He Rolls!

Elijah has been diligently working at rolling over for the past two weeks. He has been able to roll from stomach to back since he was eight days old (save a brief obese stage he went through). Rolling from his back to his stomach has proven a little more difficult, especially given the weight of his head. Sunday night, however, all his hard work paid off! He rolled over all by himself, even pulling his arm out from underneath his chest. He was so happy and proud of himself. The novelty has yet to wane apparently - Elijah continues to be proud of himself at each subsequent roll-over. "Look! Did everyone see that one?"

His behavior reminds me of yelling at my Mom to watch me jump off the diving board every single time I jumped. "Mom!...Mom! Mom, watch this one - it's 'Lady on the Telephone.' .......Mom? Did you see it? Get it? How it was 'lady on the telephone'? Here, I'll do it again."

Now I must begin childproofing my home; crawling will not be far away, I believe. Elijah already somehow mysteriously scoots from one end of his blanket to the other. Here are some action shots of his new trick:

Elijah continues to be a delight. His laugh is becoming more intentional; he loves to be tickled on his chest and legs and talked to by anyone. Give him some eye contact and you will receive a wonderful smile in return. Play with him and you may even here a gurgly, deep, almost-grunting laugh (which is the best sound I have ever heard). We love this baby!

While Cooking Lentil Soup

Lentils take more than 20 minutes of simmering to arrive at the intended "tender" stage. And so, I am awake, awaiting tenderness.

Eric and I had a wonderful time celebrating our second anniversary in Chattanooga. Elijah stayed with Grammie and Grampa, who took very good care of him. They even let us call all the time to check in. We stayed in a great cabin, ate good food, and toured Chattanooga. The best thing we did was rent bikes and ride along the riverwalk. Here is Eric modeling the next fashion craze. (Sorry ladies - he's taken!) Eric discovered a fascinating bamboo grove during one of our expeditions. Another photo album, "Why It Is Important to Wear Clothing that Fits" or "Terrible Angles at Which to Take Pictures," was also shot during this trip.


MawMaw, Uncle Dwight, and Mom took the three of us to Myrtle Beach. We had a great time! Uncle Dwight is probably the absolute best person with whom to go on vacation - he even suggested putting Elijah's carseat in his car so we could all travel together!

Before hitting the shore, we stayed a few days with my parents.
Elijah loves his Grandpa

Mom & Elijah wore matching sailboat outfits~:-) After having strangers help her out, MawMaw became an expert in navigating the lazy rivers. "Just get me near the rail! Just get me to the rail!"


Elijah's first time at the beach was so much fun. He hated everything the first day (after Momma failed to "look out for big waves" and a wave washed over Eric's back and chest and hit Elijah), but had lots of fun afterwards.

Burgers and much good food were had.

We were able to see our friends Keren, Jordan, and Grace who now live in Myrtle Beach. Grace pushed around her little stroller and took care of her baby during their visit.

Our little man got his four month shots today. They were terrible. Unlike last time, he cried and cried as soon as the needle touched him. The rest of the day has involved a lot more crying and a lot of Children's Tylenol. He weighs 18 pounds & 5 ounces and is 25 inches long. Our fabulous pediatrician, Bram Pinkley, said of Elijah "I really wish he would gain some weight."
Tomorrow Eric will go to work, and I will rub knots out of Elijah's legs.

Time to check on the lentils...

"Abortion: The Context of our Praise"

This convicting excerpt from this insightful blog points out the flawed attitude we often have regarding church services.

"This emphasis on the cultivation of shallow but pleasant feelings and a sense of fun in evangelical churches is a large part of why the church finds itself irrelevant to contemporary culture. While we are busy trying to show the world “Christians can have fun too”, the world around us grows an ever darker, more murderous place.
We fail to consider our context. The most significant fact we should carry with us about our culture as we consider how we might design church services that speak to it is the reality of abortion. We should remember that while we fill our services with clever skits and shallow songs and advice on achieving your best life now, the streets of our cities run with the blood of 50 million babies.
Whatever we do in church, it should point to something, indeed someone, strong enough and virile enough, to gain victory over evil of that magnitude. The culture of death is the culture into which we speak. Abortion is the context of our praise. A church dedicated to her own entertainment, to feeling good on Sunday mornings will fail, indeed has failed, to point to Jesus, the one who will redeem and punish the evil of our age."

Perhaps next week instead of wondering if my crockpot is plugged in or hoping my child does not scream, I can instead consider the bigger picture: I am worshipping a just God, a God who sees the evil in me and the evil of my surroundings.

And yet, this same God takes delight in being merciful.