Funny Miracles

Ever since introducing Noah to solid foods he has been an exceptional eater unless it involved touching something messy. The texture of food has always mattered to him. We couldn't even get him to pick up pieces of banana even though banana was his favorite pureed fruit! As of this week that has all changed! Praise the Lord! Noah has voluntarily eaten broccoli, apples, oranges, and tonight he couldn't get enough of some extremely messy (and healthy) chicken chili! What a delightfully fantastic mess! At last, he seems to have realized that he is a one year old!

In other Noah related news....this week has actually been huge for us! We have successfully made the switch to one nap a day. He dropped the nap like a pro once I realized what I needed to do. Today he slept nearly three hours!! As a result the increased clinginess we had noticed in him has given way to a much more delightful, though still cuddly, little boy. I can not tell you how much fun it is watching his personality explode!

A Birthday Thought...

Birthdays were always a big deal for me growing up. My mom has a wonderful concept of "celebration" and each year we did something special, including hearing mom's story about my birth and an Aebelskiever breakfast (danish pancakes). Obsessed with having a fantastic party, I always started planning months in advance, regardless if it was to be big or small. I think Meghan and I hung streamers in the same places for about 8 years. (Okay..so I'm hoping this picture was taken EARLY middle school. Meg, please don't hurt me...I know we look goofy, but it's just too funny!)

As I've grown up I lost interest in streamers and months of planning, but not in celebration. However, since I left Bluefield birthdays quickly became potentially depressing. My friends lived all over the country, and the fact that I moved every couple of years did not help. In fact, even Nick and I have never been able to celebrate together since my birthday always fell in the middle of one of his out of town trips. That is...until this year.

This year, when I have no friends or family who are local has been one of the best birthdays I could hope for. In part, that was because of cards and messages I received full of affirmation and love. Mostly, however, it was because of a gift from my parents. My mom came to Madison and spent a week loving on all three of us. We ate out for the first time in forever, I got to watch Noah delight in his grandmother (not to mention the benefit of having a grandmother arond to help), and then she sent Nick and I away for a day to enjoy an indoor waterpark and time together. Nick gave me strict instructions to forget about our current state of unemployment and treated me to a fabulously romantic dinner complete with white chocolate cheese cake!

I haven't had a full day of not taking care of Noah since September. It probably took 2-3 hours for either of us to settle into the concept of "alone time." However, knowing that Noah was with mom, made it much easier to leave. Those two have had a unique opportunity to spend a lot of time together from the very beginning, and they already have a special bond. It is such a joyful experience watching Grandma Goodson and Noah play together. As I sit back and see my family developing, I have the great joy of knowing that my son is loved and my husband is respected. That in itself is the most validating gift I could hope for this birthday.

Layoff Update

Friends,

Thank you for your continued prayers for us during this time of uncertainty. In the course of the last week we have seen the Lord both shut and open doors for us, and both situations have given us lots of opportunity to think through things that are important to us in this next phase of life together.

What is really exciting right now is that last Thursday Nick received a call from the Graduate coordinator at UW Madison wondering where the rest of his application was. When Nick informed her that someone in her office had said he couldn't apply without his GRE scores she said that due to his experience they were willing to waive that requirement. He was able to get everything else in by the next day, and his application has been turned into the committee. We expect to hear something by the end of February or early March.

The more Nick looks for jobs, the more we both have become convinced that school would really be helpful. We are certain that he could get a job without going back, but returning to school would certainly open up more doors for him in the long run. So...keeping praying and we'll let you know how things progress.

Noah's Walking!!

Not long after returning to Madison, Noah began walking with assistance fairly well. However, he hasn't been showing a lot of interest in taking his own steps or even really standing on his own. So...When he took his first steps last Thursday I was absolutely floored! Noah was standing by his chair and decided to let go. He looked at me as if to say, "well I'm standing, so now what" and then he took 5 steps into open space and plopped down. Since then he has begun to delight in his new form of mobility, walking around as much as possible. We are certainly delighting in him as we see our young man continue to develop and grow! I've attached a very fun video for your enjoyment!