Laura can crawl!

Well, Laura has mastered the fine art of crawling in the last week or so. It is really hard to get a picture of a crawling baby, so we've included a short video at the end of this post with footage of her crawling ability as well as her sweet little baby voice. She is pretty much a pro at crawling, now. She no longer goes just backwards. She is also starting to pull herself up using the furniture. We have installed a few gates around the house to keep her out of the places that are not so safe (like the kitchen and the stairs) and she loves to sit in front of the gates and bang on them with her sippy cup or a toy. It is too cute! She is also getting braver, leaving us in one room to go explore another room. I can't believe how fast she is growing up!!

Laura also had her first weekend away from her daddy this weekend. Shawn went up to New Jersey to meet up with his brother and nephews for a day of snowboarding. It was a learning trip for Shawn and he spent a lot of time on his rear end...but he had a really good time. By the end of the day he was starting to feel confident in his abilities, and he informed me that the next time we go on a ski trip he will be snowboarding. No more skiing for him!! I'm not exactly thrilled as I think snowboarders are out of control and a general menace on the ski slopes, but I guess I will have to get over it!

Also, I just have to thank all my girlfriends at work for the wonderful shower you gave Laura and me last weekend. We had a wonderful time, got great gifts, and enjoyed the food! I go back to work half-time this week, so next weekend we will blog about how that adjustment went for everyone in our house. (I think it might be easier for Laura than for me!)

Enjoy the video...

Fatherly thoughts 2: Right before our eyes ...

You crawled backwards the other day.

You seemed to be pretty proud of yourself as you smiled and slowly backed your way into the wall ... into the cedar chest ... and under the couch.

It's actually quite an accomplishment in the short amount of time we've had you.

When we first met you in Colombia at 6 months, you could barely hold your head straight. You couldn't sit up at all.

Now that you're well into your 8th month, you seem to be learning and growing faster than we can keep up with. You're wanting to stand on your own ... but that it is still a work in progress.

It won’t be too many more days before we have to put gates up around the house. You're definitely not ready for the stairs, and we don't want you drinking from the toilet, either. We’ve put safety plugs in the sockets. Your hair already sticks up straight enough as it is.

The days of putting you on the floor and expecting you to stay in the same area are just about over. Your mom was nearly in tears the other night after you suddenly grabbed the bottle away from her hands and wanted to hold it yourself.

We’re not quite ready for you to be so self-sufficient. Since we've only had you for about three months, we want to enjoy the baby phase as long as we can. The reality is that you’re going to keep growing, developing and doing new things whether we're ready or not.

As you grow, I’m sure you’ll do some things -- like crawling -- backwards at first. We don't always do things the right way the first time. That’s part of learning. We get turned around, mess up, fall, get back up and do it again until we get it right.

Your mother and I pray that we’ll be able to help you along the way as you’ll encounter plenty of new challenges and obstacles. Just a few weeks ago, we had you dedicated in church. We were proud to hold you in front of everyone and commit to raise you in a godly home.

It definitely won’t be easy to grow up in today’s world when Christian values are often made into a punch line. You’ll be bombarded with a variety of views on love, happiness and living a fulfilling life. Some of it might not make sense or seem a little odd.

We promise that we will do our best to point you toward what God has to say about it all in the Bible. We’ll cover more of the details later when that time comes.

I’m sure you will have many questions.You’re already pretty curious as you grab, pull at and try to eat just about everything that gets in your path. Just know, Laura, that we're praying for you every day. It’s the best weapon we have, and we pray that you’ll find that true for yourself.

But first things first. Let’s get back to practicing that crawling.

Our Little Valentine

This weekend we had the pleasure of our first Valentine's Day with Laura! She received several cards and a few gifts from family. When we handed her our card, the first thing she did with it was put it in her mouth. After I helped her open it and read it to her, she seemed to be really excited to just hold on to the card. She has quite a grip and it took a lot of force to finally get the card away from her before she ruined it!!

After we put Laura to bed, Shawn and I had a candle-lit dinner at our kitchen table. We had a great time and ended with chocolate fondue. It was a nice change to be at home and not have the crowd noise and slow service that often accompanies a Valentine's Day dinner out.

Laura has also gotten much more mobile this week! She is very close to crawling but gets one of her little legs stuck every time she tries to get into the position. Once she gets it unstuck, she ends up on her tummy. In the effort to get her legs back under her, she ends up scooting backwards on her tummy all over the room. She finds herself in very peculiar places (since she is going backwards and really has no control over where she goes). She has gotten stuck under the couch, the chair, and an end table. We are hoping she starts going forward soon!

Laura and I were also given a baby shower this weekend. My mom's friends all wanted to wait until they could meet Laura to have the shower. It was great to see Laura being held by so many women who prayed for her daily while we were waiting to bring her home. We received many beautiful gifts and had wonderful food. Laura was a little angel and we just loved every minute. Thanks Diane, Lynne, Betsy, and Cathy!!

A Week of Firsts

Laura was able to see her first snow this week!! We woke up and saw the snow on the ground and immediately thought..."we need to get a picture before this all melts!" It was a good thing, too, because it was all gone by lunchtime. Ahh, the disappointments of living in the south. We need to move to a cooler climate so we can have snow all winter!! Laura didn't really seem to know there was anything different outside. She didn't really seem to notice that the whole yard was white...but she sure smiled pretty for the picture!

Another fun first was Laura's first teeth-brushing! She was thrilled as you can tell:) I was talking with a dentist friend the other day and asked him if we should be brushing Laura's teeth. He said the technical answer was "yes" and that it could avoid some problems later in life. That was all we needed to know to give teeth-brushing a try. The toothpaste is a special non-fluoride type that babies can swallow. It tastes pretty sweet, so once Laura gets the flavor in her mouth, she is pretty good about keeping the toothbrush in her mouth. We only do it every other day or so...but hopefully we are building good habits for later in her life.

The last first of the week was Laura's first picture with a grizzly bear!! We took a trip on Friday to Bass Pro Shop on the north side of town. Shawn and I have both been to the 'mother ship' Bass Pro in Springfield, Missouri...and while the one here isn't nearly as large, it was still a fun outing. Laura didn't quite know what to make of the large bear (or the store, for that matter). She always enjoys riding around in her stroller, though, so for her it was a good afternoon.

I will leave you with one final picture. For everyone who has ever asked us, "Does her hair ever lay down?" -- here is a picture for you!