HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Disclaimer: Autumn and I each posted without the other's knowledge -- so the similarities in our Happy Birthday posts are because my mom is genuine in who she is!

To my Momma! I love you!

My Momma - She gave birth to me, kept me, raised me; prays for me, talks to me, blesses me. This kind of mother is fast becoming rare in today's society!
One of my greatest friends - She's always there for me when I need conversation, encouragement, recipes, counseling, Judah clothes, snail mail, medical consultation, news updates...she tends to be my end all say all.
My Confidant - I know I can share deep thoughts and struggles with her without fear of condemnation or shame. Many times, she has been there herself, knows the feelings, and is increasing her knowledge of Scripture which in turn makes her a great counselor!
My Example - If ever you knew a generous person, you know my Momma! I am certain my love for giving to others and wanting to see smiles on their faces came directly from her. It tickles me pink (her favorite color!) to see how she can pinpoint EXACTLY what a person needs/wants and then provides it!
A poem I wrote back in 1992 about her that still rings true years later...

A mother's love is like

The stars glittering at night,

When you are wrapped up so warm and tight.

~

A mother's love is soft -

Like bunnies in the loft

Looking for carrots to keep

So later they can eat.

~

A mother's love is warm.

It doesn't let a heart get torn.

It comforts when someone mourns.

It never ended since you were born.

...........................................................................................................

Ps - Don't forget to look at the previous Growing Judah post!

Growing Judah

Judah's 6 month appointment was yesterday. It went...um...as well as can be expected for getting 2 shots, a yucky oral vaccine, and a little tug on a tender region. I think I liked it better when he was a newborn and could only cry as a response. Now he can scream, recoil, KICK, and work up ginormous tears. He's in good health though, so we are thankful for that.

Weight: 18 lbs 4 oz
Height: 27 1/4 inches
Head: 49 cm

That equals to 50% for weight and height, nice and average. But, he's in 90% for head -- so either he's prideful or smart with his big head...or both! :-) Also, he's got another white bud next to the other tooth that has just broken the surface!

Judah has figured out a new way to enjoy his bouncy seat. Whatever floats your boat, kid!



Here's a great video! Enjoy having some floor time with him!





And here's one to show off his hands/knees/rocking skills. It's short because there wasn't much memory left on the camera, and he can stay up much longer than this. But it's a taste of growth none the less!

Happy Sunshine Monday Morning

Well, it has been a while, has it not? Last week was Matt's finals week, so I was blessed to have him home all the time after Tuesday. It was a good time of relaxing, getting things done around the house/church, and just being together as a family. We also signed up for a 2 week trial of Netflix and caught some classics. Did you know how GREAT of a movie Gone with the Wind is??? I'd only seen short clips here and there, and Matt never had. Treat yourself...but make the time! We also watched My Fair Lady because Matt had never seen it. We also watched some Star Trek Voyager and 12 Angry Men (the classic version) to keep it balanced. I have to say, 12 Angry Men was a wonderful movie...no action save for one very angry obnoxious loud mouth of a man, but it works the brain!

Judah's doing great. Just this last week it seems like his energy level has eXpLoDeD! Matt has concluded that he will be an energetic child...which scares me knowing what Matt was like as a kid. Whew! He has also gotten very excited about his solid foods. He opens so wide, rocks back and forth, and almost yells between bites! He loves peaches, pears, applesauce, carrots, and I'm pretty sure he just adores the green beans. He's also started eating more of them. We see Dr. Cantor on Thursday for his 6 month check-up (though he's almost 7mo now), so I'm interested to see how tall he is and how much he weighs. We visited friends -- a mom my age with a daughter Judah's age -- and Judah is taller and bigger than Ava who is 9 months. :-) I love my boy! Here's a few pictures to tide you over. He's got a bag of new tricks that will be revealed when I get the videos uploaded. (We still haven't seen the kid roll over...but he's greeted us on his belly in the morning on several occasions.)

One new trick is that he has figured out how to work Lionel, a lion that sings/educates by rolling a cylinder on his belly. As you'll see in a video, he does it over...and over...and over. It's not annoying -- yet. It's so fun and AWEsome to watch him learn the fine details of manipulating his fingers and connecting that motion with the result of a song. Simply fascinating to watch a baby fill his brain! ~~~ He is also getting better and better at "push ups" as you see in the second picture. He is trying so hard to get to his knees. Again, in a video to come, you will see that he can stay on his hands and knees when we help him get there...and today started rocking while on hands and knees!



Major bed head lately because he moves around so much and is getting more hair, but it's adorable. But funny bed head isn't the only reason we took this picture. Can anyone tell me another reason we might have worked hard for this picture? Anyone may guess except for my mother (sorry, not fair to the others, Momma).



Hopefully I'll get the videos and a couple more cute pictures up soon! Hope all of you are well...can you believe this is the LAST week in September? Holy canoli where is the time going??

Hilarious Laughs

After a long day yesterday, Judah helped us relax a little.

Links Update

Just wanted to let you know Christa has a new website rather than her old blog. It it updated in my links, so clicking on her name will take you to the new site. I encourage you to check it out! She is always so uplifting, convicting, and there's nothing like a picture of Tyler to make you grin!

I also added Jim. It's our pastor's blog. I haven't read much of it, but I think I'm going to start keeping up with it. The last few posts are rather humorous in dealing with Pride & Prejudice. Saying those three words, I know, will definitely get a few of you fans to check his blog out.

As a side note, there are days when I sooo wish I could live nearer to my sisters -- to watch the younger grow up, walk life's journey side by side with the older, and to just live life with them. I love you, Hope and Autumn.

Judah's New Clothes

Well, the "season" has changed here in Salinas to much cooler temps...and Judah had mostly shorts and only a few pairs of socks. So we got him some new clothes! Savers is a great place to go, and we got a few items at Target. Enjoy the fashion show!

Before the fasion show...




My favorite new article of clothing for him. And the overalls are much bigger than we anticipated -- and already broke the first time I washed them. At least they were only $4 from Savers instead of $15 from Target. :-(



Several new shirts that are the styles Matt and like to dress Judah in -- we're a very "nice casual" kind of family...unless we're hanging around the house, then it's pj's and lounge wear. :-P The striped shirt at the end is more of a sweater and has little embroidered dinosaurs on it. I am thoroughly enjoying having plenty of socks for the little guy as well.





There are a couple more pictures of him in fuller outfits...and some to come of a few items Matt and I were blessed to be able to purchase. Kohls just had an AMAZING sale, and we made the decision to take advantage of it knowing what we will need in the near future. I'm glad you all don't mind all the pictures I post....I should put up some video soon. THAT REMINDS ME...we got the most adorable laughing video of Judah last night. Matt was saying names of foods such as "pickles" and "cotton candy" and Judah was just belly laughing it up! To come soon...

Joyful Past 24 Hours

Wow. How much good could a good girl get if a good girl could get good? I dunno...does that work? The past 24 hours have been so full of various GOOD things that I have been blessed with!

1) I was working with Judah's rolling over skills (or lack there of) yesterday afternoon. We have always joked that he'll do it when no one is watching. I think we jinxed ourselves. I videoed him for quite a while but then figured he wouldn't roll over so I turned it off. Sat there a few moments, then decided I wanted another piece of this AWESOME bread I came up with yesterday. (Look for it on Savary Sensations.) He was on his tummy. I walk to the kitchen counter from the sliding door, turn around (less than 10 seconds), and HE WAS ON HIS BACK. How he did it I'm not too sure...but he is getting good at getting his knees up under him. I think he had done that and then pushed a little. But what gets me is that he did it around the corner of a box. Note the picture below, his starting point. After rolling, he was on the other side of the corner on his back. He hasn't done it again. Though he did get in a real push up position for a few seconds yesterday...as in hands and tip toes with a straight body.



2) Matt was gone from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm yesterday. That's a LONG time considering he's usually only gone for 6 or 7 hours max SOME days of the week and the rest are even less. It was a long day for both of us, but in a good way. He shows up at home with a GORGEOUS bouquet of bright orange flowers and tropical greenery. And kept telling me to clean out his lunch box because some hot dog juice spilled in it. Dinner was already on the table, and he kept insisting it was urgent. Finally I realized that perhaps he WANTED me to because there was something in there for me. I opened it and there were two boxes of Trader Joe's lemon ginger tea inside -- a new favorite of mine that I thoroughly enjoyed during the last few months of pregnancy at another lady's house. He called it a "Happy You" gift. I love him!



3) I have started reading Babywise II, a book for parenting a pretoddler (companion to Babywise). I have been feeding Judah 5 times a day mainly because I was afraid to have his last feeding be at 7 pm rather than 9 pm thinking he wouldn't sleep until his usual 7 am. But yesterday, I went to the store around 8 by myself. When I came home Judah had fallen asleep and was in his crib. So we crossed our fingers and decided to see what would happen if we just let him sleep. He slept until 7 am on the dot! A success I hope to continue as we venture more into the world of solid foods -- kind of overwhelming at the beginning!

4) I got a call from Jaclyn this morning at 8. I was wondering what on earth it was about because she NEVER calls me that early, it's her off day, and she put me on speakerphone. I was thinking "It's not my birthday so her family isn't going to sing to me..." I was confused. Then a guitar started up. It was Ben...and at that moment I realized a dream had become a reality. I have a recent poem I've written posted on Sanctifying Truth and asked Ben to play around with it if he had time and desire. He really did write music for words that I have written. I'm still in blissful shock! It was a great tune -- very catchy and memorable. Matt got to listen in too. So someday, maybe, when Ben is a platinum artist, one of his CD's will have a song called "Storehouse" with "words and music by Ben Zornes and Dawn Esparza" next to it! I told him it has given me a desire to write more words to be made into song! He just has no idea how much it means to me!

Thank You, Lord, for all Your blessings!!! ::Sings:: Oh happy day, oh happy da-a-ay!

We are still breathing...

Several have recently asked me why I have not updated my blog. Sorry, guys! I know we all, including myself, have gotten used to me spending all my days at home with *nothing* to do but housewifery and mothering. ;-) But Rich and Diane have now moved to Hollister, Labor Day is over, and life is back to it's normal groove. I'm still trying to recover from so much activity...how does one catch up on sleep with a 6 month old? :-P

So, here is a great picture post of mostly Judah (of course) so you can catch up with his adorable little life. He's certainly looking older! And we have successfully introduced grean beans, peas, and now carrots. What's next? We haven't officially decided yet.

He loves his activity seat now. It's been fun to watch him go from being a slug in it to playing with everything on it. He can even turn himself a bit and he likes to rock back and forth while sitting in it. He also loves his bouncy seat and it is amazing what he can do now. He used to not even be able to reach the toys...now he reaches them with his feet and can easily grasp the rings that hold the toys on!



We've taken a few bathtime pictures as well -- isn't his robe just ADORABLE! He highly enjoys splashing like crazy getting both Matt and I as well as the walls wet.




Picture time with the parents!





We did some rearranging of our rooms. Judah's room now has the computer desk rather than "library" so that Matt has a more peaceful place for intense study/writing of his thesis. The "library" is now in the dining room. We love the change, though were hesitant to do it at first. Judah's room looks more cozy and bedroom like. And the dining room is much more "dining" friendly. We already had two different sets of guests over and it was WONDERFUL to entertain with this dining room!



Judah's favorite snack -- his feet. Green bean face.



For Janet - he looks adorable in his cousins' hand me down jammies! Rockets away!



That sweet toothless grin we will miss when the teeth come in! A silly picture with a shirt on his head. "If I were a French man, da da da da da da da...." A sad face (read mad). And we're not sure how he shimmied out of his shorts during a nap, but it was a cute shocker.





So there ya have it! Hope you enjoyed! Videos are next!

**EDIT**

JUST after I clicked publish for this post, I went to get Judah out of his crib. This is what I saw.



How does he DO it??

Random Stuff Pics

I'm on Matt's laptop right now and noticed some pics in his Judah file that I've not posted before. So it's pretty random...hope you enjoy it anyway!

This is what happens when you cut a cucumber in half and leave it for a few mintues. Awesome, huh???


This is the quilt I made with Diane...it's a t-shirt quilt made with old memorable t-shirts of their four kids. A great way to save those mementoes without 1) never seeing them 2) taking up storage space. The backing is from their oldest daughter, a blanket she ALWAYS had wrapped around her. The square patch on the back is the names of their four kids along with Father's Day 2006 emboidered on it. It was the first of this type of quilt I had made, so I just about broke my brain's gears doing all the measuring/math. I was able to teach Diane some basic sewing skills while keeping her machine here for me to play...I mean sew...on. I have been able to do this quilt, a bright baby quilt for Jason & Jodee, fix our chenille throw, and am now finishing up a quilt for Rachel (Diane's youngest daughter) before I give the machine back. Someday, Lord, perhaps you could provide a machine all my very own? ::puppy dog eyes::



These next three are some of the many gifts showered on us during the Esparza family visit. The first is a carving of Noah's Ark done by a friend. It is so intricate! He did it all with a bandsaw. We have yet to find something to hang behind it so it stands out from the wall. A textured white wall does not lend itself to the beauty of the wood or the detail of the carving. If you look carefully in the top left corner of the main body of the ark -- second row down -- fourth animal over, you will see a little turtle. Apparently, the carver accidentally cut off this tiny turtle from his first Noah's Ark and started ALL over because he knew it wouldn't be perfect. An heirloom for sure! We also received two quilts from Grandma (Judah's great grandma) that I just LOVE -- especially the color block quilt. So bright and cheery! I admit I even had thoughts of "How can I add to this quilt to make it the centerpiece of a king size quilt to fit...OUR bed?" But alas, I must sacrifice and let my son receive the gift meant for him. :-) He loves the colors and it is a perfect size for floor-play. He also loves to stare at the animals and sun on the other quilt.

And now, I must needs go to bed. I COULD have gone to bed an hour and 10 minutes ago. ::sigh:: Silly me. Gotta help Diane pack some more tomorrow! Off to bed I go now like a good little girl...

By the way, Aut...I finally fixed the TMC alumni post so Matt is going to the NavAl Post Graduate School rather than the NavEl Post Graduate School. Thank you for correcting my comical yet highly embarassing error. I wonder how many other people noticed and wondered...

Momomomomo

Matt claims it the first word. I say it's his first distinguishable syllable. Whichever it is...it's just crazy cute!

Oh, and Matt got all four of his wisdom teeth out today. Shocker! He just made the appointment yesterday. Praise God it was quick, less than we thought, it's over and done with, and Matt is doing great. I hope tomorrow he feels like he does today. ::folds hands to pray::

Take Your Pic

a) Better late than never.
b) Never say never.
c) All in good time.

I've finally found a moment to resize/upload the rest of the pictures from the Esparza family visit back in June. It's amazing how much Judah has already grown since then! These are from the 17 Mile Drive in the Carmel & Pebble Beach area of the Monterey Peninsula and also the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Watsonville's Strawberry Festival.

17 Mile Drive. Matt and Dawn. Bird Rock -- the "pepper" is a whole lotta birds!

Gorgeous (multi-million dollar) homes tucked away in nature.

The picture of the "lone cypress" is the logo for some company...can't remember which one.


The Aquarium. Famous Monterey Bay sea otters. And to flash or not to flash -- that is the question when taking pictures in an aquarium.




Jellyfish -- the best part.

Dale Chihuly -- THE most awesome glass artist ever. A room of jellyfish.

An AWESOME room with mackerel swimming in an endless circle in the ceiling. It'd make an awesome living room or bedroom -- Very peaceful. A really fun picture of Melody inside a "bubble" inside a sting ray tank.


The Strawberry Festival -- I mean food and rides festival with the word "strawberry" slapped onto it. Such a dissapointment. The tents are crafts, vendors, and food. But hardly anyone had strawberry stuff. This "strawberry shortcake" was $5 -- and believe you me, I could make it much better...and so could any restaurant.


The "rides" part of the festival -- kiddie being an important word to include. The sign for the festival -- note how much is taken up by things OTHER than the title of the festival...that's about the proportion of the festival itself.