A Baby Dedication and A Wedding

Harrison's baby dedication was almost two weeks ago now. It was a very special day for us. We told you a little bit about it last time we blogged. I think there ended up being seven babies dedicated. There are much more to come. I actually know of four couples who had babies over a week span. Crazy! Babies are appearing left and right. :) It's great though because Harrison will have lots of play mates.

Here are some pictures from that (a video will be posted soon, still editing it):

Last weekend we flew off to Austin Texas to be a part of Carissa (Nathan's little sister) and Seth Keshel's wedding. It was a fast and busy trip but it was such a blessing to be a part of all of the festivities. Harrison's first flight, when he was two months old, I thought scared me for life. That's why we ended up driving to California for Christmas. Because of the short time frame of this occasion we had to attempt to fly again. We did a lot of praying and God faithfully granted our prayers. We got to and from Austin without a hitch. Except for TSA asking Nathan to remove Harrison Robeez (which are soft leather slipper/shoes) the whole experience went well. I think half of it was because Harrison now has the ability to be entertained. And two months he couldn't do much and all he wanted on the flight was to be asleep n his crib. This time he played and played. If he got fussy, we found a new distraction. He cried a little on the way there before he fell asleep in my arms. I wasn't as much of a wreck though because I now know a little more about what soothes him to sleep. Then on the way back the flight wasn't full so once he fell asleep in the airport in his car seat, we were able to leave him in it and take it on the plane. He was sound asleep for the first 45 minutes.

The wedding was fabulous! I left most of the photography up to the professional, Travis (Nathan's brother in-law), but we did take a few for you to see how we got all dressed up. It took place in down town Austin at an old Mansion. The colors were navy and orange (no they aren't fans of the Broncos). It looked beautiful! Carissa was a beautiful bride and Seth's face lit up when he saw her for the first time. There were lots of friends and family in attendance. I think the most memorable moments was when Seth gave his thank you toasts at the rehearsal. He is a talented speaker as well as a very thoughtful gift person. All of his gifts to thank those who took part in the day were extremely clever! All together the weekend was exciting and fun and Harrison even did a great job staying quiet and awake through the whole ceremony, just what we prayed for!

Now we are back to our routine. Some things have changed for me. I've now switched my days at work to all day Monday through Wednesday in the office and from home Thursday and Friday. My other schedule was just too hard on me physically and emotionally. I found myself not getting as much done as I needed to and feeling very broken up and all over the place. This schedule gives us a bit more consistency and allows me to focus. I also told my boss and all of my co-workers that I will not be returning next year and that in May I will transition to being a full-time mommy. Nathan and I have a lot of peace about this decision. Financially, it's scary to depend upon one income that gets us through each month but we really believe that this is what the Lord wants for us and He has given us just enough income for us to be able to do it. I have let CCU know that if anything part time comes up to let me know. I may try to find something on the side but we'll just wait and pray until then.

Here are a few updates on Harrison's development:

• He now likes to cuddle, which I love.
• His evening fussiness is slowly disappearing as he's able to get a nap in from 3-4 which holds him over until 6:30 when we start his bed time routine.
• He is constantly chewing on his hand. We have to protect it with Vaseline because it gets really raw.
• He is now wearing 6-9 month clothes.
• He used to roll over but now I think that since he can lift himself up on to his arms he's content just staying where we put him. I guess he has no desire to get from one place to another. He'll just stay put.
• He likes to roll over to his side from his back a lot.
• He likes to put his toes in his mouth whenever they are sock free.
• Bath time is an adventure. Every time, he pushes up his little bum from the bottom of the tub and tries to float. He even tries to turn to his side and get his face in it. He loves the water.
• He seems to be a bit on the sensitive side for now. He's not very good with lots of noise or interaction with strangers. He gets upset and frustrated easily when he's playing and can't reach for something or get something into his mouth. We try not to give in because we want him to move towards the toy but it's hard.
• He's laughing and squeaking and talking a whole lot more now.
• He's easily soothable now. No more all out meltdowns with hours of crying.
• He sits very well with a little support. I will often sit on the floor and put him in the middle of my legs. He does really well propping himself up and I'm there for when he gets stuck or starts to fall to the side.
• He LOVES when we read to him.
• He's often the most content when he can just look around at new things. We took him to the mall Friday night and he was happy as a clam just watching and looking.
• He's so happy after his naps. He'll wake up, talk to himself and then when we come into the room he gives a huge smile and reaches for us. It's so cute!

This is the outfit grandpa Jim gave him for Christmas. I thought I'd show you all. He's going to be a Harley boy if Grandpa Jim has his say :)

I think that's all for now. Have a great week! Love you all! I'll try to post some videos soon.