Busy Boy

I think the one word that would describe Desmond these days is ACTIVE!  From the moment he wakes up it's guaranteed that he won't stop moving until it's time for a nap.  All day long he is on the move, crawling, pulling up, investigating, roaming, just going going going.

The only thing that will make him pause, at least for a few minutes, is if you run your fingers along his arms, legs, and around his face.  It's like it paralyzes him, until he realizes what you're doing...trying to get him to rest for a moment, so that really you can rest for a moment...and then he snaps out of it and makes a break for it.

But he doesn't mind being held as long as your moving.  When Jordan comes home from being out at meetings and work, Desmond loves to be held by him and paraded around the house.  He always has the silliest grin on his face the whole time.  And when we're at the mall he prefers being on your hip than in his stroller.  And not with a sling or carrier...he wants to be free moving.  Boy is it a workout lugging this boy around!  

It's funny to observe when he decides to dish out his smiles and who he will share them with.  Some people work so hard at it and all they get is a stare, while others seem to just light up his face the moment he sees them.  And it doesn't seem to matter if he knows them or if they are a complete stranger.  

He recently discovered even more of what his hands can do and clapping and high fives are a major part of his day.  And when they're not doing those things, they're constantly in his mouth.
We haven't moved on to walking yet, but I think it's getting ever closer, which really terrifies me, as every day is filled with at least a couple of topples and major melt downs.

Hearing him laugh is still one of my favorite things ever.  It just helps to melt the day away.  He has the cutest little grin, but it mostly comes out just before he attempts to do something he knows he's not supposed to.  There's always a pause, a look back to see who's watching, and then comes that smile when you've made eye-contact...only quickly to turn around and try to get away with whatever his little mind was thinking to do.

He can really be a ham sometimes...

I just love my little family and all of the ways Desmond has changed us for the better in these past 9 months!

6, 7, 8

Um...a lot of time has passed.  We are now closer to the one year mark than we are those early newborn stages.  Whoa!

So let's do a little review.  We'll have to back up to month 6...

These are just the camera shots.  The I-Phone really tells the story better.

Favorite toy has always been Yoda.

He is present for every nap, bedtime, and scary situation.

We've sampled all kinds of yummy foods.  Favorites have been squash, zucchini, sweet potatoes, pears,  and broccoli with spinach.  Tolerates oatmeal if it's masked by mostly fruit.  Despises Bananas and avocado even though he ate them both initially.  Newly he has loved lentils, quinoa, and chicken, but hates eggs.

We celebrated Easter with friends.

Did our best to look like Dad.

Got our work out on with Mom.

Became ready for travel, but unfortunately have the worst passport picture ever.

Welcomed our second guest.

and...Had our first accident with a fat lip to prove it.  

Month 7...

Teeth started poking through in month 6, but they definitely became more prominent here.

First haircut.

Mastered sitting and crawling.

Welcomed another guest.

Stood up in his crib.

 Visited the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

 Made lots of new friends.

and..Went to our first wedding.

Month 8...

It gets harder and harder to get a picture of this guy.  The good part of that is...I have less to look through.  I just always hope I at least get a few.  

It's hard to do anything during his waking hours now.  Always roaming and exploring and using everything to pull up on.

We also have two top teeth poking through and I'm guessing any day now they will show themselves fully.  I wonder how that will change his little smile.  Eek!  I'm excited.  HA!  It's the little things.

Naps seem to not be a requirement all of the time and he thinks he can power through the day without them.  We're definitely passed the stages of not being able to go anywhere for very long, which is way nice.  We love going to the market on Sundays and frequenting the malls from time to time.  He's quite admired wherever we go, and eventually I think I'm gonna have to find ways to counter that.  He can't grow up being so adored.  It's the blonde hair and blue eyes.  They're a rarity here.  But it makes him love the Filipinos more!

He's just growing so fast and I can't believe he's already 8 months old!

The Observer

Every time I think back to the early days with this little guy they seem sooooo far away, and yet everyday I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing.  And boy, some Moms sure do seem to have their stuff together.  I don't know how they do it either!  Like this post...5 months was already weeks ago.  I thought I better get this update out before we hit the half way point to a year...it's only a few weeks away now.

Life is so hectic and busy all of the time, but sometimes when my head hits the pillow at night and I am so exhausted at 9:00 pm, I can hardly remember what we did that day!

He's curious and always observing the world around him, just quiet and content to take it all in.  I'm not sure his mind ever slows down to let him rest.  He seems to always be thinking.

Gone are the days of baby stuff.  We used to lay him down on a mat with some cross bars that had some toys hanging down from it...but he started using it for chest presses and pull ups instead.  I'm not even sure it's in tact enough to pass on.  And don't even get me started on clothes.  Some how one day, nothing fit anymore.  We've upgraded in our pjs and everything!

One of my favorite things is to peak into his room after I've laid him down for a nap or bed time and see how he's fallen asleep.  There's been some pretty funny and totally awkward positions:

Never gets old.  And still every night before I go to bed, I go in his room and stare in awe and amazement, place my hand on his chest, and take in all the wonderful blessings that he brings to our lives!

Likes: Talking, being on the move, chewing on everything he can get his hands on, cuddling things and sucking his thumb, bath time and sleeping at night.
Hates: Clapping, loud noises and crowded places, being held unless you're moving, sitting still long enough to read a book or change his diaper, doing anything he doesn't want to do and sleeping during the day.

Sitting up, teeth, food, and crawling are right around the corner.  And of course walking won't be far behind all of that.  Love seeing everything this guy discovers and learns how to do.  There's no stopping the world of possibilities for him.
  

Caring for Our Community

It was just over a year ago now, that I visited one of our churches feeding centers for the first time.  Talk about melt your heart.  The kids here in the Philippines are so very precious and just beautiful.  When our Pastor said he wanted to start a feeding center of our own, I immediately volunteered to be a part of it.  

I'm not normally a "kid" person, but these children have won me over.  I'm so excited to get to know each one of them and to be the hands and feet of Jesus to them.

The neighborhood where we will be hosting it, is just a few blocks over from our church.  Several of our church members as well as our core leaders live around here.  It also has the narrowest streets ever! Thank goodness Jordan has no fear in driving.  Can you believe we passed an SUV on this road!?  I was terrified.  It's a blessing we drive the tiniest car. 

Our first day was just spent meeting all of the moms and their children -- getting their names, arm measurement, weight and of course pictures of each one.

They are all just darling!

 I loved this little ones smile!

It was a little chaotic, and a few more came than we anticipated, but I couldn't bare to turn any of them away.  I know we will have to put a cap on it, as we only have so many volunteers, space, etc.  But I just wish we could have taken in the whole neighborhood!

It's definitely a different world from anything I've ever known.  And it's all an adventure.  I think this is going to be one of my favorite things to be a part of.  We are hoping to start Kidz Jam (our team's Vacation Bible School on Wheels) in this location with these kids soon, as well as form several small groups for Bible Study with the mothers.
Will you start praying for the 24 kids and 18 mothers we will be serving.  That we don't just meet physical needs, but help to fill their spiritual hunger as well.  That our church will have an impact in this community and this will be a jumping off point to grow our church!

A few of our awesome volunteers.  (Pastor Isaac, Erwin, Myself, Tita Eunice who has volunteered to do all of the cooking, Mikee, Carol, and Fheii) The people in our church are always willing to do what they can to serve!  I'm excited for what's to come through this ministry!