.smiling.

Daniel started smiling this week, which I just love. It really gives him more of a personality.

.buddies.

I am truly grateful that Kathryn has been so loving towards Daniel. It's fun thinking of their little friendship in the future. Speaking of which, do any of my readers have thoughts/ideas on how to move a baby in the same room with a toddler? We're thinking of moving the kids in together this summer sometime...has anyone reading this done that? Any advice?

.siblings.

I found this video on my camera...I think it's from the day we brought Daniel home from the hospital. He's a lot bigger now than in this movie, but you get the idea of how much Kathryn dotes on "her Daniel." I love it.

.growing boy.

I took Daniel to the pediatrician for his belated 1-month check up. He is already 11 lbs. 14 oz! No wonder he seems like he's getting bigger...95th % for weight, 97th % for height. They really do grow quickly!

.crazy girl.

Love her to death...she keeps us laughing.

"My Daniel"

Kathryn lovingly calls Daniel "My Daniel." She really loves him and acts very protectively if anyone else is holding him.

Easter

We enjoyed a lovely Easter this past Sunday, although I missed most of the church service since I was out in the lobby with Kathryn. She is still on the tail end of her cold, so I couldn't put her in children's ministry. But we enjoyed lunch at the Seavers and did an easter egg hunt for the kids. I realized that we didn't have any family pictures yet that included Daniel, so here is one.

Delightfully discovering jelly beans in her Easter basket

.question.

Okay, here's a question for any of you moms reading this. I am trying to get Daniel a little more organized with his eating and sleeping, and he's been pretty predictable about eating. But almost without fail, 45 min. into his naps he wakes up crying, and I can't figure out how to help him get back to sleep. Typically I'll lay him down about an hour after feeding him, and he'll fall right asleep, but then wake up at 45 min. on the dot. I remember Kathryn did this too until she was about 4 months old. Do some babies just need less daytime sleep? Advice? Thoughts?

.more pictures.

Just got these pictures off of Jeanie's camera- she took them the day Daniel was born. On a side note, Nick gets back tomorrow from the SGM Leadership Conference in Maryland, and we'll be so glad to have him home! Thankfully things have gone pretty smoothly while he's gone, but I miss my best friend!

.one month.

Wow- Daniel is one month old today. In some ways it's hard to believe he's already a month old, but then it's hard for me to imagine him not being part of our family. He still feels very much like a newborn, and I still am trying to figure out some basics (like what position he sleeps best in, establishing a routine, etc.) When compared to Kathryn's 2-year-old colorful personality, Daniel seems a bit of a bump on a log. (Bad for me for saying that about my own child! It's okay, Daniel, you'll have personality soon enough...)

At one month old: Daniel loves being held, sleeps a good part of the day, eats at fairly predictable times (most days, anyway), usually only has me getting up once at night to feed him, is not fond of his bassinet, gets MAD when he's mad (it's almost funny), LOVES baths, has record-breaking volume of sound in bodily functions, is a sweet baby with a fairly laid-back personality, and we love him to death.

Today the last meal *sniff* was brought to us. I'm amazed that they lasted this long, helped by not starting until after my mom left. What a HUGE blessing these meals have been. I have not given one thought to cooking or meal planning, and my grocery trips have been quick in and out trips for milk and snack foods. Thankfully my freezer is stocked full, so I have another month or so before I really have to worry about cooking, at which point I think I'll be ready to get back at it. I'm slowly adding in going to meetings, although we've missed a few due to all being sick this week. My main goal for these two weeks are 1)establishing a morning routine, and 2) adding basic household chores back in. This last week has definitely had me on my knees at times, flipping through Psalms for truth and comfort. But overall, I do feel like the Lord is slowly expanding my capacity. I think the hardest thing this month has been learning to "juggle" both kids' schedules and needs...like when both kids are screaming (which happened twice yesterday), figuring out how to meet both kids' needs. But there has been much grace even in those moments of trial, and I am thankful for some sweet times with the Lord this month.

Here are some pictures of the little man:

"Oh My! One Month already??!!? Where has the time gone?"

Happy Boy

.bath time.

One of Kathryn's favorite activities of the day...

.living ministry.

I just finished reading John Piper's "What's the Difference: Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible." I highly recommend it as a good and also concise book on the subject of Biblical manhood and womanhood. At the end of the book, Piper has a chapter which is essentially his challenge and prayer for Christian men and women. In his challenge to women, he writes:

"[I pray] that you not assume that secular emplyment is a greater challenge or a better use of your life than the countless opportunities of service and witness in the home, the neighborhood, the community, the church, and the world; that you not only pose the question; career or full-time homemaker?, but that you ask just as seriously: full-time career or freedom for ministry?"

This quote struck me in asking myself if I view my life as full-time ministry. As a stay at home wife and mom of two young children, my main calling is to be a loving wife to Nick, manage our home, and mother Kathryn and Daniel. In a sense, these three areas are a ministry in and of themselves. But beyond that, am I looking at my life as a full-time mission field? Am I using extra down time to follow through with things to bless others? Things like praying for loved ones in my life, writing an encouraging note to a friend, following up with someone in Care Group over email, chatting with my unsaved neighbor? Sadly, these are things that I often think, "I should do this..." and then never follow through. And it's not always for lack of time. So freshly challenged, I am trying to be more faithful with my time to orient myself towards others. Here's another part of Piper's challenge:

"[I pray] that you be totally committed to ministry, whatever your specific calling; that you not fritter your time away on soaps or women's magazines or unimportant hobbies or shopping; that you redeem the time for Christ and his Kingdom."


May I walk in a manner worthy of my calling...

.homemade bread.

It's another rainy day here, and it's a perfect day to fill the house with the smell of homemade bread. We're having soup and bread for dinner tonight, and I thought I'd post the recipe that I almost exclusively use anymore when I make honey wheat bread. It is so yummy! I use my bread machine to make the dough, then cook the bread in the oven, so I'll post directions doing it that way (very easy!) Here's a link, though, to the original recipe if you don't have a bread machine.

HONEY WHEAT BREAD

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 (.25 ounce) package rapid rise yeast
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk- I usually just use regular milk warmed in the microwave to room temp, but evaporated milk makes it extra yummy.
  
• 1/4 cup melted shortening (I use butter)
  
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

1. Place water, yeast, and sugar in bread machine and let it sit for a few minutes
2. Add all the rest of the ingredients (in order) through salt.
3. Set bread machine to DOUGH setting and press Start. I usually watch to make sure the dough gets into a ball...you might have to add a little more flour. Or water if it's too dry. On my bread machine, this cycle takes an hour and 20 min.
4. When the dough is done, punch down. Divide in two.
5. Roll out dough flat with a rolling pin, then roll up dough into a loaf, tucking the ends under and pinching the seams.
6. Place seam-side down in two greased 9x5 loaf pans, butter tops, and cover loosely with saran wrap. Let rise in a warm place til double, about 30 min.
7. Place a small pan of hot water on the bottom shelf of the oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
8. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes (20-25 min in my oven), or until tops are dark golden brown. Butter crusts while warm. Slice when cool.

Meanwhile...

Here's what the big sister has been up to the last few days...

Playing with her new "digger" from Mamaw and Papaw; she became fascinated with them since my mom started pointing them out to her when they were driving.

Putting money in her new "piggy" bank

Copying my every move, including wanting to "nurse" her babies and carry around her animals with the baby bjorn

And the lovely artwork from painting time with Nana

More Pictures

Sorry the pictures have been a little slow in coming...We've been enjoying wonderful visits with family members and getting the hang of being a family of 4 now. Hopefully soon I'll get back into the swing of blogging and email...but I'm not in a rush for now. I'm enjoying the last few days before life has to resume for real. :)

The Story...

I thought I'd take a minute to write down the events of Daniel's birthday while they are still fresh in my mind. I woke up at 5:30am with some strong contractions, which were about 12 minutes apart. I called the midwife to see if she was on call, which she wasn't. So I knew the doctor would be delivering me if this was in fact "the day." By 6:30 everyone was up, and I made some coffee and started some laundry, mostly just to distract myself from getting too excited, in case it ended up being a false alarm.

Kathryn woke up a little before 8:00, and we ate a leisurely breakfast. After walking around our neighborhood a few times, I called Jeanie at around 9:00 to say this might be "it." I walked around the neighborhood a few more times, until my contractions were getting more like 5-8 minutes apart. Around 10:00 I called Nick,who was at work, to see if he could come and walk with me, and that it looked like this might be the real thing. The funny thing was, though, that every time I stopped walking, the contractions would stop.

Not wanting to make the same mistake that we did for Kathryn of waiting too long to go to the hospital, we headed off at 11:00 to find somewhere closer to the hospital to walk around. After walking around the hospital complex a few times, we went inside so I could see if I had progressed at all- this was around 1:00. This was all very calm and uneventful, since the contractions were very manageable and still stopping every time I stopped walking. And they were anywhere from 3 minutes to 12 minutes apart. The nurse at the hospital checked me, and I was still 4 cm, which is what I had been at my doctor's appointment the day before...a little discouraging that 7 hours of contractions had done nothing. She hooked me up to the monitor, which showed pretty weak contractions, and I thought about asking the doctor if I could have a little bit of pitocin to jump start things. At around 3:30, the nurse had me sign some paperwork "in case I ended up staying," since we still weren't sure if I was really in labor; my contractions were staying consistent as long as I was walking around and getting slightly more uncomfortable. I kept pacing around the hospital room while Mom and Nick were watching HGTV, and all of this was pretty uneventful.

My doctor came in between 4 and 4:30, at which point he said I was almost 7 cm! He broke my water, at which point the contractions started coming on stronger and quicker. I don't think I really let myself think that I was in labor for sure until this point, at which I started getting very excited- this was the day! Probably around 4:45 or 5:00 I was feeling like I really wanted an epidural...I remember asking my mom how long it would take to get an epidural, and she replied that the baby would be born before they could get there! And sure enough, Daniel arrived at 5:21.

All in all, this is a much less exciting story than Kathryn's birth, and I think I prefer the more calm approach over the frantic one.

First week with two

What a wonderful week this has been. We have really loved getting to know Daniel, and I think I'm finally feeling like he's part of our little family. I still can't quite wrap my brain around being a mom of two, but I'm sure that will come with time. My mom has been helping here with Kathryn and things around the house, and I have felt quite pampered. I really feel blessed to have so much help...I'm sure it's making the transition easier (ask me on Tuesday when she leaves how I'm doing). :) My brother Stephen was able to make a surprise stop on his way to Boston, which was a fun surprise, and my dad is here for the weekend.

Daniel is about as laid back as they come, for which I'm very greatful. I think his temperament is the Lord's way of easing me into the transition to two kids. We haven't seen him awake too much yet, but I'm sure that will change soon! And I think I enjoy the nighttime feedings more now than I did with Kathryn...it kind of feels like a special time with him, since I feel a little distracted during the day. So yes, I'm tired and a bit more emotional than usual, but I have also felt overwhelmed by God's grace to really enjoy this first week with Daniel.

It's A Boy!

Daniel Carlisle Swan
Born 3/6/09

8 lbs. 1 oz, 20.5 inches

Welcome to the world, little Daniel! We got home today from the hospital, thanking the Lord for a smooth delivery of our handsome little man. We love him already! Thank you, friends, for all your prayers...the Lord is very kind to us. We feel rich indeed. Here are a few pictures of our little guy...I'll post more of the birth story soon.

Maybe this is the Day...

I woke up with contractions this morning at 5:30, and they've been pretty steady since then, although the timing is not super consistent. So we'll see! :) The doctor said I was 4 cm yesterday at my appointment (!), so hopefully if this ends up being a false alarm, this baby will come sooner than later. We'll keep you posted!

9 Month Pregnancy Shots

Ready to Pop!

It's kind of nice having a built-in toddler seat :)