his thighs won't be nearly as squishy and wonderful.

I'm learning that I'm supposed to let him struggle and figure things out for himself, but that's a real struggle for me. I'll probably have to carry him to college cause I can't stand to leave anything far enough out of his reach that he has to move to get it. Plus, I barely let him out of my arms. This technique is surely terribly useless in building self confidence or mobility, but excellent for maintaining all that aforementioned thigh chub!

I've also been learning that my better half doesn't have any more of a backbone than I do when it comes to denying our munchkin. I've started firmly telling Zy "No" when he drops things off his high chair, and Jon's sure I'm scarring him for life.

I'm learning that just like so many people told us, it does just keep getting better. I didn't think it was possible.

I'm gaining empathy, acquiring patience, achieving gentleness, and finding so much joy.

And I'm learning more and more every day about God's unconditional love for us. At the University of Tennessee's vet school Bible study last week, we closed with How Deep the Father's Love for Us, and as I held my only son close, I teared up thinking of just how vast is His love for us that He gave His only Son to make us His treasure.


And now, what you're probably really here for, some photos of Zy's 7th month:

7 month birthday smorgasbord!



Smorgasbord gone terribly wrong.



Does anyone else see a young Otis from Andy Griffith here?







Made a new friend Elijah in Tennessee.



Trying to say "Bbbbbb," like his new friend, but only succeeding in spitting a lot.

Sissy's gonna have him in shape in no time.



Had a sweet visit from his doting great grandparents.







So grown up.

But still my spoiled rotten cuddle bug.

Fall Can Be a Growing Season Too

Yesterday, at the park, a covering of dry brown leaves blanketed much of our path, letting us know that fall is on its way. Here in the Charles' home we're changing seasons as well.

A few weeks ago, Jon started an MBA program at the University of Louisville (proving he really doesn't bleed as blue as he says he does), and shifting us into some new routines. For 20 months, Jon will work during the day, go to class and study at night, and reach whole new levels of time management he didn't even know existed when he went through college the first time, ten years ago. So far, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when he kisses Isaiah and me before leaving for work, we're in bed for our morning snuggle, and when he comes, home he finds the whole family tucked away in our respective beds for the night. I don't even think the dog is waiting up for him! The poor guy's barely seen me in anything but nursing tank tops for the past six months, now he won't see me in anything other than pajamas...

Instead of looking at this as the struggle it appears to be on the surface, I'm searching for the opportunities hidden beneath. I mean, I started out as a single mom for the first year and a half, so this is just part-time solo-parenting.

Already it's been great for my relationship with Angie. Sometimes you just need some extended one-on-one time to reconnect and get your groove back. Like any teenager, she resists boring stuff like a walk in the park with her old uncool mom, but it never fails to lead to opening up and sharing. We're slowly solving the world's problems, well at least middle school's, which probably accounts for a large percentage. When her peers are hateful toward adoption, it hurts now, but it motivates her to be a better adoption advocate in the future and make a difference for other adopted kids when they're in such a vulnerable stage.


She wants so desperately to know about her babyhood. She vacillates between nightmares about her former family and almost waxing nostalgic, "I wonder if my other family still thinks about me. I wonder what my sister's doing now..." And I have the time to give her wandering thoughts my undivided attention, exactly what they crave.

And although I spend almost every waking moment, and far too many non-waking ones, with this little guy, I still just can't get enough of him. His two budding incisors remind me with every one of his huge no-longer-toothless grins, that he will never again be my tiny baby. Do any of you loyal readers (Mom) remember when Angie wore dangly earrings for the first time and I was convinced she was basically leaving for college?

Now, that Isaiah has teeth I'm sure I'll be dancing with him at his wedding any minute now, so I must make the most of every single moment he'll let me cuddle him.


And finally, Jon. Although this won't be a season for us to invest in each other through quality time, this is just another opportunity for me to die to self and learn how to put others first. As our differences in scheduling, study habits, and choices are highlighted, I'll have an abundance of chances to bite my tongue and support him through this. As he wrestles with insomnia after class, I have trouble turning my brain ON not OFF, and wonder how anyone could waste even a minute of available sleep time. Already, I find my instinct is to feel that I'm the one getting the short end of the stick here, but really the guy's not going to an amusement park every night! He's doing something hard to help our family and he's being pulled in more directions than I am, and sacrificing time he'd love to spend with us.


You know, other than the still-sleepless nights, things were really starting to get a little too easy around here. I may be the only wife who strives for an uncomfortable home, always looking for the next thing to stretch us and keep us from getting complacent. God is very faithful to provide such opportunities when we ask. :)

Half a Year of Incredible

Half birthdays may not be so important in general, but the first one sure is! And 6 months for this guy means all sorts of new developments, and so many just around the corner. 
He's rolling both front to back and back to front, he's holding his humongous head up like a champ, he's sitting better and better with just a bit of help, and he's using his hands like he actually knows their his, well mostly.

At the pediatrician yesterday, he weighed in at 20 pounds 2 ounces, 91st percentile, and measured 28 inches, a drop down to 95th percentile. But his head continues to skyrocket further and further off the charts. Boy, that brain is getting huge, or maybe his head is growing to house his ginormous smile! Oh, he slays me...

He's finally upright in the Bumbo, the hard part is squeezing him out of it.

He absolutely begs us to let him lean backwards like this! 

He's just starting to take some interest in Ruby.

They'll be fast friends in no time. 

His toes are his new favorite discovery.

Don't be fooled, he does not think eating is fun quite yet.

But he adores his big Sissy.

After 4 6-month vaccines, there's no better medicine than Sissy reading you some stories. 

Tummy Time is still not a treat, but he's doing pretty well holding that monster head up.

He likes gnawing carrots to soothe his aching gums.

"Look Ma, these are MY Toes"

He loves to take off his own socks and put them in his mouth, all the better to gaze at his precious toes. Bathing is still one of his favorite pastimes. Sleeping at night is a box yet to be checked off on his checklist, but he has checked off all of the states in my Southeast region for work, as we went to Mississippi together last week.  

Angie is ready for him to start crawling, walking, running, and helping her drive me crazy, any day now. I'd be content if he stayed exactly the like this forever and ever...

Not-So-Sleeping Beauty

"Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning." - Psalms 30:5

If our baby Zy had a life verse, this would be it. Please don't pity us (or send sleep training advice), our nights aren't that bad, and in the morning, no matter how impossible it seems that Isaiah could be well rested, he is always a bundle of joy. For the first half of the day, there's almost nothing that gets this guy down. Instead, he works hard to cheer up the couple of not-so-morning people we have in the family, with toothless grins a mile wide, and giggles that could charm the grumpiest night owl.

Jon ascribes to the half of the family that wouldn't mind if mornings didn't start till afternoon, but even before his first cup of coffee, he can't resist this guy's contagious glee. He told me once:

"I will most likely always think of Isaiah like his happy morning self, even when he's 50 years-old."

And my heart melted. 

It melted at the precious image of my 84 year-old husband seeing our 50 year-old son, just as happy and unaffected by the world as this innocent babe I hold in my arms now. Because I know he won't be untouched by the world, and as much as I insist that he will stay as pure, I know he will be full of his own flaws and a lifetime of trials that will shape him possibly as much as his triumphs. But Jon will still see only his sweet smiling innocence.

I wish I'd known Angie like that. The faultless cooing infant, before she learned of the world's darkness, earlier than anyone should learn such things. Before the darkness had time to effect her and to mold her. When her personality was raw and perfect just as God had created it. So, I could remember that Angie during the times when I can't always see it...

And I wish that we could all see each other like that. Before sin, our own and those of others, left its mark. The way God intended us, the way God Himself sees us, as His perfect children, blameless and washed clean by the blood of His Son.

"He made us pure and holy, and He gave Himself to purchase our freedom." -1 Corinthians 1:30

Next time I see someone at their worst, when all their ugliness is front and center, and it'd be easy to define them by just that, I'll try to imagine them as the beautiful baby they once were who lit up a room with their laughter. I'll try to remember that they were once as flawless as our darling boy is now, and that the loveliness God intended for them is still in there, waiting to be invited out with a touch of kindness.

I hope you'll try to remember the same for me...

And now here are a few shots of Isaiah in his most peaceful and perfect state:

Right next to Mommy is his favorite place to sleep.

Sleeping next to Daddy is pretty awesome too!

Next to Bula is a good alternative as well, especially during church which is not quite age appropriate for him.

Helping Mommy work is exhausting!

No words to describe the cuteness.

We call this pose "The Surrender" after he finally gives in to sleeping alone.

Tuckered out...

All of us tried to catch a few Zzzz's on the overnight flight to Bolivia last month.

Car rides are even more sleep-inducing than plane flights.

Sometimes he doesn't even wait to wake up to start smiling.

Sweet dreams, Little One. 

He's too advanced to read his books right side up, but upside down sure wears him out.

My three Loves...

Celebrando 5 Months in Spanish

Isaiah (people often forget what his real name is because we use too many nicknames apparently) may have slowed down in growth this month (we'll find out in a few weeks at his next pediatrician's visit), but he's definitely been keeping up with his adventuring. This is a good combination, because at the rate he was growing he would be getting far too heavy to carry on many more adventures.  

He's the smiliest little guy, with new tricks all the time, such as sticking his tongue out, pulling on hair, starting to roll over, and nearly squirming' out of all his little containment contraptions like the Rock'N'Play and Lamb Swing. He's keeping us on our toes, and we don't mind a bit, well maybe just a tiny bit at 3am or so.

Last week, he made his first trip internationally, visiting Bolivia and learning all about his big sister's homeland, as well as picking up some new Spanish vocab and quite a nice Cruceño accent. Tomorrow, we leave for Florida, and after that he will have been to all the states in my CVM region except Mississippi, which we'll be heading to in August. I think the only things this chunky 5-month old has done more than travel are drink milk and watch tennis.

Here are a few pictures of Zy's 5th month of life, that I thought were just too cute not to share.

"Is there something on my head??"

He's trying to impress you with how long his tongue is. Is it working?

He loves his time at the park watching some tennis and soaking up his Bulos' adoration.

A fun view of his squishy legs as he swings and laughs at Sissy and Daddy.

We're just starting to get some use out of all his toys!

I think he was just about to tell us a story about the good old days.

In Bolivia, he acquired yet another nickname, Mi Cuñape, after these tasty treats that look like his scrumptious little cheeks.

Pretending to be a big boy and sitting in grown up chairs is one of his favorite things. Don't be fooled by the footed pajamas, he's a big boy.