Baby Food

I forgot a very important part of my mom's trip to ATL...she taught me how to make baby food!! I really think I have several months worth of little cubes in my freezer of : bananas, apples, butternut squash, sweet potato, carrots, and peas!!! We figured out my savings to see if it was worth it...and drum roll please, based on our "per serving" figures I saved a total of : $96.84
It was so easy...mom and I joked that I should start a business for organic baby food...

Legacy

Caroline Dale laughed for the first time today. I mean REALLY laughed! I don't know if any of you have read "Hinds Feet on High Places" (great books), but there is a passage in one of the books that talks about how a stream, or brook, praises the Lord! They are described to laugh as they bounce along rocks and down the mountain sides into streams, and that when they hit a waterfall and cascade over the side it is utter joy...my sweet darling daughter today was a joyful stream of laughter. How her laugh quenched something inside me I didn't know was vacant waiting for her laugh to fill it. Her whole face and body have "laughed" for weeks...but to hear that noise today was quite wonderful!
My mom has been here for the past week, and that too has been great. You know it is a cool thing to be at this place in life, seeking advice from my mom on how to do what she has done for over 30 years now. You know what I appreciate about my mom is that she watches me care for Caroline and truly thinks I am doing a good job. She told me today that she was proud of me...Andy (Stanley for those non NPCCers) did a sermon once and talked about the need for children to have the blessings of their parents in life, and need to know that they are proud of them...I am thankful that I hear that from my parents often. Not b/c I think I'm something necessarily to be proud of...but they are looking for ways to encourage and tell me that I am doing a good job. This mind you in the midst of me choosing to do things differently than they did them. They are letting Jason and I find "our way" and then encourage us through that! What a blessing to have a legacy that has been passed down to Jason and me for us to then morph and make into our own way of doing our family. Thanks for that. We love you!

4 Month Quick Update

Just thought I'd let you all know about our munchkin. She is 4 months old and went to the pediatrician today to get her check up and 2nd round of vacinations.
Caroline weighs: 11 lb. 4 oz. (10%); 24 5/8 inches (70%) The doc said her body is just long and lean and that she is doing GREAT! Everyone always says that she is so tiny...so my head was worried she was too small. Since she is only nursing 4 times a day he said it might be good to have another feeding in there...but she is sleeping so well 11 hours a night...he also suggested adding some formula to her cereal. That way she could get the extra calories w/o jeopardizing her nursing. I think she liked it...it made her solids a little more creamy.

So there's the update...we're doing well.

To trust or not to trust

First of all the pics you'll see are: Caroline on the beach at Daytona Beach Shores, playing on floor w/ her daddy, and Seth Penley (one of Jason's closest buddies) holding her.

Lessons lately learned...or shall I say learning! In our family Jason is responsible for managing our families finances, and I am responsible for managing our home. With that of course is Caroline's well-being and currently for me that is nursing. I have noticed this last week how easy it is for me to trust the Lord w/ our finances. It is a done deal in my head even though we are functioning on one income now and things are tight...I just don't question the Lord's provision for us financially...however, Jason struggles trusting. I on the other hand seem to still question and wonder if Caroline is getting enough milk...and Jason looking in has no trouble trusting the Lord to provide enough milk for our daughter. Why am I so quick and almost defensive of the Lord (like he needs me to stand up for Him) to Jason that I KNOW He will provide for us financially, yet when it comes to him giving enough milk to CDH I question. "Ye of little faith"...shouldn't my trust in the Lord not be circumstantial? Shouldn't my trust in our ever sufficient and ever on time, and ever faithful Father be the same daily? Then I walk to the freezer and see a surplus of milk again...I see my daughter thriving, and I see that He has enabled us to pay all of our bills...He has met our needs.
Thank you Jesus.

Lil' Firecracker

Yesterday was CDH's first 4th of July! Jake and I went up to his Granparent Cruce's house at Lake Chatuge on Tuesday evening. Jason's Aunt and Uncle as well as his cousin Cammie and husband Kirk, and daughter Alana (sorry if i misspelled), and his parents were there. Caroline had an eventful day of boating (her first trip), swimming in a little swimming pool, and nodding off by the end of the day.
I missed my fam back in Kansas for sure...there was no homemade icecream the way mom does it, and no watermelon seed spitting contest (these are musts if you didn't know) and of course we missed kids blowing firecrackers up in there hands accidentally...not that that ever happened to me growing up! :) All that said...Kansas sure didn't have the gorgeous view of the N.Georgia mountains, and the lake! So...what's a girl to do! I am just forever thankful that Jason and I live by family, and a great family at that!

Enjoy the pics!