my baby is growing up!

as i, karen, am writing this post, i am amazed at the fact that judah will be 6 months tomorrow. it seems like just yesterday that we brought home our GREAT BIG BLESSING in a TINY LITTLE PACKAGE. he has come so far! i am so thankful that he is so healthy and happy. the Lord has truly blessed us with this precious babe! our prayer is that we can raise him to know and love the Lord.

---------------Father, thank you
---------------for this beautiful baby boy
---------------with whom you have blessed us!

---------------Each moment with him
---------------makes us more in awe of you.

---------------Please help us raise him
---------------to know You
---------------to serve You
---------------to love You
---------------above all else.

---------------Help us be
---------------understanding
---------------patient
---------------empathetic
---------------parents.

---------------Help us
---------------encourage
---------------discipline
---------------love
---------------him.

---------------Make us examples to him.
---------------Examples of You.
---------------Examples of Your Love.

---------------Lord, equip us,
---------------for we know
---------------it is not an easy task.
---------------We accept the
---------------responsibility
---------------that this blessing brings.

---------------Thank you, Lord,
---------------for this opportunity.

---------------Lord, bless Judah!

an update

i have been keeping mommy busy these days, learning how to lots of things and wanting to get into everything! some recent accomplishments:

[!] i am rolling all over the place now. it is so much fun!

[!] i am also getting better and better at creeping...mommy and daddy better buy a baby gate soon!

[!] on august 12, i learned how to sit up on my own! i had been working on this for a while, and finally learned how to
[!] sit all alone for a few minutes.

now i'm just looking forward to saturday, when i turn 6 months old! mommy says that then i can try some big people food! i can't wait!

ottawa pictures

we had a wonderful time in ottawa, and are so thankful the hospitality of karen's uncle albert and aunt eveline!

camping

i'm sorry that i haven't written in a while, but i've been away...mommy took me camping! it was SO much fun! i got to see lots of her cousins and aunts and uncles, and everyone oogled over me! i also got to go swimming in the lake for the first time; that was fun, though much colder than the pool i swim in at swimming lessons!
i will post pictures of the trip soon!

pics of the week two: 24 weeks

judah learned to sit up on his own this week! he had been coming close for a while, but on friday, august 12, he stayed sitting for longer than 20 seconds! way to go, judah!

pics of the week: 24 weeks

we have this new game that makes judah giggle like crazy ... it's peekaboo to the point where it actually startles him! it's so funny to watch him jump and then smile and giggle. he ESPECIALLY loves it when you throw in a fake-sneeze instead of saying "peekaboo"...

pic of the week: 23 weeks

oh, ottawa!

so, mommy and daddy took me for a l-o-o-o-n-g car ride yesterday. i cried for the first hour, then they fed me and changed my diaper in a mcdonald's parking lot, and i passed out in my car seat the rest of the way. it was very late when we got here, to this place that mom and dad call ottawa. we're visiting mommy's uncle albert and aunt eveline. mommy tells me that i have been to this far away place before, but i was so young then...like eight weeks or something! seriously, mom, do you expect me to remember that long ago?
anyway, i am having SO much fun here! today, we got to go for a ride in this cool car that rides on the water. i didn't really like the big orange jacket that they made me wear while we were riding though, so i cried to make them take it off. they didn't until we got to the beach...but then i had so much fun splashing in the water with auntie eveline.
when we came back, i got to see my great grandma and grandpa helleman again, which was also pretty cool. mostly i like it when people keep telling me that i am so cute!
what a fun day! i'm SO pooped!

daddy and me

i had such a fun time at swimming lessons tonight! usually mommy brings me into the pool, and i have so much fun with her, but today daddy did. it was fun to play with him in there for a change. i kicked lots and even played a game of catch with some of the other kids and their mommies or daddies. the other cool thing that happened today at swimming lessons was the slide: i got to slip down the slide, right into the water and daddy's arms! wee!

growth spurt

judah has evidently been on an impressive growth spurt over the last month. when i weighed him at the end of june, he weighed 13 lbs. he was just shy of 15 lbs last week, which that means he gained 2 lbs in the month of july!