12.31.10- Day 365

It's the end of 2010! This has been a big year for us! Here's a recap of what's happened in 2010...

January- We found out that we were expecting a baby. We were thrilled and nervous at the same time. Alan finished his first full year of nursing and Susan finished her first semester as a school physical therapist. We visited Beloit, KS for our friend, Allie's, wedding.
February- We announced the good news about the pregnancy to friends and family. I turned 26. We travelled to Kansas City to visit our friends Paul and Bethany.
March- We celebrated our 4th anniversary. Alan had a long awaited hip surgery to fix his labral tear.
April- Alan spent time recovering from surgery and I just chugged along at work.
May- Alan went back to work, I finished the school year, and we revealed that we were having a boy at our gender reveal party.
June- We spent a lot of time getting the house ready for baby and said goodbye to our friend, Sarah, as she headed to Sierra Leone for 6 months.
July- My parents came to Denver to help get the nursery ready. We travelled to Northern California on our babymoon. Alan started applying for CRNA school.
August- I started back to work for my second year in the school system. More CRNA applications. Alan turned 27.
September- I finished everything up at work and got ready for Caleb's arrival. Alan took 2 weeks off and my parents stayed with us for a week after Caleb arrived on September 26th. Birthing our first son was the most difficult thing I've done, as well as the most rewarding.
October- We spent a lot of time just getting used to having a baby. Our friends, Paul and Bethany, came to visit in early October. My sister, Stephanie, and her husband came to visit in late October. Alan interviewed at KU for a position in their CRNA program.
November- We celebrated Thanksgiving with friends and the Hunts. Caleb turned 2 months old and started smiling. Parenting became more and more rewarding.
December- Caleb really started to light up our lives as he is growing and changing everyday. Alan interviewed in Denver at 2 hospitals and in Rhode Island for CRNA positions. Alan was offered a position at KU in late December, which he accepted. My family came to visit just before Christmas. Caleb was dedicated at church. We spent Christmas with Alan's family. Now, Paul and Colby are visiting over the New Year's holiday. Plus, we got our first big snow of the season.

Although I'm nervous about the next year in many ways, I'm also very excited about it. We have many transitions that will happen, including selling our house, buying a house in Kansas City, moving, Alan starting a 3 year graduate program, finding a new job, leaving my beloved current job, and watching Caleb grow from infancy into toddlerhood. I think this upcoming year will be challenging, stretching, but also full of joy. I kind of feel we are transitioning into our "real" adult lives. I'm so proud of Alan and the career he is pursuing and I'm so thankful for my dear little son. I pray that during the next year I learn how to be a better wife and mother to the two most important people in my life! Here's to 2011!

3 months!

3 Months!!!!

Dear Caleb,
This has been a big month for you! I guess it's been a third of your life so far, so it makes sense that lots has happened! You are getting so strong! You can prop yourself up on your elbows and sometimes hands while you are on your tummy. Your favorite position is standing up with a little support.

You had your first Christmas. And yes, you LOVED looking at all the lights on the Christmas tree.

You went to your first wedding (congratulations Carissa "Cole" Cowan)

Your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends dedicated you to Jesus this month. We pray that you will follow him from a young age and all the days of your life!

The verse that was spoken over you is this:

"The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand..." Psalm 37:23-24

Other things new for this month: you love to reach, swipe, and grab at objects. You have noticed your hands and love to stare at them while you pull on things. You are a smiley little guy and so content. You rarely cry, so when you do, mama and daddy get a little worried :). At Christmastime you met your Great Aunt Karen, Aunt Stacy, the Tuttle cousins, and your Great Grandma and Grandpa Brown. You started consistently sleeping through the night this month, which makes Mama very happy! You sleep between 8 and 11 hours (mostly 10 hours) every night! One time Mama even got 9 hours of sleep! You are so good to me! Dear Caleb, I love you more and more each day. I can't wait to see each new day and the new things you are learning. I can see you developing and changing right in front of my eyes. Sometimes I want to freeze time because I know that one of these days I'm going to look up and you'll be starting kindergarten or going out for the basketball team or leaving for college or having your own son. But for now, you are my little Caleb-mister and I love you dearly.

Love,

Mama

12.30.10- Day 364

A Hunt/Brown/Tuttle Family Christmas

We spent several days with Alan's family over Christmas. Caleb got to meet his great-grandpa Brown and his Tuttle cousins! Here are some pictures from the weekend!

Caleb with Great Grandpa Brown

4 generations

Great Grandma and Grandpa Brown

Great Grandma loves little Caleb
The Hunts

The Whole Family

The cousins with Grandma and Grandpa Brown

Family Picture

Yusef (the Tuttles' foreign exchange student from a few years ago) holding Caleb

Brandon and Caleb

Ian and Caleb

It was a great time! I love seeing family at Christmastime!

12.23.10- Day 357

Galbo/Hunt/Loup/Verser Family Christmas...
Well, the house feels very quiet after a lovely 5 days spent with my family to celebrate Christmas. We had a wonderful time just enjoying one another's company! Enjoy pictures from Stephanie's camera (since I always forget to take pictures).

The 3 SistersAunt Karen with Caleb at his dedication
Pastor Dean dedicating Caleb to the Lord

Nana and Stephanie adoring Caleb

Me and Stacy!

Nana, Stacy, and Caleb

What a cutie!

Me and my dear baby

Charlie and Stephanie trying to get Caleb to smile

Stacy holding Caleb in Estes Park

The girls and Caleb in Estes Park- it snowed the whole time we were there (Caleb loved the cold weather by the way!)

Thumb-sucker

Papa and Caleb

The whole fam (except poor Alan who had to work)

The girls and Caleb being crazy!

My parents with me and Caleb

I'm a little sad to have an empty house, but so thankful I got to spend some good time with family. I'm also excited to go spend Christmas with the Hunt/Brown family tomorrow!

12.18.10- Day 352

So... New haircut... not sure what I think yet (especially the bangs- which haven't graced my face since about the 3rd grade).
And... my Galbo/Loup/Verser family is coming tonight!

12.16.10- Day 350

I love it when...
Caleb wraps his fingers around my hand as he sleeps :).

12.14.10- Day 348

Wow, we are getting dangerously close to 2011! (and we all thought the world would end at Y2K! haha)

Hmmm... it was 70 degrees outside today. Literally. We broke a record in Denver. Unfortunately, I've been suffering from mastitis the past couple days and haven't been able to enjoy this unusual weather as much as I'd like. I still decided to go on a short walk to soak up as much vitamin D as I could. It was glorious outside! Maybe I should move to Florida in the winter like all the retired people of the world.

Patrick won the Biggest Loser! I was pretty set on not watching it next season because I thought it was getting worse every season, but now I think I have to watch it because of the previews they gave during the finale (good job marketing person haha).

Today, I embraced being a mom and housewife (granted, the full-time housewife thing is soon to change). I realized that for the first time in a while, I've felt really ALIVE. Maybe it's because I've been so challenged with this new life change, maybe it's because this is exactly the place God wants me to be right now. Now, I may not feel like this tomorrow, but for today, I feel real, authentic, and dreamy. Sometimes it's in the not-so-comfortable places, the I-want-to-be-selfish-but-have-to-grow-up places, the Lord-I-literally-NEED-you-today places where we grow, change, morph, and as a result, become more of the person we were intended to be.

12.09.10- Day 343

Random thoughts on a mild December day...

Goals for the week:
Physical goal: Find a way to exercise at least 3-4 times, even though I'll have no childcare support because Al is either working, interviewing, or out of town for the next week and a half.
Spiritual goal: Read God's word every day. Why is this so hard to do?!
Life goal: Start preparing for going back to work by slowly moving Caleb's wake up time to 6:30. (Right now he normally goes to bed around 10 and wakes to eat around 5, then gets up again at 8ish.) I also want to start feeding him one bottle of thawed breast milk each day to get him used to that.

I can't believe that December is flying by so quickly- really that 2010 is almost over. There are only 22 days left! I am excited, however, to see my family in only a week and 2 days! I've been so thankful to get to see them a lot this year. Maybe I'll have to keep this having-babies-thing up :).

I tried Greek yogurt for the first time yesterday. It was majorly on sale at Sprouts ($0.50/container!). I'm not sure what I think. I was expecting the texture to be similar to regular yogurt for some reason, but it was thicker and tasted more tart. At first, I really didn't like it, but as I kept eating, it grew on me. Hmmm... I guess I'll keeping on eating it because it is amazingly good for me.

Well, that's all for now. I need to go check out the temperature to see if running outside today with a baby is feasible. It is supposed to get up to 55!

12.07.10- Day 341

Wow... the end of 2010 is drawing very near. I feel like every year seems to go by faster and faster. I wonder what it will feel like when I'm 35 or 50 or 90?!

On to a post that I've been meaning to write for a while:

I'm not sure what is different this year from years past, but I've been incredibly struck by the "lostness" of people this Christmas season. Over the past few years I've thought about trying to combat the materialism of Christmas by buying presents from thehungersite.com or by promoting causes like Water for Christmas or The International Princess Project. These are all good organizations doing great things. Fighting materialism is good, but it's not what Christmas is about. Giving to a good cause for good cause sake may just put a bandaid over a problem that is much deeper. BUT... this year I'm struck by how close people are to the gospel of Jesus Christ and how closed their ears and eyes are. Maybe it's because my small group is reading a kick butt book on communication and how at the depth of how we communicate is what we believe about God. It basically just lays out the gospel over and over again. Maybe it's because I have a son now and am thinking more deeply about the traditions in our culture.
One of the first things that struck me this season was when I was watching the lighting of the tree at the Rockefeller Center. Some musician was singing this awesome version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." At first I was really enjoying the version. Slowly I realized that this woman most likely did not believe in Christ's grace. In fact, of all the hundreds of people waving their cell phones at her concert, only a few probably believed the words of the song. Even more, thousands or possibly millions of Americans were listening to her sing the truth and I just wonder how many of them actually heard the words. How many of us actually listen to the message of Christmas or do we just hear a sentimental tune?

God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay,
Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day;
To save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray.

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;
O tidings of comfort and joy.

In Bethlehem, in Israel, this blessèd Babe was born,
And laid within a manger upon this blessèd morn;
The which His mother Mary did nothing take in scorn.

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;
O tidings of comfort and joy.

From God our heavenly Father a blessèd angel came;
And unto certain shepherds brought tidings of the same;
How that in Bethlehem was born the Son of God by name.

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;
O tidings of comfort and joy.

“Fear not, then,” said the angel, “Let nothing you afright
This day is born a Savior of a pure Virgin bright,
To free all those who trust in Him from Satan’s power and might.”

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;
O tidings of comfort and joy.

The shepherds at those tidings rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding in tempest, storm and wind,
And went to Bethl’em straightaway this blessèd Babe to find.

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;
O tidings of comfort and joy.

But when to Bethlehem they came where our dear Savior lay,
They found Him in a manger where oxen feed on hay;
His mother Mary kneeling unto the Lord did pray.

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;
O tidings of comfort and joy.

Now to the Lord sing praises all you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas all others doth deface.

Oh tidings of comfort and joy! Oh I am near tears thinking about those who try to "send their energy and positive thoughts to the situation in North Korea" (asked to do this by a yoga teacher) and to those who try to find hope and "Christmas joy" in themselves, vacation, presents, family, or anything besides the love and grace of Christ. What stress and disappointment if our hope is in what we can accomplish alone. What amazing comfort and peace when we realize that we don't have to do it alone. When will we realize that we needed a Savior desperately and God became man so that he could rescue us from our darkness?! He is the LIGHT of the world!

12.05.10- Day 339

This is a cute video of Caleb sucking his thumb! I think he's going to take after his mom in this way!

11.30.10- Day 336

2 Months!

Dear Caleb,

You are 2 months old! You have changed so much this month. You have gone from being a little guy who wasn't too aware of the world to a baby boy very interested in people and your environment. You make your mom and dad (and everyone else for that matter) very happy when you gurgle and coo and smile at them. These little looks and sounds are the highlight of my days! You've also started sleeping for 7-8 hour stretches! This makes your mom very happy too! You had your two month appointment today and you've grown to be 12 pounds, 6 ounces (70th percentile), 23 1/2 inches long (70th percentile), and have a 15 3/4 inch head circumference (30th percentile- hehe). You were so brave when you got your shots today and only cried a little. When I read to you, you talk back to me as if we were having a conversation (it doesn't matter if the book is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom or Uncle Tom's Cabin or the Jesus Story Bible). You are starting to move your arms and legs with purpose and you love sucking on your left hand. As Christmas comes around, I'm reminded more than ever of the importance of showing you the truth about Jesus Christ and his amazing good news. I hope that you come to know his grace and goodness at a young age! I love you so much and I know that love will only grow.

- Your mama

11.29.10- Day 335

Lots of pictures:
At the pizza restaurant with the Sheltons Al and sleeping Caleb

The happy family

Paul and Caleb

Me, Bethany, and Caleb (seeing a theme- caleb, caleb, caleb!)

We had deer come right up to the cabin

Paul fed them dates... they liked it

Our family at "friendsgiving"

My first chicken pot pie- yum!

The successful 2 month pic

One not so successful... he was proud of the razorbacks for beating LSU though

Another not so successful picture

Hunt family Thanksgiving

11.28.10- Day 334

Well...
Sorry I've been absent for a few days! We've been super-busy and Alan has been home (so we've been spending lots of time together). It's been a nice mix of family time and visiting this past week.

Wednesday- We visited Paul, Bethany, and the other Sheltons up in Estes Park. It was so fun to see everyone and spend time in their beautiful cabin. Also, Caleb slept through the night on Wednesday night!

Thursday- We had a "friendsgiving" meal with about 20 people (a random smattering of friends from church, jbu, and random other connections). It was fun and tasty!

Friday- We had thanksgiving in Greeley with Al's family. Another tasty, fun time. Caleb turned 2 months old today!

Saturday- We rested and put up the Christmas decorations. We also got to chat with my family via Skype.

Sunday- We ended up sleeping in and spending a relaxing day at home. Sometimes you just need those days!

...pictures to come soon!

11.23.10- Day 329

More Caleb faces :)