Faith

Yesterday James developed his first fever. It came on during our ECFE class. He had a diaper rash - worse than any other before - that came along with it. It was scary. I pulled out my reference books and looked online during his nap to discover the rash was probably nothing. Still, our little guy was miserable. He spent the remainder of the afternoon laying around (literally) and groaning. He would think he was "okay," jump off our laps to do something and just fall back onto the ground. Rough day, rough night, rough day - he seems like he is turning a corner now.

What does this have to do with faith? James slept on my chest for about half the night. He had been there about an hour and a half. I was getting no real sleep and he was restless. I knew he would sleep better in his own bed, but I was scared. What if his fever spikes? What if this is more severe than we think and we lose our boy or he becomes very ill? It reminded me of when he was just born. Every time I laid him down in his crib was an act of faith - faith that God would protect my little boy from SIDS. As I laid him down in the middle of the night my faith was challenged. I needed faith that God loved him more than we do... faith that God would watch over him.... and faith that God would wake me if something were to happen. AND of course God was faithful.

Jess and I were discussing this topic today. This is the first time James has ever been sick - beyond a runny nose or cough. It is a hard realty to know that James' life is not under our total control. We can care for him, but if God chose to take him.... Too hard to discuss and yet another reason we are glad to have such a loving God who knows the big picture and still takes care of the small details like our lives.

Story of deception... Video of Car Noises

Here's the scenario:
Mommy sees James with his hand in a tight grip.
M: James, what's in your hand?
James looks at Mommy and runs into another room.
D: James, come here.
James goes to Daddy.
D: What do you have in your hand, James?
James hides his hands behind his back and starts to move away from Daddy. Daddy opens James' hand to find a little piece of a leaf. We look at each other and decide he can eat it if he really wants and give it back to him.
J: Ooohhhh
James smiles and runs to the other room. He stashes it in his mouth, looks at us, and smiles again.

Here's a video of James' version of a car's motor. It sounds a little peculiar. We finally discovered he must have mimicked it from a toy car he has that makes a similar sound when you push a button.

Books and Hugs

That summarizes James. He loves to look at books. His latest thing is to bring a book at Jess and (throw it on his lap) and pull himself on Daddy's lap. Everything is accompanied by an "ooh." James is also giving us the best hugs - totally initiated by him. He also likes to blow bubbles on me (Lisa). I don't understand it, but it does make me feel loved.
These last two pictures we took at Westwood Nature Center - close to where we live. It is refreshing to take a nice walk, look at the lake, and watch James experience and enjoy God's creation.
James is holding securely to an apple... After this outing we lost one of James' shoes for almost a week. Yes, we have a small apartment, but James likes to carry things around and hide them. Thankfully we found it hiding in a closet. This was a relief since they are his only pair that fit well, and it is a bit cold to go outside barefoot.

Anniversary

Yesterday was our 2 year anniversary. It's amazing how much can change in two years. What a blessing and joy it is to be a family together - to raise James together - and to have someone to create so many memories with. Our good friend Heather babysat for us last night so we could have a night out. We had a lot of fun reminiscing about our wedding. It really felt like a date - and a well needed one at that. It's amazing how many people sent us cards and remembered to say "Happy Anniversary." Kind of made us feel special.

RECKLESS

We're out looking for homes. The last 2 weeks have been incredibly stressful. Jesse has been gone 11.5-12 hours a day. He comes home beat tired. We found out that our landlord will no longer allow us to rent month to month. We also learned that the past few people who have moved out have not gotten their security deposit back. Joy.

GUESS WHO'S BEHIND THIS BIB?
James is really into peek-a-boo these days. Doorways, blankets, your shirt, his bib (yuck) all make great places to play. We also had to confiscate James' slide. He is just too reckless. He'll climb up the slide part, try to turn around at the top to slide down (sometimes 1 handed). He took a good fall on Sunday and seriously scared us. The boy exhibits no fear, no caution... We're hoping by his birthday or Christmas the slide will make a return.

James has also discovered that apples are very delicious. We discovered that he indeed does bite into them and that the skin is a choking hazard.

James is quite the little talker. He tries so hard to tell us things. We just can't understand him. We're pretty sure he uses the word "go." Surprising... since the highlight of his day is anytime we leave the house. I think I've heard "night night" too, but time will tell.