"Baptism"

First of all, I want to thank all of you who prayed for our sweet boy this past weekend. God was faithful, as He always is, and He was glorified.  

Saturday I was still concerned as Elijah Brooks was still quite allergy ridden.  On top of that, I discovered that his 1st tooth is just sitting on the surface of his gum waiting to emerge!  However, he was such a trooper and hardly acted as if anything bothered him. He thoroughly enjoyed being the center of attention and it was obvious!  I was just so thankful that he was feeling better...., thanks to God working through all of your faithful prayers. God took such good care of him and of us on this most special weekend.  

I hate that I am so prone to worry.  I lay awake Saturday night just thinking about the schedule for the next morning.  We had 12 people at our house and EB was already hyper because of all of the activity.  I am more flexible with his schedule typically than I was on Sunday.  I felt like I had to be alittle more rigid in sticking with the schedule because he had to be dressed, well rested, well fed (hopefully without spitting up on his baptism outfit), and I had to be dressed and out the door by 10:45.  God is GOOD!!  Things could not have worked out more perfectly.  He followed the schedule without missing a beat (good boy), and we were at the church at 10:50 for the 11:00 service. The baptism was at 11:05, so I knew that there was no room to play around with the schedule.  

Our pastor David, does the most thorough and beautiful infant baptism I have ever witnessed. David cried, Jay cried, and I cried through most of the baptism!  Fortunately Elijah Brooks did not cry!  We were standing in front of a packed sanctuary for almost 15 minutes and he never cried.  He loved just sitting up in his daddy's arms looking around at everyone.  It wouldn't have bothered me if he had cried though because baby's cry and everyone would have understood that.  However, I really didn't want him to cry to do anything else to really call attention to himself because I wanted to hear David's beautiful explanation of infant baptism and I wanted the congregation to also hear it.  I wanted the Lord to be exalted and the central focus, not Elijah Brooks.  God was so faithful!  I honestly don't think there was a dry eye in the church as we all witnessed God's faithfulness to His covenant promises and His covenant children.  When David actually baptized him, he later told me that the water was freezing!!  He wasn't sure how the baby was going to do, but when that cold water hit his little bald head and ran down his face, he just blinked his eyes and started paddling his little feet like a duck and then started smiling at everyone. 

It was truly the most beautiful sacrament I have ever witnessed.  I will always remember the words that David spoke to us and the vows that we took to raise our son in a Godly home and teach him the truths about scripture.  I will never forget the covenant promises made to us and the promises we made to God.   The image of David, our dear precious pastor, pouring water over our son's head will remain with me for the rest of my life.  What a beautiful testimony of faithfulness and mercy we witnessed on Sunday.  (As soon as I have a picture, I will post it). 

"Elijah Brooks is......"

SICK.  Poor little pitiful baby.  He has developed severe allergies.  I have been battling allergies for about a month now and I started noticing that he was showing some of the same symptoms this week....., congestion, runny nose, sneezing, itchy and red eyes, itchy nose etc.....  But, today he woke up more congested than I have seen him and his eyes are swollen and red.  He feels so bad and looks so pitiful. He can't breathe AT ALL with his paci in his mouth, but he can't sleep with it out of his mouth..., which is a dilemma for sure.   He started running a low grade fever tonight too.   According to the news tonight, this is the worst allergy season this part of the state has seen in a long time.  I could believe it...., everything is yellow.  I think I might just hate Spring right now.  Just kidding...., well tonight, no I am not.  I am so sad that my baby is miserable and all because he loves going outside to swing and ride in his stroller. 

The other bad thing is this is a very important weekend for him.  He will be baptized on Sunday at church and our dear pastor from Nashville is driving 7 hours tomorrow to baptize him.  Not to mention, all the family is coming tomorrow and we have 35-40 people coming to a luncheon after church on Sunday!  Yeah, not exactly the best weekend for him to have a severe allergy attack.  I just pray that he feels better very soon so that he can enjoy this very special weekend.

  

The reason I am writing this is for all of you faithful blog readers to please pray for him.  Please pray that this will get under control very soon for his sake.  Pray too that I will trust God more in this.  I can't control it and I know that...., I just want to give him relief so badly. As my very wise husband so gently reminded me tonight, "Erin, God doesn't call you to heal him. That's His job. He just calls you to comfort him".  

Thank you very much for your prayers. 

"Saving $$$"

After much prayer, Jay and I decided that it was in the best interest of our family that I resign from my job.  I enjoyed my job very much and it was a very difficult decision for me. However, it was the right decision for our family for various reasons. That being said, we have now gone down to 1 income and that income is that of a Seminary student!  Needless to say, we are pinching pennies at every turn and making many sacrifices in order for me to be at home.  My friend Stacy, who is a mother of 3 and extremely thrifty, has been helping me learn to budget better. She told me about a local Food Co-Op in our area and said that it has helped her family save alot of money on food.  Fresh fruits and vegetables are so expensive in the local grocery store, but by joining the Co-Op, we get fresh food for half the cost (less than half actually), of what we would spend at the grocery store.  Not to mention, we are helping our local farmers too.  The more people who join the Co-Op, the less you have to pay for your fruits/veggies.  So me and several of my friends from church all went in together and joined.  We pick up our "laundry basket" of food 2 x's a month (or less if you don't want to buy bi-monthly), and only pay $16!!!  I priced the amount of food that I get in my "laundry basket" at the grocery store and I would have paid $50!!!  That's some good savings if you ask me!   You can see from the pictures that we get a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables each time. I am super pumped about this new way to save money, help the local farmers, and serve healthy food to my family!  

"Day at the Park"

Today it was 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky...., picture perfect day for an adventure to the park. Keep in mind that I live 35-40 minutes from the nearest park..., well a decent park that has a playground and if I am lucky, some walking trails too.   I suppose it is a tradeoff to wake up in the morning and see deer and wild turkey in your yard, have 75 acres of land (it's not our land though..., belongs to the church), and not have neighbors so close that they can see you walking around in your undies...., not that we do that (she says blushing)...., okay, you get my point!  We have our privacy out here in the country and are never hard pressed for seeing wildlife...., but we are hard pressed for having a decent place to take babies and children on a beautiful spring day.  So...., what does a stay at home mom do who is dying to get out of the house with her 5 month old son do?  She packs like she's going cross country, making sure she has grabbed diapers, wipes, lovies, pacis, multiple burp cloths and bibs (for my "happy spitter") a blanket (why, I don't know..., it was 75 degrees), a hooded sweater for the baby (again, why? Oh yeah, he has no hair and his head might get sunburned and mommy has yet to purchase a "sun hat" for her child), gets a bottle ready for baby, gets CD's for her baby to listen to while trekking cross the state line (literally), the camera and video camera (why you may ask? We are new parents and have to capture every moment), packs a picnic lunch for herself and her husband....., AND finally loads up the car and drives 45 minutes to meet her husband after he got out of class at Seminary for a picnic in the park!!!  Yes, I drove 45 minutes to the park...., and no making fun. 

Was it worth it??  Absolutely! 

"Happy 5 Months Elijah Brooks"

I have been alittle delinquent in blogging lately.  Let's see, Elijah Brooks turned 5 months on April 5 .  We didn't have any doctor's appointments this month (praise the LORD), so I don't have any official measurements or weight gain.  However,  my child is 5 months and is wears 12 month clothes which means that he is growing and thriving.  That's all I need to know!  He continues to be a very laid back and happy baby.  He rarely cries..., and if he does, it's usually that he is hungry or tired.  His reflux is finally under control!  He continues to spit up ALOT, but he could care less about it...., which means, no pain!  He does smile at everyone he meets, but he continues to be a cautious baby (like his mommy).  However, once he has gained your trust you have a friend for life.  He is still only nursing...., no solid foods yet.  Maybe next month I will be blogging about solids. He has such a sweet disposition...., a very peaceful little boy. He rolls from back to tummy and tummy to back.  He loves to pet the cats! He can raise his hands above his head when I say "UP"...., yes, he actually does know the word!  He can sit up for a few minutes by himself now, before toppling over. He has finally decided that he does in fact like his swing. He can fall asleep on his own (sometimes)...., but hey, I will take sometimes. He also continues to display a love of music, which just makes me so happy.  He loves to splash in the bathtub!  Now he fusses when we take him out of the bath because he actually wants to stay in the bath...., definitely a turn around from a few months ago.  Loves to make us laugh! I honestly think that he is doing it on purpose now. It seems very intentional (sounds very much like his Daddy). Loves his changing table..., favorite place in the house!  Has just realized that he can reach his feet and enjoys sucking on his big toes...., which is so stinkin' cute to watch!  Loves to go running with Daddy and follows mommy around with his eyes wherever she goes.  He rarely loses sight of mommy..., ahhhh, my heart is going to burst!   

Okay seriously, I could write for hours about the things that he is doing now.  But alas, I will stop writing because I know that all of you reading this also have your own children who have already done all of this stuff!  But, he's my firstborn and I am in awe and amazed at every new thing that he does...., and proud of course!  

Maybe next month I will be posting that he is beginning to stretch his nights and has dropped a feeding!!  One can hope :) 

"The Cousins"

Wyatt showing Elijah Brooks his dinosaurs and his new toy that the Easter bunny brought him.

Sisters and their babies 

  "Smile for the camera"!  (EB and Miss B) 

Hugging Daddy and Uncle Jay

As I mentioned previously, the 3 cousins (Wyatt aka "Wy Wy", Bradford aka "Miss B", and Elijah Brooks aka "EB") had such a good time getting re-acquainted over the weekend.  There are 6 1/2 hours separating us from seeing each other regularly, so we jump at every chance we get to spend time together.  Here are a few pictures of them playing together. 

"Family Vacation"

Dad and his 2 girls 

Mommy and EB on the observation deck at the top of Lookout Mountain 

Feeding EB a bottle while riding a train backwards up a mountain...., with my crazy brother in the background! 

Having lunch at "Cheeburger Cheeburger".  

The Tennessee Aquarium 

Elijah Brooks fascinated by the fish!

Mommy and EB both fascinated by the penguins! 

The penguins were amazing! 

This past weekend, my family gathered together in Lookout Mountain, TN (near Chattanooga) for Easter.  We didn't originally plan on being out of town Easter weekend, but with 3 family's various schedules, it just worked out that this weekend worked for all of us.  I had not seen my sister and her family since Christmas!  Needless to say, Elijah Brooks has changed quite a bit since Christmas, and so has his cousin Bradford who is 3 months older than him.   

We had a very rough time actually getting to the mountains.  My sister and her family arrived at the mountain house first, followed by my parents, and then we arrived several hours later.  My mom called me once she arrived at the house and said that they had very strong storms there and that we would probably wind up driving through some of bad weather.  About an hour later, my sister called and said that the power had just gone out at the house!  As soon as we hung up the phone, Jay and I quickly realized that it was quite likely that we were driving through a tornado on the interstate!  We had golfball sized hail pound our car and we have some lovely dents in it now.  I had blanket over Elijah Brooks' carseat and I was under the blanket with him...., yes, I was under the blanket!!!  Just ask my parents, bad weather freaks me out just alittle bit.   Obviously, we made it safely there, but it was not the most relaxing of drives.  Between the power going out and driving through tornados with a 5 month old, I was quite sure that we were certainly embarking on a "Griswald Family Vacation"!  

Once the bad weather had passed and all of my family was together safely, everyone relaxed and we had a great time together.  Wyatt (3), Bradford (8 mo), and Elijah Brooks (5 mo), had such a fun time playing together.  We spent one day at the Tennessee Aquarium and I was amazed at how intrigued my 5 month old son was with the fish!  He loved looking at all of the colors, shapes, and movements.  We rode up the "Incline Railway" also one afternoon to the very top of Lookout Mountain.  My sister and I were both glad that we had children to take our minds off of the fact that we were riding a train backwards straight up a mountain!  

However, I think my favorite part of the trip was the nighttime.  My sweet mom cooked dinner each night for us...., she is such a servant and takes such good care of her family. Each night after all 3 children were put to bed, the 6 adults just sat around the table eating dinner, laughing, and telling stories.  We all learned much more about each other than we knew!   

I am so thankful that my family is so close.  I have always had a wonderful relationship with my parents and my sister.  My brother-in-law has been in our family since I was 16 years old and he really is like my brother.  We are already planning our next trip together....., the beach this summer! 

"Happy Family"