Saturday, July 30, 2011
New Bern, Here We Come!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
It Makes Me Happy When...
...Kylee's pacifier matches her diaper. :)
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Lessons
These past two months have been such an experience for me.
I can't even begin to tell you how much my faith has grown through it.
Though this should have been true before, I now can honestly say that I have 100% faith in God that when He says something, it is so. It WILL happen.
If there is anyone we can trust in, it's Him. As long as we are continuing to follow His will in all areas of our life, He will come through on His promises to us.
We have moved quite a few times...this will be our 7th move, and we'll be celebrating our 6 year wedding anniversary in October. This will be our 5th BIG move, as in - moving to another state.
That's a lot of house shopping.
And again, we are house hunting.
Because of these past two months, I honestly have NO apprehension about the process of finding the right house for us. I know that we are following God's will in moving back to New Bern, so I know He also has the perfect house for us...we just have to find it!
I have also learned a lot of other lessons through all of this...and one of those is that we have absolutely amazing friends and family.
I am overwhelmed by the amount of people that said they have prayed for us through this. When I say "thank you," please know that I mean it.
It really means so much to me that you care enough for us to pray with us in this situation.
James says "Every good and perfect gift is from above" and our friends and family are one of those gifts! I am so thankful for each of you!
Now that He has answered us with a job offer, will you please send up a prayer of thanks? He is such an awesome God, and I hate to think that He gets so many requests, and maybe not enough praises when He answers us.
Again, thank you all! :)
I trust that God has some pretty awesome plans for us in New Bern...if you'd like to follow our journey, I'll continue to update the blog. :)
I can't even begin to tell you how much my faith has grown through it.
Though this should have been true before, I now can honestly say that I have 100% faith in God that when He says something, it is so. It WILL happen.
If there is anyone we can trust in, it's Him. As long as we are continuing to follow His will in all areas of our life, He will come through on His promises to us.
We have moved quite a few times...this will be our 7th move, and we'll be celebrating our 6 year wedding anniversary in October. This will be our 5th BIG move, as in - moving to another state.
That's a lot of house shopping.
And again, we are house hunting.
Because of these past two months, I honestly have NO apprehension about the process of finding the right house for us. I know that we are following God's will in moving back to New Bern, so I know He also has the perfect house for us...we just have to find it!
I have also learned a lot of other lessons through all of this...and one of those is that we have absolutely amazing friends and family.
I am overwhelmed by the amount of people that said they have prayed for us through this. When I say "thank you," please know that I mean it.
It really means so much to me that you care enough for us to pray with us in this situation.
James says "Every good and perfect gift is from above" and our friends and family are one of those gifts! I am so thankful for each of you!
Now that He has answered us with a job offer, will you please send up a prayer of thanks? He is such an awesome God, and I hate to think that He gets so many requests, and maybe not enough praises when He answers us.
Again, thank you all! :)
I trust that God has some pretty awesome plans for us in New Bern...if you'd like to follow our journey, I'll continue to update the blog. :)
Monday, July 25, 2011
Mysterious Ways
I remember talking to my sister last week about this whole waiting situation.
I told her that I felt like once our answer came, it wasn't just going to be a phone call with a job offer.
I didn't know why, but I just felt like however it fell into place, it would come out of left field.
Boy did it ever.
Greg's hours have been cut drastically at his current job because of new management, and we knew that something had to change, whether that meant getting a second job here...or since we were so set on going to New Bern, possibly finding something else there.
All last week, we were very confused. For whatever reason, we felt like the phone call wasn't going to come, yet we had been so prepared to go to New Bern that we wondered if we were just supposed to go...with no job offer...but be in the right place in the right time for if/when it came.
Our prayer so many times last week was, "Lord, we want to do Your will...we just don't know what that is!!!"
So, Greg called the manager again on Thursday with all of that in mind, and left him a detailed message. He told him that he (Greg) needed to make a decision on what to do by Friday afternoon. He wanted to work for him, but he couldn't wait much longer and needed to look into something else if it wasn't going to work out with Volvo. He asked the manager to call him when he had time to talk.
Guess what?
The phone never rang.
So...Greg called our pastor in North Carolina. We'd heard of an opening at the New Bern Toyota dealership and knew the service manager goes to our NC church. For whatever reason, Greg felt led to make that phone call and see if there was anything there to look into.
Long story short, Greg got in touch with this guy and everything just fell into place.
All this weekend, just like that.
We got the OFFICIAL phone call this evening (about 10 minutes ago!) and we are officially employed by them.
And this offer is way more than we were even *hoping* for at Volvo...
God is SO good.
So, we move this Saturday, as in - 5 days from now!
I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO!!!
But I'll be praising the Lord through it all!!!
Thank you so much everyone for your prayers!!
I told her that I felt like once our answer came, it wasn't just going to be a phone call with a job offer.
I didn't know why, but I just felt like however it fell into place, it would come out of left field.
Boy did it ever.
Greg's hours have been cut drastically at his current job because of new management, and we knew that something had to change, whether that meant getting a second job here...or since we were so set on going to New Bern, possibly finding something else there.
All last week, we were very confused. For whatever reason, we felt like the phone call wasn't going to come, yet we had been so prepared to go to New Bern that we wondered if we were just supposed to go...with no job offer...but be in the right place in the right time for if/when it came.
Our prayer so many times last week was, "Lord, we want to do Your will...we just don't know what that is!!!"
So, Greg called the manager again on Thursday with all of that in mind, and left him a detailed message. He told him that he (Greg) needed to make a decision on what to do by Friday afternoon. He wanted to work for him, but he couldn't wait much longer and needed to look into something else if it wasn't going to work out with Volvo. He asked the manager to call him when he had time to talk.
Guess what?
The phone never rang.
So...Greg called our pastor in North Carolina. We'd heard of an opening at the New Bern Toyota dealership and knew the service manager goes to our NC church. For whatever reason, Greg felt led to make that phone call and see if there was anything there to look into.
Long story short, Greg got in touch with this guy and everything just fell into place.
All this weekend, just like that.
We got the OFFICIAL phone call this evening (about 10 minutes ago!) and we are officially employed by them.
And this offer is way more than we were even *hoping* for at Volvo...
God is SO good.
So, we move this Saturday, as in - 5 days from now!
I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO!!!
But I'll be praising the Lord through it all!!!
Thank you so much everyone for your prayers!!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Guess Who?
This is the work of my husband.
I wish some of his organization skills rubbed off on me...my method of packing hangers is grabbing the biggest box available and just throwing them in!
Friday, July 22, 2011
Random Thoughts
I feel like there's a battle going on inside me.
I have so many thoughts that are running through my head, and I think they can be classified into two categories.
1. Thoughts (worries) of my flesh
2. Thoughts (known truth) of my spirit
My flesh keeps throwing ideas at me...ideas of what could happen...what should happen...what hasn't happened...
But I have two choices.
1. I can worry, and freak out...throw my hands up in the air and say, "What on earth is going on? How could this possibly all work out?"
2. I can go to His Word, and stand on His truth that He's given me. I can remember what His word says, and BELIEVE it.
It's so much easier to let my flesh win. But with every worry my flesh is telling me, I need to combat it with Scripture.
Worry #1 - Seriously, God? This can't be part of Your plan.
I have so many thoughts that are running through my head, and I think they can be classified into two categories.
1. Thoughts (worries) of my flesh
2. Thoughts (known truth) of my spirit
My flesh keeps throwing ideas at me...ideas of what could happen...what should happen...what hasn't happened...
But I have two choices.
1. I can worry, and freak out...throw my hands up in the air and say, "What on earth is going on? How could this possibly all work out?"
2. I can go to His Word, and stand on His truth that He's given me. I can remember what His word says, and BELIEVE it.
It's so much easier to let my flesh win. But with every worry my flesh is telling me, I need to combat it with Scripture.
Psalm 119:147
I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.
I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.
Psalm 143:8
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
Worry #1 - Seriously, God? This can't be part of Your plan.
Psalm 18:30a
As for God, his way is perfect;
Psalm 34:19
A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
Worry #6 - There's no way I can be at peace with everything that's going on right now.As for God, his way is perfect;
Psalm 34:19
A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
Worry #2 - Why does none of this make any sense?
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Worry #3 - How are we going to pay our bills?
Philippians 4:19
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Worry #4 - I really can't feel You with me right now, God. Are you really taking care of everything? Are You really still here?And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 55:22
Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.
1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 139:7-10
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.
1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 139:7-10
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
Worry #5 - I'm so afraid of all the "What if's."
Psalm 56:3-4a
3 When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
3 When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Deuteronomy 31:8
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Deuteronomy 31:8
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Worry #7 - Why does it have to be like this? Why does it have to be so hard?
1 Peter 5:10
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
Amidst everything that's going on, I still want to make Him proud. It's easy to follow Him and praise Him when things are fine and dandy. But just because we're going through a difficult time does not mean I should forget about Him. No matter what I am going through, I want my honest prayer to be:
Psalm 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
So even though it's not easy, I'm going to choose to remember and believe the promises of His word over the worries of my flesh.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Prayers are Appreciated
We have some decisions to make here in the very near future pertaining to the whole New Bern thing.
We really want to make the decisions that are in line with the Lord's will for us...we just don't know what they are yet.
Any prayers for wisdom for us are very appreciated.
And I know many of you have already said a prayer (or more) for us...please know that we are very thankful for them!
We really want to make the decisions that are in line with the Lord's will for us...we just don't know what they are yet.
Any prayers for wisdom for us are very appreciated.
And I know many of you have already said a prayer (or more) for us...please know that we are very thankful for them!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Family Pictures from Michigan
While we were home in Michigan, Greg and I were able to see much of our family! My brother and his sister both live out of Michigan like us, but they both came home to visit too, so we got to see them. It was for a short time, but it was still wonderful to see them.
My brother lives in Knoxville, and he came up for the weekend while we were there.
My parents and both of my siblings and I went out to dinner, just the 5 of us (and the nursing child.) ;)
It was so weird to be out to dinner with just us again. It's been so long since we did that...probably about 8 years!
Here's me, my sister, and my brother:
This picture was taken before my brother said, "Hey can I borrow your phone for a sec?" and then put a password on it and locked me out... :( My antagonizing brother...just like old times.
That same night, Greg stayed at his parents and was able to spend his evening with his whole family too. (His sister came into town from Missouri.)
The boys wouldn't stay serious long enough for a good shot, so this is the best they got. ;)
Saturday morning, we got pictures of all of Greg's parents' grandbabies. It was quite interesting in that little room with all those kids! Here is every single one of Hunter and Kylee's cousins!
The next day, we got pictures with my family. We went to a local park and a photographer took our pictures. Here is my whole side of the family:
My lovely sister and her kids:
My dumb brother:
My momma and daddy :)
She got some of just our family too:
And I even made Gregory suffer through some couple photos too ;)
Here's a candid shot of my sweet baby boy:
And my precious baby girl. I really like this next picture, and I'm so glad she got it. If you follow my blog, you may have noticed that I'm usually the one behind the camera so there aren't many shots that show my existence! ;) But I absolutely love this next shot.
*If you need a photographer in Metro Detroit, check out Jessica O'Donnell Photography!
We had a wonderful visit with family. We love you all and can't wait to see everyone again!
My brother lives in Knoxville, and he came up for the weekend while we were there.
My parents and both of my siblings and I went out to dinner, just the 5 of us (and the nursing child.) ;)
It was so weird to be out to dinner with just us again. It's been so long since we did that...probably about 8 years!
Here's me, my sister, and my brother:
This picture was taken before my brother said, "Hey can I borrow your phone for a sec?" and then put a password on it and locked me out... :( My antagonizing brother...just like old times.That same night, Greg stayed at his parents and was able to spend his evening with his whole family too. (His sister came into town from Missouri.)
The boys wouldn't stay serious long enough for a good shot, so this is the best they got. ;)
Saturday morning, we got pictures of all of Greg's parents' grandbabies. It was quite interesting in that little room with all those kids! Here is every single one of Hunter and Kylee's cousins!
The next day, we got pictures with my family. We went to a local park and a photographer took our pictures. Here is my whole side of the family:
My lovely sister and her kids:
My dumb brother:
My momma and daddy :)
She got some of just our family too:
And I even made Gregory suffer through some couple photos too ;)
Here's a candid shot of my sweet baby boy:
And my precious baby girl. I really like this next picture, and I'm so glad she got it. If you follow my blog, you may have noticed that I'm usually the one behind the camera so there aren't many shots that show my existence! ;) But I absolutely love this next shot.
*If you need a photographer in Metro Detroit, check out Jessica O'Donnell Photography!
We had a wonderful visit with family. We love you all and can't wait to see everyone again!
Blessings
I'm having a hard day.
I really really really want it to be 11:59. I'm so tired of waiting. I'm so tired of not knowing if we'll have a house to move into in 2 weeks. I'm so tired of not even knowing how much we'll be making to even know what kind of house we can afford.
I'm so, SO tired.
Have you heard Laura Story's latest song? It's called "Blessings."
It's kind of my anthem for this whole thing...though I'm not always 100% with it, because I just want it to be over, I know God is bringing us through all of this for a reason.
Here are the lyrics:
We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things
'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?
What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?
We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe
'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?
And what if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?
When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home
'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst
This world can't satisfy?
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?
I really really really want it to be 11:59. I'm so tired of waiting. I'm so tired of not knowing if we'll have a house to move into in 2 weeks. I'm so tired of not even knowing how much we'll be making to even know what kind of house we can afford.
I'm so, SO tired.
Have you heard Laura Story's latest song? It's called "Blessings."
It's kind of my anthem for this whole thing...though I'm not always 100% with it, because I just want it to be over, I know God is bringing us through all of this for a reason.
Here are the lyrics:
We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things
'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?
What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?
We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe
'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?
And what if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?
When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home
'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst
This world can't satisfy?
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Story of my (Adult) Life: Part Six
Read Part Five here.
Since then, God has spoken to us more and more through the waiting process.
Both Greg and I have grown SO much through having to wait.
I've written quite a few cryptic blogs in the past month or so about my faith being tested. This waiting for the job offer that He promised us is what this has all been about.
It is July 13th. We still don't have a job offer, but over the last two months, God has reassured us enough that we know we're moving to New Bern at the end of the month.
We've kept this quiet for a few different reasons, but one of the main ones is that when we tell people that God told us we're getting a job offer and we're so sure we even ended the lease to our house, they look at us like we're crazy.
The devil is pretty good by himself in getting us discouraged sometimes. It's even harder to stay positive when we get crazy looks from other people. ;)
I remember back in May, I wondered if I felt strong enough in God speaking that I should start saving newpapers for packing material...
Now I laugh at that. We have to be out of our house by the 31st of this month. I'm packing boxes, yet we still don't have a job offer.
But praise God, the Holy Spirit is constantly giving us His peace over this. We know what God said. We know we're moving.
Two months ago, I never would have imagined we'd have enough trust to be where we are, but God is good, and He is growing us so much through this.
Now the latest with the job offer...
Greg spoke with the manager on Friday.
The manager told Greg that he was actually planning on calling him early this week because he has another tech leaving soon, but he's just waiting for him to leave. So he said they would get together again on the phone this week.
Greg called him today but he's out of the office, so he plans to try again tomorrow.
God has many reasons for making us wait...some that He's revealed to us, and some for reasons we may never know.
But Deuteronomy 31:8 says:
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Thinking about how God has worked in our lives for the past few years even when we weren't asking Him to, it's clear that this is His will for us.
God has gone before us to New Bern and has been working behind the scenes and preparing everything for us to move there.
I know everything will work out.
He may like to work at 11:59, but He's still on time.
And people can think we're crazy. If there's one thing I want people to call me crazy for, it's my devotion to the Lord.
Prayers while we're still waiting are very appreciated! And don't worry, I will keep you updated! :)
Update: Read the conclusion here.
Since then, God has spoken to us more and more through the waiting process.
Both Greg and I have grown SO much through having to wait.
I've written quite a few cryptic blogs in the past month or so about my faith being tested. This waiting for the job offer that He promised us is what this has all been about.
It is July 13th. We still don't have a job offer, but over the last two months, God has reassured us enough that we know we're moving to New Bern at the end of the month.
We've kept this quiet for a few different reasons, but one of the main ones is that when we tell people that God told us we're getting a job offer and we're so sure we even ended the lease to our house, they look at us like we're crazy.
The devil is pretty good by himself in getting us discouraged sometimes. It's even harder to stay positive when we get crazy looks from other people. ;)
I remember back in May, I wondered if I felt strong enough in God speaking that I should start saving newpapers for packing material...
Now I laugh at that. We have to be out of our house by the 31st of this month. I'm packing boxes, yet we still don't have a job offer.
But praise God, the Holy Spirit is constantly giving us His peace over this. We know what God said. We know we're moving.
Two months ago, I never would have imagined we'd have enough trust to be where we are, but God is good, and He is growing us so much through this.
Now the latest with the job offer...
Greg spoke with the manager on Friday.
The manager told Greg that he was actually planning on calling him early this week because he has another tech leaving soon, but he's just waiting for him to leave. So he said they would get together again on the phone this week.
Greg called him today but he's out of the office, so he plans to try again tomorrow.
God has many reasons for making us wait...some that He's revealed to us, and some for reasons we may never know.
But Deuteronomy 31:8 says:
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Thinking about how God has worked in our lives for the past few years even when we weren't asking Him to, it's clear that this is His will for us.
God has gone before us to New Bern and has been working behind the scenes and preparing everything for us to move there.
I know everything will work out.
He may like to work at 11:59, but He's still on time.
And people can think we're crazy. If there's one thing I want people to call me crazy for, it's my devotion to the Lord.
Prayers while we're still waiting are very appreciated! And don't worry, I will keep you updated! :)
Update: Read the conclusion here.
Story of my (Adult) Life: Part Five
Read Part Four here.
I was on pins and needles that whole next week.
I would anxiously answer the phone when Greg called just sure he was calling to tell me that the manager had called and extended a job offer.
But the call never came that first week.
Amidst my disappointment, God in His infinite grace and mercy, kept reassuring us that we'd heard Him correctly. We were, in fact, going to get the job and move back there. We just had to wait for the offer.
Every day, I'd grow more weary of waiting, but I would pray for help in trusting and keeping faith.
One day while praying, God reminded me of Hebrews 11:1 which says:
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
I clung to that verse when He gave it to me. I have had that verse memorized for over a decade, but never before has it given me such peace than in this situation.
Now, Greg went into the dealership on May 16th. While our lease was set to expire at the end of July, we had to put in our "Termination of Lease Notice" by June 1. So we took that as: If we have a job offer by June 1, we move to New Bern the end of July, and if not, we stay here.
On May 30th, after (still) no job offer, but lots of reassurance from God, Greg and I felt like He was prompting us to put the notice in that we'd be vacating the house.
So, we did.
Greg would call the manager about once a week to touch base with him and see how things were looking.
The manager always said something about him not having a chance to look everything over, or being busy and in meetings, or something along those lines.
It was never a job offer, yet, it was never discouraging either. He did tell him that Greg impressed him when he met him in person, but he just wanted to make sure he had the work for him.
So we kept waiting.
In early June, God reminded me of Abraham and Isaac. Now, if you're unfamiliar with the story, in a nutshell, God told Abraham to take his son up to a mountain to sacrifice him to the Lord. God wanted to see Abraham's devotion to Him and this is how He chose to do it. Finally, as Abraham's arm was in the air ready to strike, God told him not to touch Isaac. He spoke to me through this story, reminding me that even though He waited until Abraham's arm was in the air ready to strike, it was still on time.
Because God is so awesome, He also reminded Greg of the same story. He spoke to Greg about how this is God testing and growing our faith and trust in Him. He also reminded us about how Abraham had to wait 25 years for Isaac to be born from when God promised him a child. We'd only been waiting a couple weeks! But Abraham stayed faithful, and so did God.
He gave us both the same stories on the same day, even though we hadn't even talked about it.
So my mom and I were talking one day, and she has a friend that always looks up verses for promises of God when she has a big date of something. (Example: today's date is 7-13 so she would look up chapter 7, verse 13 in different books until she finds a promise of God that she can apply to her situation for that date.) The manager had told us to call on June 15th, so I decided to look up 6-15 for a promise of God. The very first book I looked in was Hebrews. Hebrews 6:15 says: And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
Let me spell this out for your just to make sure you get this God-moment:
God reminded both Greg and I (independently) about Abraham needing to wait for God to fulfill His promise of blessing him with a son. Then on this date that he was set to call the manager, this verse is in the very first book I looked in.
God is pretty awesome.
That was definitely reassuring in our decision to end our lease.
Read Part Six here.
I was on pins and needles that whole next week.
I would anxiously answer the phone when Greg called just sure he was calling to tell me that the manager had called and extended a job offer.
But the call never came that first week.
Amidst my disappointment, God in His infinite grace and mercy, kept reassuring us that we'd heard Him correctly. We were, in fact, going to get the job and move back there. We just had to wait for the offer.
Every day, I'd grow more weary of waiting, but I would pray for help in trusting and keeping faith.
One day while praying, God reminded me of Hebrews 11:1 which says:
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
I clung to that verse when He gave it to me. I have had that verse memorized for over a decade, but never before has it given me such peace than in this situation.
Now, Greg went into the dealership on May 16th. While our lease was set to expire at the end of July, we had to put in our "Termination of Lease Notice" by June 1. So we took that as: If we have a job offer by June 1, we move to New Bern the end of July, and if not, we stay here.
On May 30th, after (still) no job offer, but lots of reassurance from God, Greg and I felt like He was prompting us to put the notice in that we'd be vacating the house.
So, we did.
Greg would call the manager about once a week to touch base with him and see how things were looking.
The manager always said something about him not having a chance to look everything over, or being busy and in meetings, or something along those lines.
It was never a job offer, yet, it was never discouraging either. He did tell him that Greg impressed him when he met him in person, but he just wanted to make sure he had the work for him.
So we kept waiting.
In early June, God reminded me of Abraham and Isaac. Now, if you're unfamiliar with the story, in a nutshell, God told Abraham to take his son up to a mountain to sacrifice him to the Lord. God wanted to see Abraham's devotion to Him and this is how He chose to do it. Finally, as Abraham's arm was in the air ready to strike, God told him not to touch Isaac. He spoke to me through this story, reminding me that even though He waited until Abraham's arm was in the air ready to strike, it was still on time.
Because God is so awesome, He also reminded Greg of the same story. He spoke to Greg about how this is God testing and growing our faith and trust in Him. He also reminded us about how Abraham had to wait 25 years for Isaac to be born from when God promised him a child. We'd only been waiting a couple weeks! But Abraham stayed faithful, and so did God.
He gave us both the same stories on the same day, even though we hadn't even talked about it.
So my mom and I were talking one day, and she has a friend that always looks up verses for promises of God when she has a big date of something. (Example: today's date is 7-13 so she would look up chapter 7, verse 13 in different books until she finds a promise of God that she can apply to her situation for that date.) The manager had told us to call on June 15th, so I decided to look up 6-15 for a promise of God. The very first book I looked in was Hebrews. Hebrews 6:15 says: And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
Let me spell this out for your just to make sure you get this God-moment:
God reminded both Greg and I (independently) about Abraham needing to wait for God to fulfill His promise of blessing him with a son. Then on this date that he was set to call the manager, this verse is in the very first book I looked in.
God is pretty awesome.
That was definitely reassuring in our decision to end our lease.
Read Part Six here.
Story of my (Adult) Life: Part Four
Read Part Three here.
Here's another excerpt from a previous blog about that first visit to New Bern last year...
"We decided to drive by New Bern's Volvo dealership. When we lived there, it was a Honda Volvo dealership and it was right down the street from where we used to live. We pulled in and noticed it was only Honda now. I was a little disappointed, but I couldn't imagine that a Honda dealership sold many Volvo's anyway. As we were driving back to the preacher's house, we passed by the Lincoln Mercury dealership, and I saw that they are Lincoln Mercury Volvo!...I was at least happy to see Volvo with Lincoln Mercury, because the same people that would be shopping for them would be interested in Volvo's too. Also, Greg is certified to work on Ford's just the same as he is on Volvo's. Isn't it funny how perfect this all sounds? ;) Greg knows I would move back to New Bern in a heartbeat, because I didn't even want to move away. If the Lord's will is for us to go back, I know He will change Greg's heart to feel the same way."
This past March, we felt God prompting us to look into New Bern a little sooner than we'd originally had planned because of some changes at Greg's current job.
Our lease for our current house was set to end at the end of July, so that was our timeline for possibly moving.
We went down to New Bern for a weekend trip in the middle of May. We made it a long weekend and Greg went in to the Volvo dealership on Monday to see if they needed someone.
The Sunday morning before he went in, I woke up really early and decided to pray about the dealership visit. This prayer time was much like the one I'd had a year earlier. I just prayed that if it was God's will to bring us back there now, He would make it clear when Greg visited the next day. And if not, that would be clear too, so we could be content with Virginia Beach.
Greg had 4 dealerships (3 that were different auto makers) on his list to visit, since, at this point, we really wanted to be back there.
Since Volvo was number 1 on his list, he went there first.
He talked with the service manager, and was able to give him his resume and a letter of recommendation from his boss that had just retired a couple months earlier.
The service manager informed Greg that they normally run 3 Volvo techs and had actually just fired one and were looking for a replacement.
How's that for God speaking?
Greg left the dealership and felt like God was telling him there was no need to go to the other dealerships.
And think about it. With what we've been through, God made it pretty clear that He wanted us working for Volvo. And Volvo is the ONLY dealership in New Bern that has an MSAT program.
Anyway, we felt pretty good...well, we felt REALLY good about the dealership visit, and were sure we were getting the job, and we just had to wait for the phone call with the official job offer...
Read Part Five here.
Here's another excerpt from a previous blog about that first visit to New Bern last year...
"We decided to drive by New Bern's Volvo dealership. When we lived there, it was a Honda Volvo dealership and it was right down the street from where we used to live. We pulled in and noticed it was only Honda now. I was a little disappointed, but I couldn't imagine that a Honda dealership sold many Volvo's anyway. As we were driving back to the preacher's house, we passed by the Lincoln Mercury dealership, and I saw that they are Lincoln Mercury Volvo!...I was at least happy to see Volvo with Lincoln Mercury, because the same people that would be shopping for them would be interested in Volvo's too. Also, Greg is certified to work on Ford's just the same as he is on Volvo's. Isn't it funny how perfect this all sounds? ;) Greg knows I would move back to New Bern in a heartbeat, because I didn't even want to move away. If the Lord's will is for us to go back, I know He will change Greg's heart to feel the same way."
This past March, we felt God prompting us to look into New Bern a little sooner than we'd originally had planned because of some changes at Greg's current job.
Our lease for our current house was set to end at the end of July, so that was our timeline for possibly moving.
We went down to New Bern for a weekend trip in the middle of May. We made it a long weekend and Greg went in to the Volvo dealership on Monday to see if they needed someone.
The Sunday morning before he went in, I woke up really early and decided to pray about the dealership visit. This prayer time was much like the one I'd had a year earlier. I just prayed that if it was God's will to bring us back there now, He would make it clear when Greg visited the next day. And if not, that would be clear too, so we could be content with Virginia Beach.
Greg had 4 dealerships (3 that were different auto makers) on his list to visit, since, at this point, we really wanted to be back there.
Since Volvo was number 1 on his list, he went there first.
He talked with the service manager, and was able to give him his resume and a letter of recommendation from his boss that had just retired a couple months earlier.
The service manager informed Greg that they normally run 3 Volvo techs and had actually just fired one and were looking for a replacement.
How's that for God speaking?
Greg left the dealership and felt like God was telling him there was no need to go to the other dealerships.
And think about it. With what we've been through, God made it pretty clear that He wanted us working for Volvo. And Volvo is the ONLY dealership in New Bern that has an MSAT program.
Anyway, we felt pretty good...well, we felt REALLY good about the dealership visit, and were sure we were getting the job, and we just had to wait for the phone call with the official job offer...
Read Part Five here.
Story of my (Adult) Life: Part Three
Read Part Two here.
So off to Chicagoland we went.
Greg went to school, and we both worked to make ends meet.
We found a great church there, where we met great people, but Illinois never felt like home. And we knew that after Greg got his certificate from the school for general auto mechanics, we would go on to a Manufacturer Specific Advanced Training (MSAT) school, which is where you pick one auto maker, get accepted to their school, and then you learn the specifics of their cars to be a mechanic at a dealership for that auto maker.
Greg's number one choice was to work for Audi.
Leading up to his interview with the school, we really prayed for God to make it clear to us if Audi was where He wanted us or not.
Greg got accepted in the first interview. God made it pretty clear where He wanted us!
Audi's school was in Phoenix, AZ so we made plans to move there after he finished school in Chicago.
A week before we were set to move, we got a call from the Audi MSAT saying they were postponing Greg's start date (which was, at that time, 5 weeks out) because they still had some graduates without jobs.
We decided to move anyway so we would be in the right place when the school started up again (and because it is WAYYY cheaper to live in Phoenix than in Chicago!)
So we moved. And we waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Here is an excerpt from my blog when we were in Phoenix:
When God brought us out here to Phoenix, we thought we were just waiting for Audi's specialty school to start. Greg had been accepted, but they had postponed his start date so we just had to wait for them to start up again. Then, after moving here and about 2 months of waiting, we got a call saying that they decided to close the school indefinitely. Greg's only option was to attend Volvo's specialty school. There was lots of questioning when we were going through all of that, but I trusted that God's original plan all along was for Greg to become a Volvo mechanic and this was just the only way for Him to get us to agree to it. ;)
We got the job at the Volvo dealership here in Virginia Beach (our only job offer) and so we were sure that this was where God wanted us.
Now let me pause for a second.
If you have been reading my novel of a story up until now, you've read that we've moved quite a few times.
Our 6th wedding anniversary is coming up in October, and Gregory and I have called 6 different places our home.
We're ready to settle down. And stay in one house for more than 1.5 years.
So when we came to Virginia Beach, we were really hoping we'd like it enough to retire here.
That wasn't the case.
However, we're only 3 hours north of where we were stationed in North Carolina, so after we moved to VA Beach, we went to visit for a weekend trip.
We'd been gone for 2.5 years at this point, and I never stopped missing our friends and our church. I never wanted to leave in the first place, and for some reason I could never let them go.
Visiting seemed to intensify this ache to be back.
I remember driving back home after our visit, and Greg could sense how badly I wanted to move back. He basically told me that I need to get over it because we weren't ever moving back there.
The next day, I sad down and cried and prayed and cried some more about the whole thing. I asked God to change my heart away from wanting to be in New Bern. I didn't want to long to be there for the rest of my life, and I wanted to be on the same page as Gregory with where we wanted to grow roots. I prayed and prayed for God to let me let them go.
That night, Gregory came home from work and told me that maybe, in a couple years after working here for a bit, we could look into moving back to New Bern.
I never told him, but I knew that was God telling me that, one day, we'd be back in New Bern.
Read Part Four here.
So off to Chicagoland we went.
Greg went to school, and we both worked to make ends meet.
We found a great church there, where we met great people, but Illinois never felt like home. And we knew that after Greg got his certificate from the school for general auto mechanics, we would go on to a Manufacturer Specific Advanced Training (MSAT) school, which is where you pick one auto maker, get accepted to their school, and then you learn the specifics of their cars to be a mechanic at a dealership for that auto maker.
Greg's number one choice was to work for Audi.
Leading up to his interview with the school, we really prayed for God to make it clear to us if Audi was where He wanted us or not.
Greg got accepted in the first interview. God made it pretty clear where He wanted us!
Audi's school was in Phoenix, AZ so we made plans to move there after he finished school in Chicago.
A week before we were set to move, we got a call from the Audi MSAT saying they were postponing Greg's start date (which was, at that time, 5 weeks out) because they still had some graduates without jobs.
We decided to move anyway so we would be in the right place when the school started up again (and because it is WAYYY cheaper to live in Phoenix than in Chicago!)
So we moved. And we waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Here is an excerpt from my blog when we were in Phoenix:
When God brought us out here to Phoenix, we thought we were just waiting for Audi's specialty school to start. Greg had been accepted, but they had postponed his start date so we just had to wait for them to start up again. Then, after moving here and about 2 months of waiting, we got a call saying that they decided to close the school indefinitely. Greg's only option was to attend Volvo's specialty school. There was lots of questioning when we were going through all of that, but I trusted that God's original plan all along was for Greg to become a Volvo mechanic and this was just the only way for Him to get us to agree to it. ;)
We got the job at the Volvo dealership here in Virginia Beach (our only job offer) and so we were sure that this was where God wanted us.
Now let me pause for a second.
If you have been reading my novel of a story up until now, you've read that we've moved quite a few times.
Our 6th wedding anniversary is coming up in October, and Gregory and I have called 6 different places our home.
We're ready to settle down. And stay in one house for more than 1.5 years.
So when we came to Virginia Beach, we were really hoping we'd like it enough to retire here.
That wasn't the case.
However, we're only 3 hours north of where we were stationed in North Carolina, so after we moved to VA Beach, we went to visit for a weekend trip.
We'd been gone for 2.5 years at this point, and I never stopped missing our friends and our church. I never wanted to leave in the first place, and for some reason I could never let them go.
Visiting seemed to intensify this ache to be back.
I remember driving back home after our visit, and Greg could sense how badly I wanted to move back. He basically told me that I need to get over it because we weren't ever moving back there.
The next day, I sad down and cried and prayed and cried some more about the whole thing. I asked God to change my heart away from wanting to be in New Bern. I didn't want to long to be there for the rest of my life, and I wanted to be on the same page as Gregory with where we wanted to grow roots. I prayed and prayed for God to let me let them go.
That night, Gregory came home from work and told me that maybe, in a couple years after working here for a bit, we could look into moving back to New Bern.
I never told him, but I knew that was God telling me that, one day, we'd be back in New Bern.
Read Part Four here.
Story of my (Adult) Life: Part Two
Read Part One here.
So, right on schedule, Greg deployed in March. I was pregnant with Hunter at the time, so I had monthly appointments to occupy me...but aside from that, I didn't have much going on.
I worked at Ruby Tuesday at the time, so I worked 40 hours waiting tables for 6 days a week, went to church on Sundays, spoke to no one while I was there, and spent the rest of my time...sleeping.
Needless to say, I was really bored and REALLY lonely.
A month after Greg deployed, I went home to Michigan for Easter.
While I was there, I realized just how lonely I was in North Carolina all by myself. I decided that I must have heard God wrong and so the next phone conversation with Greg, I asked him if I could move back to Michigan like we'd originally planned.
He said no. (Being a grown up and having to live with your decisions stinks sometimes.)
So, at the end of my vacation to Michigan, I went back to North Carolina and carried on with my routine.
Then one random Tuesday night, I waited on three ladies.
They seemed like they were such good friends and having such a good time enjoying each other's company. Then before they ate, I noticed them pray for their meal.
I'd been waiting tables for months before this and seen many people pray for their meals, yet something compelled me to ask if they went to church.
Maryn, Jenny, and Rosa told me what church they went to, and then I learned that Maryn and Jenny's husbands were deployed also.
They were my only table on this slow Tuesday night, so I ended up just sitting and talking with them for like an hour.
Maryn invited me over for a get together that Friday for lunch. I ended up spending the whole day with them that Friday. I remember my mom saying that they were either stalkers or sent from God.
I can tell you it was definitely the latter of the two.
For the rest of the deployment, we spent countless hours together and, not only did those ladies become my best friends, but that church they attended became my home, more than any church ever had.
Greg came back from Iraq at the end of September, and the church welcomed him like we'd been going there for years.
We attended as a family (along with Hunter being born in October) until January, when his enlistment was up. We were accepted into the Chicagoland Universal Technical Institute, and he had a March start date.
I was heartbroken to leave New Bern.
The church had become home for me. I had grown so much spiritually, and had wonderful friends. When we moved though, I knew God telling me to stay was so that I could at least find the church to get me through the deployment, which aided in drawing me closer to Him.
Read Part Three here.
So, right on schedule, Greg deployed in March. I was pregnant with Hunter at the time, so I had monthly appointments to occupy me...but aside from that, I didn't have much going on.
I worked at Ruby Tuesday at the time, so I worked 40 hours waiting tables for 6 days a week, went to church on Sundays, spoke to no one while I was there, and spent the rest of my time...sleeping.
Needless to say, I was really bored and REALLY lonely.
A month after Greg deployed, I went home to Michigan for Easter.
While I was there, I realized just how lonely I was in North Carolina all by myself. I decided that I must have heard God wrong and so the next phone conversation with Greg, I asked him if I could move back to Michigan like we'd originally planned.
He said no. (Being a grown up and having to live with your decisions stinks sometimes.)
So, at the end of my vacation to Michigan, I went back to North Carolina and carried on with my routine.
Then one random Tuesday night, I waited on three ladies.
They seemed like they were such good friends and having such a good time enjoying each other's company. Then before they ate, I noticed them pray for their meal.
I'd been waiting tables for months before this and seen many people pray for their meals, yet something compelled me to ask if they went to church.
Maryn, Jenny, and Rosa told me what church they went to, and then I learned that Maryn and Jenny's husbands were deployed also.
They were my only table on this slow Tuesday night, so I ended up just sitting and talking with them for like an hour.
Maryn invited me over for a get together that Friday for lunch. I ended up spending the whole day with them that Friday. I remember my mom saying that they were either stalkers or sent from God.
I can tell you it was definitely the latter of the two.
For the rest of the deployment, we spent countless hours together and, not only did those ladies become my best friends, but that church they attended became my home, more than any church ever had.
Greg came back from Iraq at the end of September, and the church welcomed him like we'd been going there for years.
We attended as a family (along with Hunter being born in October) until January, when his enlistment was up. We were accepted into the Chicagoland Universal Technical Institute, and he had a March start date.
I was heartbroken to leave New Bern.
The church had become home for me. I had grown so much spiritually, and had wonderful friends. When we moved though, I knew God telling me to stay was so that I could at least find the church to get me through the deployment, which aided in drawing me closer to Him.
Read Part Three here.
Story of my (Adult) Life: Part One
I have been married for a little over 5.5 years. I graduated high school in June of '05, and married my love in October of '05.
I was silly and accidentally (another story for another time) fell in love with a Marine.
I lived in Michigan; he was stationed in North Carolina.
Naturally, when we married, we packed up my bedroom and I moved to New Bern, North Carolina, with him.
Greg and I both grew up in Metro-Detroit. Its approximate population is 4 million people.
In comparison, New Bern's population is about 28,000.
Now, 28,000 may seem like a decent amount to you for one town. But what you must know is that the next biggest town is an hour drive. Drive 5 minutes outside of New Bern and you're in corn, cotton, or tobacco fields.
They're big enough to have one Lowe's, one Wal-Mart, and one Target. But where I grew up, if the Target I was shopping at didn't have what I wanted, I went to one of the other 5 Targets within a 5 mile radius. I also had 5 malls within a decent distance too.
Uhhh, can we say culture shock?
Needless to say, Greg and I couldn't wait to get out of there.
I knew from the time we started dating that his plan was to finish out his 5 year enlistment and attend Universal Technical Institute in Chicagoland for training to become an auto technician.
When we got married, he had just under 2.5 years left of his enlistment.
After LOTS of church searching, we settled on one to regularly attend. It was a long, boring 45 minute drive, but we liked the worship and the pastor was decent. We didn't know a single person at the church, nor did anyone reach out to us but, nonetheless, we attended there for a few months before he was to deploy to the Middle East in March of '07.
For months leading up to the deployment our plan was to put all of our stuff into storage, and I would move back home to Michigan for the 6 months he was gone.
Then a few weeks before his date to leave, storage deposit placed and everything, I felt God telling me to stay in New Bern. I had no idea why...I had no friends, and I wasn't attached to our church in any way, but I kept hearing Him tell me to stay. (Silly me) but I hadn't even asked what He wanted me to do. I assumed the right thing to do was to move back home, yet He was loud and clear in telling me not to do it.
So...two weeks before I was set to move home, I called my parents, broke my mom's heart, and told them I was staying.
I didn't know why, but I knew that God had clearly told me that's what He wanted, and that was reason enough...
Read Part Two here.
I was silly and accidentally (another story for another time) fell in love with a Marine.
I lived in Michigan; he was stationed in North Carolina.
Naturally, when we married, we packed up my bedroom and I moved to New Bern, North Carolina, with him.
Greg and I both grew up in Metro-Detroit. Its approximate population is 4 million people.
In comparison, New Bern's population is about 28,000.
Now, 28,000 may seem like a decent amount to you for one town. But what you must know is that the next biggest town is an hour drive. Drive 5 minutes outside of New Bern and you're in corn, cotton, or tobacco fields.
They're big enough to have one Lowe's, one Wal-Mart, and one Target. But where I grew up, if the Target I was shopping at didn't have what I wanted, I went to one of the other 5 Targets within a 5 mile radius. I also had 5 malls within a decent distance too.
Uhhh, can we say culture shock?
Needless to say, Greg and I couldn't wait to get out of there.
I knew from the time we started dating that his plan was to finish out his 5 year enlistment and attend Universal Technical Institute in Chicagoland for training to become an auto technician.
When we got married, he had just under 2.5 years left of his enlistment.
After LOTS of church searching, we settled on one to regularly attend. It was a long, boring 45 minute drive, but we liked the worship and the pastor was decent. We didn't know a single person at the church, nor did anyone reach out to us but, nonetheless, we attended there for a few months before he was to deploy to the Middle East in March of '07.
For months leading up to the deployment our plan was to put all of our stuff into storage, and I would move back home to Michigan for the 6 months he was gone.
Then a few weeks before his date to leave, storage deposit placed and everything, I felt God telling me to stay in New Bern. I had no idea why...I had no friends, and I wasn't attached to our church in any way, but I kept hearing Him tell me to stay. (Silly me) but I hadn't even asked what He wanted me to do. I assumed the right thing to do was to move back home, yet He was loud and clear in telling me not to do it.
So...two weeks before I was set to move home, I called my parents, broke my mom's heart, and told them I was staying.
I didn't know why, but I knew that God had clearly told me that's what He wanted, and that was reason enough...
Read Part Two here.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Cereal Day 2
Ok, so tonight we tried the cereal with breast milk.
She still had the look of disgust...
Although it wasn't quite like the night before.
I've decided that it's for two reasons.
1. She's not used to the texture. She's had only milk for her whole life and she just has to get used to the fact that it's quite different!
2. I think we'll definitely have a picky eater on our hands. Hunter took anything we put in his mouth, and to this day his favorite food group is still vegetables. I think she's going to fight us on anything we try to give her (except maybe fruits.)
It will be interesting to see how she "likes" vegetables in a few weeks!
On the bright side, I put her to bed at 8:30 and she didn't wake up until 7am to eat! I can get used to this!
She still had the look of disgust...
Although it wasn't quite like the night before.
I've decided that it's for two reasons.
1. She's not used to the texture. She's had only milk for her whole life and she just has to get used to the fact that it's quite different!
2. I think we'll definitely have a picky eater on our hands. Hunter took anything we put in his mouth, and to this day his favorite food group is still vegetables. I think she's going to fight us on anything we try to give her (except maybe fruits.)
It will be interesting to see how she "likes" vegetables in a few weeks!
On the bright side, I put her to bed at 8:30 and she didn't wake up until 7am to eat! I can get used to this!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Cereal
I decided it was time to start Kylee on cereal. She’ll be 6 months next week, and we’ve taken a step backwards with nighttime feedings. She was being a good girl, and only waking up once around 4-5am. Recently though, she’s added another feeding about 1am, so I thought it was time to give her some cereal to help her sleep better.
We tried it when she was 4 months, but her tummy wasn’t quite ready for it.
However, she did great with the spoon last night! She opened up as soon as it came to her mouth (because she opens up when anything is near her mouth these days.) Her first bite reaction looked like this:
I tried to get away with making the cereal with water. I don’t have any stored up breast milk and she nurses enough during the day that I know she gets enough nutrients, so I thought the water would be way more convenient to use. But as you see from the reaction, she wasn’t crazy about it.
With each bite, that face slowly turned from that disgusted look, to shuddering, and then to finally gagging on it because she didn’t like it. I decided we were done then. ;)
Hopefully tonight we’ll have better luck using breast milk!
We tried it when she was 4 months, but her tummy wasn’t quite ready for it.
However, she did great with the spoon last night! She opened up as soon as it came to her mouth (because she opens up when anything is near her mouth these days.) Her first bite reaction looked like this:
I tried to get away with making the cereal with water. I don’t have any stored up breast milk and she nurses enough during the day that I know she gets enough nutrients, so I thought the water would be way more convenient to use. But as you see from the reaction, she wasn’t crazy about it.
With each bite, that face slowly turned from that disgusted look, to shuddering, and then to finally gagging on it because she didn’t like it. I decided we were done then. ;)
Hopefully tonight we’ll have better luck using breast milk!
Friday, July 1, 2011
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