"Swim Lessons are....."

OVER!!!   We both survived!  Elijah Brooks has been in swim lessons for the past 2 weeks, every day. We have certainly had our ups and downs, but I am happy to report that we ended on a very positive note. Overall, he is much more confident in the water than he was 2 weeks ago.  He has gained an incredible amount of balance and core strength, being able to hold himself up on his "noodle" alone and kick from shallow end to deep end and back again, several times.  He has learned to balance on a kickboard and keep himself afloat. He still does not like to go under the water, but he was made it to it every single day and I am so glad for his teacher's persistence in this area.  There were tears when he knew what was coming, and he learned quickly to anticipate when it was coming.  He has a true, legitimate fear of going under and was never trying to manipulate the situation - I know him, and his teacher knows him now too. I was even talking to him yesterday on the way home about what happened when he got so upset, and in his precious 2 year old little voice from the backseat he said, "Mommy, I just got so nervous".  I nearly had to pull over on the side of the road.  I didn't know he knew that word, much less understood what it meant to use it in the right context. But, it indicated to me that he did know exactly how he felt and was able to verbalize it.  We have prayed more prayers together over the past 2 weeks before lessons, during lessons, and prayers of thanksgiving after lessons. The child has definitely been covered in prayer!  It has been such a wonderful learning experience for both me and him. It stretched us both more than I thought it would and I am thankful for that.  Just like EB, I had to push through and persevere through some of my own fear. 

He is very confident on his "noodle" and kickboard, and enjoyed his newfound freedom of being able to go where he wanted to in the pool - of course, with someone right beside him should he slip off of it. He never cried on his noodle - just kicked his strong, long legs and motored his way around the pool. She worked with him a few days this week with treading water and she let go of his hands in the shallow end to see if he could kick and bob back up to the surface. He wasn't able to come right back up, but we were both encouraged to see him kicking his feet instinctively underneath him. He just forgot to move his arms at the same time.  So, there are definitely areas that we will work on together this summer in the pool, but overall I am so encouraged.  I am just so proud of him for pushing through it for 2 weeks and sticking with it even though it was by far the hardest thing he has had to do. He never once fought me about going to lessons.  He cooperated so well each morning getting dressed and in the car every day, and seemed genuinely glad to be there.  The only time he was ever fearful was when he knew he was about to go under.  Both his teacher and I knew that we could keep pushing him because of that - he wasn't fearful to come to lessons.

We are both tired, but I am so thankful for these 2 weeks, for the progress made both physically and emotionally, and for the times when I heard, "Mommy, did you see me? I did it", from the pool. Just to see him gain more confidence was thrilling for me. I am also so thankful for the time that we were able to pray together about specific fears and character issues (obedience even when we don't want to etc.....). 

I am so proud of my boy!

She made them hold onto the noodle a different way to increase their strength and balance

Such a look of concentration!

Talking to him before she let him go to try to tread water

On the kickboard.  That boy was working hard!

Blowing bubbles in the ring. 

It's OVER!!

I think they are happy!

"Overheard....."

My sweet boy, has been having a very hard time settling down at bedtime.  He is not crying or upset, he just can't turn his little mind or mouth off.  He is like a battery - he has to talk so much that he finally wears himself out.  Bless his heart, he does get the talking honest from me and my family!

He has been talking for well over 30 minutes and can't seem to shut it off.  I just heard this conversation over the monitor:

EB: "Mommy? Where is my mommy"?
EB: "Oh, she's downstairs".
EB: "She's downstairs??  Oh dear, oh dear!  How can I get her back up here"?
EB: "Guess she's not coming".

This was followed by a lovely rendition of, "The Lord is my Shepherd"! 

He cracks me up that kid!

"Transitions"....

Okay, so swim lessons aren't going exactly like I thought (hoped) they would, but they are going.  We have another week so we'll see what happens this week. He is getting braver in some areas and more fearful in others.  It's a fine balance to know how much to push without the possibility of digressing. I don't want to push so hard that he refuses to get in the water at all, so it really is a fine line. I am proud of the bravery he has shown in a specific area, but sad to see so much legitimate fear in another. So, we are working through it.  I will probably wind up teaching him to swim myself - hey, that's how I learned at an early age.

We did however transition him to the next step of his toddler bed this week.  Some of you may wonder why in the world we have waited this long? Well, the truth is he could have thrown one leg over at 14 months of age because of his height....., however, he never even once attempted to jump or climb out of his crib.  So why rock the boat and mess up a good thing?  He was content, loved his crib, confined, and safe!  His room is at the very top of our stairs, so my heart was always at peace at night knowing that he was safe in his crib - though I knew at any moment he might attempt an escape, I really never thought he would...., and I was right, he never did.  I have been having a hard time lifting him for awhile now, some pregnancy related and some just because he's heavy.  He is at a great age to reason with, comprehend, follow directions etc....., so we thought this was a good time to transition him.  When he turns 3 in November, our plan is to put him in his "big boy" bed and completely redo his room - new theme, new paint etc......  We want that to be a really special thing for him before the baby comes in January.  His crib is convertible, so we just removed the front rail this week to get him used to it before putting him in the bigger bed in November.

He absolutely LOVED it. We were amazed at his reaction, just how much he loved it.  We still rock to a few songs before bed (I love that he still wants me to rock him and sing to him), but now he can just crawl in his bed to be covered up and he absolutely loves it.  He hasn't given us any trouble at all, and he stays in his bed and calls for us when he is ready to get out. He is following directions so well, and it has been such an easy transition. You never know how these transitions are going to go, breast to bottle, bottle to sippy cup, baby food to table food, diapers to underwear, paci to no paci, crib to bed etc......   We have had some very easy ones and some very difficult ones. I am so glad that this has been an easy one - and it is SO much easier on me too.

This picture has nothing to do with the toddler bed, but was too funny not to post. He stayed with some friends of ours the other night so Jay and I could go out to dinner.  Anyway, his friend who is the exact same age, was wearing his PJ's when we got there, and EB wanted to wear PJ's too.  I didn't pack PJ's, so when we picked him up, this is what he looked like!  EB wears a 4T and his friend wears 24 month.  This is EB in 24 month PJ pants - and loving every second of it!

Toddler bed

Clearly, he loves it.

"Just updating"....

Let's see, what have we been up to lately?  Well, I am now 11 weeks pregnant and growing quickly.  I have heard this happens after your 1st baby, and so far it proves to be true.  I definitely look like I am 15 weeks or so instead of just 11.  The baby is doing great, still measuring a week ahead, which could account for the faster growth in my belly - or at least that's what I am telling myself!  Elijah Brooks has already shown so much love towards his new brother or sister. He puts his head on my tummy every day and says that he is "loving the baby".  He also asked to put an ultrasound picture up on his wall so that he could pray for the baby (completely his idea, not mine). Yesterday morning when I got him up out of his bed, the first thing he said was, "I did pray for the baby while I was sleeping"!

Since I last wrote, we have had VBS and are currently in swim lessons.  Our VBS was very different this year, as we took it "off site", to a local housing project downtown.  It was a tremendous week of growth for all of us, and a true "dying to self". We made some wonderful friendships, and in fact a few of the kids from downtown have joined us at church the past few Sunday's and one of them is even going on our youth retreat next week to Florida!  I think that is absolutely amazing.  I love what one of them said about Jay. He said, "are you really a pastor"?  Jay said, "I am", to which the teenage boy replied, "but you're just so goofy"!  Jay took that as a compliment :)

I started Elijah Brooks in swim lessons on Monday of this week.  He is doing as well as I could ever ask a 2 1/2 year old to do in his first round of swim lessons.  He has been very obedient, compliant, and has done everything he has been asked/told to do by his teacher.  Monday was pretty much just getting the children acclimated to the water (he is in a class with 2 other children).  When I asked him that night what his favorite part about the day was, he said, "going to Mrs. Carole Anne's pool".  I thought that was a victory.  Yesterday, he was on a "noodle" all by himself kicking around the shallow end (which I was pretty shocked about), and was even walking on his tip toes in the shallow end (he's so tall that this wasn't too difficult for him).  She did however, "dunk" him under the water yesterday and I heard a very loud, "I don't like that" when he came up!  I could have told her that was going to happen.  He doesn't even like water being poured over his head in the bathtub, but we do it anyway.  He was no worse for the wear after that incident, so I considered Tuesday a victory too.  We have been talking about swim lessons for a long time now, and have been reading books on bravery, God being with you when you are afraid, praying lots of prayers etc....., so he has definitely been well prepared.  Today, (Wednesday), there were tears for the first time having to be "dunked" again.  I really like this teacher - she is very good with the kids, kind and loving, but firm.  I heard her tell him to dry up his tears immediately and if he did, the "treasure box" would be waiting for him.  His reply, "I don't want the treasure box"!!!  He didn't cry for too long and wasn't too traumatized by the event, and got back on his "noodle" and started kicking.  You better believe I was praying on the "sidelines" for him that his tears wouldn't escalate! After every class, all of the kids do get to choose a "treasure" out of the treasure box.  Fruit snacks and lollipops have been the treasure of choice thus far.  Today was his very first lollipop!  I know, he leads a sheltered life!  I am just scared of them.  But, I watched closely and didn't take my eye off of him while he ate it - and he did fine :)    I just keep praying for him and for his fear of going under the water.  I don't want him to be crippled by the fear.  I have been encouraged though by his overall confidence in the water, and by his attitude about the whole thing. I really hope that tomorrow he will get alittle more confident about going under.  These lessons run for 2 weeks, so we still have another week after this week!  I am just hoping that we will keep moving forward and that he won't digress knowing that going under the water is going to happen every time now.  I felt sad for him though when we left because he said, "I wasn't brave under the water today".  I made sure that he knew he was very brave for just being out in the water - that is a huge step for him.  I am just so proud of him for getting out there and staying in the water, obeying, and doing what he is told to do even though he doesn't want to all the time. 

I will keep updating as the lessons progress. We are not supposed to take pictures during the lessons, but are permitted to take pictures on the last day.  I did snap a few pictures before and after the lessons though.  He is taking lessons with his good friend Cameron, who just turned 3 a few days ago. These guys have been friends for over a year and get along very well - and so do their mommas! 

Still loves his beloved John Deere tractors

Before lesson

Watching the "big kids" jumping in the pool

Cameron and Elijah Brooks with their "treasures" after the lesson

Silly boys! 

"God's Timing"....

"In his heart man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps", Proverbs 16:9

This verse has always been very meaningful to me, and has brought me great comfort through the years.  I am so thankful that God is Sovereign, and that HE is the one directing my every step. I am so thankful for His perfect timing in all things.  As you all know from a few posts back, we have officially completed our foster parenting training and certification.  We are "sitting on go", waiting for a phone call. We were obedient to answer the call from the Lord to go through with and complete our training, and are so thankful to be at this point. It was made abundantly clear to us months ago, that the time was right and the time was now, to go through with our training.  We followed the Lord and pushed forward, completing it to the end.  But, as the verse above clearly states, man plans his way but it is the LORD who directs his steps. 

We have had some interesting happenings over the past month since I wrote my last post.  While we have not received a phone call from DHR, we have however gotten a very positive pregnancy test. That's right, I am almost 9 weeks pregnant!  We found out this wonderful news 3 days after we signed our very last set of papers to officially complete our training.  Clearly, God is in all of this, and we are trusting Him fully.

We do not know what tomorrow holds, and honestly, we are not even trying to figure any of it out.  I think God has clearly shown us that HE is the one in control of our lives and that He will do what He wills, when He wills, and all we are called to do is be obedient and faithful to whatever He tells us to do.

We are absolutely thrilled beyond words at this news, and are humbled and thankful. I am doing quite well, and being monitored very closely. We have been able to see our baby's heartbeat 3 times already and he or she is measuring about 1 week ahead.  We are so thankful for a strong, healthy baby.  God is the Creator and Sustainer of everything and we know He is holding our baby in His hands and is knitting together every fabric of his/her being.

People keep asking me what we are going to do about foster care. The only answer I have is that we will be obedient to whatever the Lord asks of us. It is not our decision, but His, so we will just have to see what happens through all of this.

At this point, we just ask for prayers for the little miracle growing inside of me, for wisdom, and for strength to obey.

"Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above Ye Heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen".