Someone went poopy in the potty today for the first. time. ever!!
So we celebrated accordingly.
Do you think the Happy Buddy will be mad at me forever when he is old enough to realize that I posted about his poop on the internet for all the world to see?
I’m just a proud mama, is all.
Nothin’ wrong with that, right?
I’ll try to show a bit more discretion in his teen years.
Dear Happy Buddy,
Here are some things you’ve said and done in these last few weeks that I am writing down because I love them and I want to forever remember the way God is working in your little 3-year-old heart.
I love how in the last 2 weeks you started eating hot dogs, pizza, macaroni and cheese, and Chicken Cacciatore (without picking all of the vegetables out).
I love how you think that seeing a trash truck is almost better than having Christmas.
I love how you play ‘Trash Truck’ by going from room to room collecting random things (like clothes, toys, shoes, spatulas, etc.) and throwing them in giant piles all over the house.
I love how when I crawled into bed a few nights ago there was a Matchbox car under my pillow.
I love how you stopped crying at night before bed… You used to be afraid that Mommy or Daddy was going to leave because we had been leaving so much to visit your brother in the hospital, but now that he is home and we are finally a family under one roof, you have peace again.
I love the big goofy, toothy grin you’ve been giving the camera lately.
I love seeing you run around our house in your Thomas the Train undies.
I love that you like to do the ordering at the grocery store deli counter.
I love that you love school and have somehow managed to remember the last names of all your classmates.
I love that when your brother is in his crib not napping, we sit together and giggle and look at the monitor and tell him to, “Go to sleep.”
I love that I used the phrase, “Stressed Out” one time in your presence and now you repeat it back to me several hundred times a day – especially when I am trying to give your brother a bottle. It’s a shame I can’t hide my feelings better.
I love that you sing worship tunes around the house and set out books on the floor and call them your ‘screens,’ like the ones at church that display song lyrics.
I love that whenever you hear the gas come out of your brother’s feeding tube, you say, “Holy Smolies – did you hear that?!”
I love that you are mesmerized by Blue’s Clues. I kind of am too.
I love how occasionally you will look over at me (and even when I haven’t showered for days) and say, “You look like an angel.”
I love that you lie awake in bed mimicking the ‘Woh, woh, woh” sound of my breast pump.
I love that when you see me sad and frustrated over your brother’s struggle to eat, you remind me to, “Trust in the Lord, Mommy.“
I love that you started saying, “I love you” to Daddy and me and even your baby brother.
I love that you occasionally break out in prayers of thanksgiving.
I love that when you hear thunder clapping you shout, “Halleluia!“
I love that when your brother recently took a decent volume of milk you got so excited and said, “Good job, Brother!”
I love hearing you say how much you love your bedroom.
I love that you don’t seem to mind an extra helping of TV shows while I spend so much time trying to feed your brother.
I love that you can recognize the word Jesus.
I love that when told it was time to go during our last two trips we have taken to the mall, you hopped right up and marched out the door without throwing a tantrum or getting upset.
I love that you know how to use iPads and iPhones better than I do.
I love how if you could drink chocolate milk and eat only pretzels for the rest of your life, you would.
I love that you can roll your ‘r’s’ as if you speak Spanish.
I love that you have an imaginary friend named Geoffrey who has a little brother with a feeding tube, too.
I love the way your little brother looks at you.
I love that despite the roller coaster that has been the last several months, you are still very much The Happy Buddy.
I love that you remind me of the bigger picture.
That the battle I fight daily with your baby brother’s eating issues is not one that will leave me consumed (although I apologize for the days when it seems it has and I am grumpy and weepy).
I love how the other day we pretended to put on our battle gear and armor before heading in to feed your brother.
Because I love that even if the outcome is not what I expected, you help me to see that I have the victory when I trust in Him.
I love how God has given you great wisdom for a 3-year-old.
Bottom Line – Mommy Loves You.
Dear Happy Buddy,
Yesterday you did something that I will never forget.
Yesterday you did something that I will treasure for the rest of my life.
Yesterday you had a conviction.
Things were not going well.
I had said it was time for your nap (which also meant it was time for Mommy’s nap ) and you bolted from the room shouting NOOOOO.
I felt tired.
Bone weary.
I wasn’t sure I had the energy to do the right thing and shepherd the defiant spirit – redirect your precious heart to His ways.
So I prayed as I picked up toys.
You were silent in the kitchen – the place where your NOOOO had settled.
I asked God for strength.
The house was still for several minutes.
Then suddenly you were at my side, following me quietly as I put the trucks in the bin and the books back on the shelf.
And then you were right in front of me.
Your arms raised.
I picked you up, sensing that the moment was somehow bigger than the two of us.
That something profound and special was happening.
Because when I picked you up, I knew that you had had a conviction.
That the Holy Spirit had moved in your heart to obey.
To surrender your will in exchange for what was right.
Because I picked you up and you said, “I’m ready to go night-night, Mommy.”
I didn’t have to come and get you, screaming and kicking your way to the bedroom.
I didn’t have to talk through the consequences of your actions.
Because you listened to God.
You are learning to love Him and obey Him and surrender your will in exchange for His -
Because He knows what’s best.
I am so proud of you, Happy Buddy.
Mommy loves you.
“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation…” 2 Corinthians 7:10
When considering themes for the Happy Buddy’s 2nd birthday, the Happy Hubby and I kept coming back to the monkey.
For one thing, we call the Happy Buddy our ‘Lil’ Monkey’ because he is all over the place.
We often catch him doing headstands in the crib when he should be sleeping (I love video monitors).
And for another thing, there are some ridiculously cute monkey ideas in blog world!
If you want to see the inspiration for the Happy Buddy’s Monkey Party – go HERE.
Okay, I’ll stop monkeyin’ around and get to it!
My mom and I went to Kinko’s and enlarged the party invitation I created to greet guests as they arrived.
Isn’t that a fun table?!
My mom is my hero.
I told her that I wanted lots and lots of color and she helped me put all of this together!
She made that cute little banner hanging in front of the framed invitation on the wall!
I can’t even sew a button, so I was super impressed when she showed it to me.
The Menu…
Hangin’ Burgers
Monkey Tails (Hot Dogs)
Monkey Eyeballs (Grandmommy’s Deviled Eggs)
Chimp Chips
Gorilla Grapes, Ape-les, and Bananas, of course
Monkey Mix (a combination of animal crackers, pretzels, raisins, peanuts, and M&M’s)
Jungle Juice
It wouldn’t be a Monkey Party without Monkey Cupcakes!!!
And if you thought there wasn’t enough sugar at this Monkey Party, we had a banana split bar, too.
I love how even with all that amazing Monkey Food, the Happy Buddy wanted a bowl of Cheerios.
And it was his birthday – so he got it!
My mom found some cute wooden monkeys at JoAnn’s (just $1 each!) that the guests could color.
Yes, that’s me in the background.
Yes, I am wearing my fairy wings. 
There were like a gazillion little stuffed monkeys (thank you Aunt Tina and Oriental Trading) all over the house – even in the bathroom.
Everyone went bananas in the bounce house. Thank you, Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop!
This was definitely the Happy Buddy’s favorite part of the event – having everyone sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to him.
He asked for a reprise when it was over.
This is me laughing because while I don’t do it all the time, I occasionally try to make healthy choices for our Happy Home. So I made a special trip to Whole Foods to find an all-natural cake mix for the cupcakes.
Then decided that it was too much trouble to mix up the all-natural icing, so I went Duncan Hines for that.
I figured 50/50 of the cupcake was somewhat healthy.
Well, the Happy Buddy didn’t touch the cupcake part but seemed to think that the icing was a new form of heaven on earth.
Oh well! Next time, Duncan Hines all the way.
Present time!
The Happy Buddy was particularly excited about this new easel his Grammie and Pop-Pop got for him!
Everyone went home with a stuffed monkey and some yummy candy in a happy little bag!
One of my favorite moments from the party – the Happy Hubby said a special prayer of blessing on our boy.
And finally, this is probably my favorite picture from the party because with all of the monkey mania, bounce houses, presents, food, cousins, etc,. etc. all the Happy Buddy wanted to do was play with Mom-Mom’s i-Phone.
It’s the little things!
Happy Monkey Party-ing! 
Dear Happy Buddy,
Today you are 2 years old.
Exactly 2 years ago your daddy and I were told that you were going to be 10 pounds and that we had to get you out of my tummy immediately!
We could not wait to meet you. We were so excited that we went out to dinner the night before you arrived and I ate lots of ice cream to celebrate.
The doctors were right. You were 10 pounds. A big baby – not just physically, but right from the beginning you’ve been big on everything else.
Like big on joy, big on laughter, and big on prayer.
And, how could we forget? Big on eating! I can’t leave home without a snack in my pocket to keep that never full belly of yours happy!
In honor of your special day, I thought I’d take a minute and tell you all of the things I love about you and your now 2-year-old self.
First of all, I love that this is what you looked like when I woke you up this morning…
I love that you are all boy (note giant bandaid on chin – we seriously almost had to spend the Happy Buddy’s birthday in an ER getting stitches!)
I love that you think something simple like a balloon is a million times better than a room full of birthday presents.
I love taking walks every day and watching you push your lawn mower.
I love that you can’t wait to find the little hole in the sidewalk and we have to sit down and put a bunch of pieces of grass in it before moving on.
I love it when you make up new words – like how you call spoons ‘Ma-moos’ and shoes ‘hoofs.’
And I love that the way you pronounce other words (like ‘fork’ and ‘truck’) could get us in a lot of trouble.
I love your crazy curly hair that makes everyone stop and comment.
I love that you run around yelling when you’re really excited about something.
I love that you know how to use Mom-Mom’s i-Phone better than I do.
I love that the first thing out of your mouth in the morning is, “YOGURT?!”
I love that you race all over the house buck naked every night before your bath and shout, “Naked Run!”
I love that you can’t stand wearing your shoes and socks in the car.
I love that you let out a cry of delight whenever we go over train tracks or sing our special song in the tunnel.
I love that you feel so comfortable at church racing around and helping everyone stay off task. 
I love that you always want to pray.
I love that every once and awhile you’ll slow down long enough to wrap your arms around me and lean in for a ‘Big Kiss.’
I love that you ask me to sing along with music in the car because I think you like to hear my voice.
I love that you give big smiles to the ladies at the deli counter and can’t wait to eat your sample ‘piece.’
I love that your favorite thing in the world right now is your ‘Big Spatula.’
I love that you like to pull every single thing out of the kitchen utensil drawer and strategically place it all over the floor.
I love that you can now reach the light switches and you think it’s funny to leave me in the dark when I am using the potty.
I love that you find belly buttons fascinating.
I love how quickly you forgive when someone hurts you.
I love that you like to page through the Bible at night before bed looking for the picture of ‘Baby Jesus.’
I love that you would ride on the escalator at the mall for the rest of your life if you could.
I love that Chick-fil-A is pretty much the only source of protein in your diet.
I love that bounce houses make you go bananas.
I love that you started calling the remote control a ‘microphone.’
I love that you like coloring with me while sitting on the kitchen floor every morning.
I love that you make sure all of the lights are out, windows are closed, and doors are locked when we leave a room or go somewhere. Your daddy and I like to call you ‘The Efficiency Police.’
I love that you seem to have a thing for blondes.
I love that you enjoy reading Richard Scarry books in the backseat of our tiny yellow car.
I love that when I ask you how old you are going to be you say, “4!”
I love that you go crazy when the cuckoo clock at Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop’s starts chirping.
I love that you think it’s hilarious to eat your toes.
I love that you purposely dump the entire contents of your cereal bowl on your tray and announce loudly, “BIG MESS!”
I love that you roll around in your crib at night like an acrobat.
I love that you like Disney almost as much as I do.
Happy Buddy, I could go on forever!
God has given you so much love and wonderment for everything around you – you remind me every day that the joy of heaven is even more than the joys here on earth.
So on this 3rd of July I want you to know that I am proud to be your mommy.
I believe that you have what it takes to be a great man and that God is going to use you in mighty ways for His glory and good purposes.
I can’t wait to see all that He has for you in this next year of your life.
Now, my 2 year old, in the spirit of what we tell you every night before bed…
Mommy loves you.
Daddy loves you.
And Jesus loves you more.
Happy Birthday Happy Buddy!
It wouldn’t be Baby Week at the Happy Home Fairy if I didn’t share with you some pictures from the shower my mom threw for me when the Happy Buddy was in my tummy!
Let me just say – my mom is like the greatest party throw-er of America!!!!
She is so good at hostessing – even down to the smallest details! I am always walking around with my jaw hanging open whenever I see the fruit of her creative hands!!!
This was what guests saw when they arrived – a table full of teddy bears (handmade by my amazing Happy Aunt Tina! She made one for every guest as a FAVOR!), and a basket that had a questionnaire about the momma-to-be (me!). Whoever got the most questions right was the winner! Honestly, though, I thought that game was a cinch because I am definitely not secretive about the things I love (hello the color yellow, glitter, the Happy Hubby, Disney World, and Jesus)! Haha!
There were just so many friends I wanted to celebrate with, so my mom had to accommodate a bit of an army!
Here are pictures of the tables…
I love the bears popping out of everyone’s glass!
If guests didn’t get a bear at their place setting, then they received a Boo Boo Bunny! Don’t know what that is? Go HERE!
Another friend of mine also made Toilet Paper Roll Crackers for the event! They were so cute and everyone loved pulling on them and having them explode candy everywhere! She also included fun little baby-related quotes in the crackers like, “It is not a slight thing when those so fresh from God love us. – Charles Dickens.” Go HERE to make your own!
Don’t you just love the colors yellow and blue together? This is the color scheme in 95% of the rooms in our Happy Home!
Broke out the fancy china for this occasion! The Happy Buddy is one special little man!
I love how something simple like laying three different color ribbons across the center of a table really makes things beautiful!
My mom is so cute – she was determined to make a fabulously cute cupcake for all of the guests! I think they were just perfect for keeping everyone company at the tables. Don’t you love how these turned out? You can find out how to make your own panda cupcakes in THIS COOKBOOK.
The food was OUT OF THIS WORLD! We feasted on a ‘Trio of Salads!’ My famous broccoli salad(a MUST at EVERY party), a yummy chicken salad, and lots and lots of fresh fruit.
Click to Buy!
One of my favorite things about the shower were the New Mommy Advice Cards all of the guests filled out so that I would have a ton of great tips as I started my mothering adventure.
The best advice I got was on a card from my Happy Home Friend, Barb. She wrote from the perspective of the Happy Buddy, “Dear Mommy, My advice to you at this time is to remember that as much as you and Daddy love me, Jesus loves me even more. Trust Him with everything because He does what’s best. Best Wishes, Happy Buddy (via Barb).”
There’s me with the SPECTACULAR cake from Publix! *Note – can you tell what I added in M&M’s to the cake?* 
Sorry for the horrible picture – I had to scan this so that you could see and forgot to put a colored background on it!
My mom made these little baby carriages out of scrapbook paper and then I wrote messages on them from the Happy Buddy. We scattered them all over the tables.
They said things like, “Thank you for helping me get my bedroom ready! Love, The Happy Buddy” and “I am so grateful that my mom has such magical friends. Love, the Happy Buddy.” I also wrote some Bible verses that had encouraged me throughout the pregnancy as well as a few that went along with the meaning of the Happy Buddy’s name.
Present time! My Happy Home friends know me so well.
I am happy to report that the Happy Buddy loves Mickey almost as much as his mommy. I’ve been brainwashing him since he was in the womb!!!
And there I am with the Hostess with the Mostest – who also happens to be the most magical mom in the universe! Thanks, Mom, for an amazing celebration! The Happy Buddy and I truly felt showered with your love!
Happy Baby Shower-ing!
Have you ever noticed that when your Happy Buddy is strapped in to something (like a high chair, stroller, car seat, etc.) that suddenly there are a million opportunities for productivity???
Here are my Top 5 Tips for things to do to or for your Happy Buddy when he or she is restrained.
1. Clip Nails – This is probably the Happy Buddy’s least favorite activity, but when he is in his high chair happily munching away on a pretzel stick, I can swoop in and clip those babies before he’s even realized what’s happened.
2. Do Hair – I have friends with girls that say their little princesses never sit still long enough to get all those tangles out (wonder what Rapunzel’s mom did??), so why not plan to do their hair while they are in the high chair eating Cheerios?
3. Slather Sunscreen – The Happy Buddy and I were invited to a play date at a pool the other morning and my friend told me to put his sunscreen on him when he was in his car seat to avoid a big mess and a big wrestling match. She was right! Worked like a charm and saved so much time!
4. Read Books – When the Happy Buddy was about 6 months old, a friend and I car-pooled our babies to Costco for some shopping. I noted that instead of giving her Happy Buddy toys and teething things for the ride (like I did), she gave him a couple of board books. I loved that idea! Ever since then, I keep several books in our car just for car rides and it has really encouraged my Happy Buddy’s love of reading!! I get so excited when I look back at him and he’s happily flipping the pages of a book and mumbling the story out loud in his special Happy Buddy Gibber-ish.
5. Captive Audience – One of the best times to chat with my Happy Buddy is when we are driving. We’re both just sitting there, so I always try to seize those moments as opportunities to impart wisdom (Haha!) or encouragement on his ever-present ears. I like to tell him where we are going, what we will do there, what kind of behavior I expect from him, etc. I also like to use the time to reflect. I might point out other people’s good behavior that we may have witnessed while at our destination, or even praise the great choices I saw my Happy Buddy exhibit before we climbed back into the car.
But let me tell you, sometimes I have to really command myself to do this. I am more inclined to put on some great music and not say a peep the whole ride. But it seems that the times I really make an effort to chat, the Happy Buddy seems most prepared for the adventures we experience.
My other favorite thing to do for the Happy Buddy when he is sitting in his high chair is to put in a good Broadway musical CD and perform my heart out for him. I’ve always secretly dreamed about making it to Broadway, so I get easily inspired when I know the Happy Buddy can’t go anywhere and I’ll have a captive audience in this setting. I am not even kidding when I tell you that one of the best moments of my life was when I was belting out the final note of “Defying Gravity” from the show Wicked and the music stopped, the Happy Buddy literally dropped his peanut butter sandwich and burst into the most enthusiastic applause I have ever received.
Talk about a confidence booster! I was ready to head into auditions with Kristin Chenoweth!!
Go ahead, give it a try! I’ve danced, sung, done acrobatics, completed cheer squad routines, and delivered the best speech ever about the importance of eating vegetables all while talking into a spatula microphone and doing the can-can.
Or, if none of the above works for you, have your Happy Buddy turn his shirt into a hat for hours of strapped-in-the-high-chair-entertainment.
Do you have any fun/clever things you do to/for your Happy Buddies when they are strapped in?
Hello! I need some help learning how to eat other things besides bread.
If you have been following my blog for awhile, you may know that one of my New Year’s Resolutions was to be better about Meal Planning and helping the Happy Buddy wean off of baby food purees.
And the Happy Buddy’s Resolution was to eat everything that I put on his plate – without any hesitation or complaint.
I may have made that up.
I have been doing well on my end of the resolution – doing my best to provide the Happy Home with semi-healthy and well-balanced meals, but the Happy Buddy has been falling unbelievably short on his end of the bargain.
You want me to eat what??
I can count on one hand the number of foods the Happy Buddy will eat without a fight.
In fact, there are so few things that my precious son likes that sometimes I think I am going to go bananas if he doesn’t eat something other than a banana!!
Why is it that he won’t let a delicious homemade waffle, juicy strawberry, or perfectly steamed green bean come near his mouth, but yet he shoves his entire foot in there as if it is the tastiest thing on the planet (precisely what I caught him doing in his car seat the other day on our way to church)?
And this week the Happy Buddy has taken it upon himself to refuse many of the foods that he has previously eaten with great joy and abandonment – thus leaving me bewildered and him going to bed quite hungry night after night.
How dare you expect me to eat anything but chicken nuggets?
I have sought lots of counsel on the matter. Friends have advised us that he will eat when he is hungry – but we often go days on end without him barely eating anything because he simply doesn’t want to try the food that we put before him. He is quite a determined Happy Buddy!
A character trait that I know God will use for His glory one day, but for now, how do I shepherd his little heart toward healthy eating?
I find comfort in knowing that “this too shall pass” and that in light of the grand scheme of things, this is quite insignificant, but I’m a mom. I still worry a bit.
I worry that he’s going to be malnourished, get sick, or even that his picky eating is the result of something I did wrong along the way – one of my newer Resolutions is to memorize Romans 8:1.
Do I look like I am suffering from malnutrition?
Even the Happy Hubby the other night while the Happy Buddy was in his highchair screaming so loud that I thought our neighbors might come over to check on us because he didn’t want to eat the scrumptious Chicken Goulash with whole wheat noodles and cooked carrots I had so lovingly prepared said, “Babe, when he’s a teenager, we’re going to be longing for these days when our biggest trials were how to get our son to eat.”
He is right indeed, but in the meantime we can’t help but wonder what to do in these situations. Do we just give him chicken nuggets and bananas every night because we know that’s what he will eat? Or do we keep offering the things that we have been and hope that one day he will catch on?
Advice and prayers welcome!
One of my other Resolutions was to read through the Bible with the Happy Hubby. After completing our reading of the book of Exodus, I have also been wondering…
What did those Israelite Mommies do when their children didn’t want to eat manna anymore?
Manna??? That sounds DELICIOUS!
“Julie, I was looking on your registry for a breast pump but didn’t see it on there. Do you already have one?” my friend, asks.
I am 7 months pregnant and about to have my baby shower.
“Uhhh, what’s a breast pump?” I reply dumbly.
“It’s something that you use to pump the milk from your breasts so that you can store it in bottles for your baby,” she says, “Everyone does it. My friend pumps when she’s in the car on her way home from work.”
My eyes nearly pop out of my head.
I imagine my boobs attached to the hose of a vaccuum machine while sitting in bumper to bumper traffic. The trucker driving next to me winks and flashes his cell phone number.
“No thank you,” I say wiping perspiration from my brow, “I think we’ll skip that part.”
Fast forward 16 months:
“Honey, it’s time to wean our son,” my husband says as he watches our son pop off my boob, inspect my nipple curiously and then swat at it with his small hand.
I look up at my darling husband, “What? But…but… he’s my baby! This is my only cuddle time with him! I was going to nurse him at least until he’s ready for college.” I pause, “At least.”
The Happy Hubby stares back at me, firm in his decision, “It’s time.”
I sigh and look down at the Happy Buddy, but he’s already finished and has flown out of my lap to get back to his toys – that are apparently much more interesting than my nipple.
And that was the beginning of our quest to wean the Happy Buddy. But we have a problem. Because I never pumped or gave him a bottle, he has not learned how to suck on anything other than me. As we decrease his nursings, everyone keeps telling me that I need to increase his liquid intake in another way, but he will not drink from a cup!
This is what happens: I give the Happy Buddy a Sippy Cup. He acts like I’m giving him a $500 allowance. He eagerly and joyfully puts it in his mouth and begins to chew on the spout ravenously, but he never takes one sip – thus destroying the purpose of the “Sippy” Cup.
So I seek advice. Mommies say, “Have you tried this brand?” “How about the ones with straws?” “Why not just give him a bottle?” “You really need to get fluids in him!”
Oh, the Mom Guilt! I constantly wrestle with the voices in my head, “If only I had introduced the Sippy Cup sooner!” “If only I had given him a bottle from the beginning!” “Now, because of me, my baby is going to be malnourished and dehydrated!!!!!!!!!!!”
The people at WalMart know me now because I have gone so many times to buy Sippy Cups. We must have at least 67 different kinds in our cupboard. I think this confuses the Happy Buddy more than anything! He’s probably thinking, “Sheesh, Mom. Stick with one kind please! And while you’re at it, just put a chocolate milkshake in there and I will show you what I can do.”
Before we go broke buying Sippy Cups, I’ve decided to pray about it. We’ve been praying at mealtimes, at bedtimes, throughout the day, etc. Whenever Daddy prays over the Happy Buddy before bed and says Amen, I always tag on with, “And PLEASE help the Happy Buddy to learn to drink from the Sippy Cup!!! Amen!” And then the other day while the Happy Buddy was eating lunch I placed a Sippy Cup on his tray and began declaring the power of the name of Jesus over him.
“In JESUS’ NAME!” I cried, my arms outstretched over his curly head, “In JESUS’ NAME I pray that you will drink from a SIPPY CU
P!!!!!”
I seriously thought that when I opened my eyes the Happy Hubby would be sitting in his highchair, Sippy Cup to lips, guzzling that thing down like a pro.
But it didn’t happen…yet.
So I am still praying.
Would you please pray too???
“21Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:21-22
I am happy to report that as of December, 2010, the Happy Buddy is chugging like a pro!
Thank you for your prayers!
Our boy, Noah, is a man on a mission! Since he’s learned to walk, he zooms around our house, taking corners like a professional Nascar racer. It seems that he’s always going somewhere but we’re never quite sure where exactly. And I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know either, he just knows he wants to go! He’ll be in one room and then suddenly stand and bolt out the door as if someone told him to run to Disney World and not look back.
All that to say, he is so busy busy that snuggling is not high on his priority list. Snuggling involves resting, sitting, cuddling, stillness… Noah would rather be running, pulling, throwing, rolling, tugging, colliding, or jumping.
I say BOO to that! Mommy needs her snuggles! It’d be nice to enjoy a few cuddle times with my baby before he grows up and starts to get embarrassed by me in front of all his friends!
I’ve learned to cope, however. Some days when I really want a Noah Snuggle I’ll just scoop him up and squeeze him tight. While I’m trying to savor the moment, Noah is physically trying to remove himself from my grasp – our snuggling consists of my holding on tight to a baby whose arms and legs are flailing so wildly they could propel an airplane.
But yesterday I got a real, unbelievably perfect, arms-thrown-around-my-neck-in-utter-abandonment snuggle.
And it had nothing to do with me!!!!
We were in the kitchen and I was starting to feel anxious about something that has been troubling me. The best way I’ve learned to cope in these moments of unrest is to run to the Lord. I put a worship CD on, plopped right down on the kitchen floor, lifted my hands in praise, and sang to Jesus – letting HIM wash over me with His river of peace.
Next thing I knew, Noah was in my arms.
SHOCKED! My little tornado had actually initiated a snuggle?!?!
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that our little snuggle on the kitchen floor was much more than Noah wanting to hug his mom, or butter me up so that I’ll give him some Cheddar Bunnies. It was a snuggle of divine inspiration! I believe that Noah was captivated by the JESUS he saw in me as I sat there worshiping. He was enticed by the beautiful radiance of a heart at peace through the work of Christ. I treasured that snuggle because I knew Noah wasn’t just snuggling me, he was snuggling Jesus. Noah simply wanted to draw closer to Him.
I love this! To be a mom who radiates Christ in such a way that draws others, especially her family, to Jesus.
I’m craving another snuggle. Maybe I’ll go put on some worship music…
Psa 36:7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
