Month Four

                                  April 8 ,2012

Dear Oliver,

Wow- how you are growing and changing so much each day!!  We can’t get enough of you because you’re simply irresistible! Momma can’t keep track of how many times she kisses you all day long!

You are a rolling machine!! You have mastered the back to tummy roll but are still working on learning the tummy to back! It took you a while to figure out how to sleep on your tummy, but once you got the hang of it, it was smooth sailing from there! Normally when I put you down in your crib, you cry for a second, roll straight to your side, stick your thumb in your mouth, and then go right to sleep!

At your four month appointment, you weighed 15 pounds and were in the 50^th percentile, just like at month two! You moved to the 75% percentile for height.

You slept the longest you’ve ever slept on April 8^th (your 5 month birthday!) You went to bed at 7:30 and woke up at 8:30 (13 hours!! Alleluia! It was SO nice!) 

This month you met you hung out again with your Aunt Ash and Aunt Carolyn when Momma an Aunt Erin went to Raleigh to see them!

You also got to meet your Aunt Mel for the first time!! She came and spend a week with us in Wilmington over her spring break! She LOVED you and gave you your first lipstick kiss in the airport!! She could make you laugh like crazy and it was so fun to watch you belly laugh with her! We spend a lot of time on the beach relaxing and soaking up the sun! You weren’t such a big fan of the beach b/c you didn’t have any of your toys to keep you entertained (exersaucer, bumbo, play may, etc, haha) but you were a champ and we went anyways!!

You’ve started wearing summer clothes and you look so adorable cause we can see your chunky legs!! Grandma bought you an adorable blue summer hat that looks oh so cute on you!

You have loved your exersaucer this month and you love to throw toys from it onto the floor J You also love your giraffe which we have affectionately  named Raffee, because Sophie was just too girly!

We tried to feed you rice cereal two times, but you just weren’t feeling it! We’ll try again at 6 months, but for right now we’ll just stick to the milk!

You’re on a good schedule now! You wake up anytime between 7-7:30. Your feeding times are 8, 11:30-12, 3:30-4, and 7 before bed! You take 2 consistent naps- one between 9-10 and the other around 1-2. You sleep anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 ½ hours!

You got to celebrate your first Easter which was fun! Momma dressed you up in an adorable outfit with a matching hat, and 5 minutes before we left for church, you pooped ALL over it! Unfortunately, we had to rush to change you and get out the door so we could make it in time! You sure looked cute in your outfit even if it only lasted 5 minutes!

You have gained many new nicknames since you were born and here are just a few: Ollie, Chubbs (your nickname at birth), Monkey, Chunky monkey, Punkin, Doodle bug, Ollie-baba, Ollie-pop, O-Man, O-Dubs (because of your middle name, Wade),  Prince Ollie (Daddy started this after singing you the Prince Ali song from Aladdin)..just to name a few! I’m sure the list will just continue!

Ollie, you bring us so much joy! We love how you recognize us more and more and are becoming more playful and interactive every day! You love to get rasberries on your tummy and legs and love when we come and get you! You can almost sit up by yourself when you’re propped up! Before we know it, you’ll be sitting on your own!

We love you monkey. Keep smiling and laughing. It’s the most precious thing!

Lots of love and hugs,

Momma J

Month Three

                                                                     March 8 ,2012

Dear Oliver,

Month 4 has been so much fun!! You are becoming more and more of a little person each day! Your little personality is starting to shine through!

You are so happy and smiley when you are on the changing table and when you are cuddled up in a towel after bath time! If you’re sad, I can put you in one of these 2 places, and your whole attitude changes!

You love it when I’m changing you and I take your arms out of your shirts- you think it’s the funniest thing and just smile and play along with me!

You have started to become a drool bucket and Momma has been putting bibs on you to keep your clothes dry! You might be teething soon- we shall see!

You’ve definitely started grabbing for things this month (Momma’s hair, toys, strings on a hoodie, etc)  Your hand eye coordination is improving and its so neat to see J Your fist is still constantly in your mouth! I think you might be in the early stages of teething with your constant drooling, hands in mouth, and fussiness during the day- so we shall see.

One really sweet thing you’ve started to do is play with your hair when you’re sleepy, tired, or eating- its so precious. You’ve also started rubbing your eyes when you’re super tired, which Momma really appreciates, cause she knows exactly how you’re feeling! You can’t trick me anymore!

We absolutely love hearing you laugh more and more..When we get you going,  you can’t stop! It makes us laugh so much- One of these days I’ll catch it on video, but it seems every time I whip out the camera, you get shy!

On February 13^th, you slept through the night for the first time (I think it was around 9 hours) and it was such a nice Valentine’s day treat!! We’re still working on sleeping more consistently through the night but we know you’ll get there soon!

This month you went to Myrtle Beach to cheer on Grandpa & Uncle Sammy in their marathon!! You brought a sign for Grandpa and wore a onesie that said,  “If anyone can do it, my Grandpa can!” We had fun cheering them on!

We found out that Aunt Er is having a boy, which means you’ll have your very first boy cousin to play, wrestle, and have adventures with! We surprised her at work with blue cupcakes to show her how excited we are!

Praising the Lord for you precious punkin,

Your Momma J

Month Two

                                        February 8 ,2012

Dear Oliver,

Wow! Where has the time gone?? I can’t believe our baby is 3 months old already! This month has been SO much fun! You have started recognizing Momma and Daddy and it melts our hearts when you smile upon seeing us or hearing our voices! I love going to your crib when you wake up in the morning. You make your sweet cooing sounds and when I greet you, you warm my heart with a huge smile J

You take about 2-3 naps during the day, from about 30 minutes to about 2 hours. The longest stretch you’ve slept at night is 7 ½ hours- we’re working on making it a little longer at night, but I’ll take what I can get- it’s much more sleep than those first 2 months! You’re going to bed at night pretty well and don’t really even make a fuss!

You’ve learned to take a bottle and now you’re a pro at it! The first bottle was with Daddy and there was many tears and yelling, but now you’ve got the hang of it! We’ve started to give you one bottle of formula at night this month, so Momma can get a little more sleep!

You have discovered your fists and you LOVE them! About 75% of the day you have your fist, your thumb, or both fists in your mouth! You won’t take your paci  anymore (that lasted for about the first few weeks) and instead only take Mom or Dad’s pinky finger when you’re real upset- this seems to calm you down well. You love your bath time and LOVE to be naked- you just lay there and coo and talk in your little duck towel J

You’ve started to laugh and it’s too cute for words. The other day you were laughing in your sleep and it cracked me up. Daddy loves to sing to you and mess around with you. You laugh the most when he sticks your feet in your mouth!

You love your swing and Bumbo seat! We now have started putting you in your Bumbo on the kitchen table with us when we eat dinner. When we pray before the meal, you hold our hands, and you sit right there with us, staring and smiling at us J

You’re wearing all different size clothes- you can still fit into some newborn stuff, but you’re also wearing some 3-6 month outfits. You were in the 50% for height, 50% for weight, and 70% for head circumference at your 9 week appt! You’re smack dab in the middle baby!

Some nicknames Momma likes to call you are Ollie (of course), Punkin, Baby, Monkey (Daddy doesn’t like this one!), Punkin doodle (don’t know where this one came from!), and Ollie-bear! I’m sure there are many more to come!

You took a 7 hour road trip with Momma and Daddy to the mountains of NC! You did amazing in the car and slept the whole time (minus the stops to eat!) You got to play in the snow for the first time and had lots of cuddle time with us J

You’ve been to the beach a couple times already too (when Gramma-lama, Rampa, Aunt Jess, Uncle Tore, and cousin Liam came to visit) You got to touch the ocean water and ‘play’ in the waves!

Right before you turned 3 months, you had your first sickness and it was so sad for Momma and Daddy to watch..You had a respiratory virus, and were sneezing, coughing, and congested like crazy…Your sleep schedule got all messed up and it was so sad to see you in pain L But we survived and after about a week, you were back to your normal smiley self!

On your 3 month birthday, we had a breakfast for dinner in our pj’s night to celebrate! And your present to us was your first night of 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep! Alleluia!

Momma and Daddy are having so much fun with you Ollie and absolutely love being your parents! You bring our hearts so much joy and we can’t remember life before you! We praise the Lord for giving us such an amazing gift and we pray we can continue to raise you in a way that draws you close to HIM! We love you angel baby and can’t wait for all that is to come!

Love, Momma and Daddy

Letters to Oliver

January 26, 2012

Oh Oliver, we still can’t believe that you are here with us and that you are ours!!! 9 months was a LONG time to wait to meet you! Many times I’ll be driving in the car, listening to music and in my own little world, and you’ll make a noise, and it will startle me because I still sometimes forget I’m a momma and you’re with me in the back seat!

You came into the world on November 8, 2011 J You took your time, coming about a week and a half late! Your momma had to get induced because you were just too comfy in there! Words can’t describe how excited Momma and Daddy were to finally meet you! The labor was an intense but amazing experience for us, as it truly is incredible the way the Lord designs and creates new life! We were overwhelmed with emotions as we saw your precious ‘little’ body and heard your first cries! The amount of love we felt for you was indescribable! You shocked Mom and Dad with how BIG you were- 10 pounds?! We couldn’t believe it!

I want to write you a letter for each month of your first year, so that we can remember what life was like when you were a wee one! The first month was a little crazy, trying to figure out life with our first baby, so I’ll start with month two! Hopefully you can look back and read these one day and know how much we dearly love you Oliver, our first precious son!

Waiting in anticipation!

So, it is officially 4 days til Baby H's due date and its a understatement to say that Mama and Daddy are anxiously awaiting his arrival!! Everyone keeps saying to enjoy this time, to rest as much as possible, to just relax, but my mind is so fixed on what's to come! 

I went to the doctor on Friday and I'm still not dialated at all, so I go in on Wednesday and they'll do a non stress test to check on the baby and make sure he's still good in there! If everything is still good, they'll let him cook one more week, and then we'll talk about getting induced (so if everything looks good, it seems I'll probably be induced the first week of November) We shall see! We're praying that he comes naturally and on his own, but we trust that it's all in the Lord's hands and He knows what's best for mama and baby :)

In the meantime, I've been trying to stay busy to make the time go faster! My mom came down to Wilmington last Tuesday and Wednesday, so that was fun to hang out with her, do a lil shoppin, and just enjoy her company :)  On Friday, Case had the day off, so we were able to take a little road trip to Myrtle Beach for the day to get away! The weather was perfect, we ate lunch on the beautiful boardwalk, and had fun just walking around and spending time together. There are two main comments I get from strangers lately when they see me- 1. It's gotta be ANY day now, huh??  and 2. Your life is about to change forever...While I know these comments are true, they still make me laugh! So needless to say, Case and I enjoyed our time together before our lives change FOREVER!

One of the highlights of our Myrtle Beach day was getting to hang out with Schlak and Elizabeth (who were in Myrtle Beach for their honeymoon and headed back to Indiana) Schlak is one of Case's closest friends from Peru and they were accountability partners for 2 years..We met up with them for ice-cream and to catch up on life and the wedding..It was great to see them and really refreshing for both of us!! They are such a sweet couple and we were so glad it worked out that we got to hang with them for a bit :)  Case's wedding present to Schlak was a ride on the human slingshot..Him and Schlak rode on it together..They were giddy like little boys in an amusement park!

On Saturday night, our friends Mike and Amber had a fall party at their house and it was lots of fun! We had yummy fall treats, a pumpkin carving contest, made caramel apples, and just enjoyed the company of sweet friends :) Case and I's pumpkin said "Almost home" and had a stork carrying a baby..I can't take credit cause Case did all the hard work, but it turned out really cute and is now sitting on our porch! 

Well, I'll refrain from posting any more pregnancy pics cause right now I feel and look like I might explode haha..So you can just trust me when I say that I am getting bigger and bigger and baby is still growing! Prayers would be appreciated as we continue waiting on the Lord to bring our sweet boy in His perfect timing...Also prayers for peace and calm for Casey and I as we enter in this completely new experience of labor and season of parenthood! Love you all :)

Lessons learned from 4 year olds

I decided to apply to be a sub while I'm waiting for baby to make his appearance into the world! So far, I've gotten several different calls and have subbed in different classes from Pre-K through middle school.  As a 2nd grade teacher, middle school is definitely out of my comfort zone, but it has stretched me, so that is good!

On Wednesday, I subbed in a Pre-K classroom- oh, those sweet 4 year olds! While interacting with them and hanging out for the day, I noticed so many things about them that I wish we as adults could/would embrace more easily!

First of all, could they get any more friendlier?? I think not! I had only been there for less than 5 minutes, and the amount of hugs, waves, and love I was shown made me stop and think, "If only adults were this friendly!" They welcomed me with such open arms.

Their honesty and their questioning made me stop and think too. They weren't afraid to ask ANYTHING and they had an awe and a wonder for the little things in life. Nothing was a silly question. Their curiosity for the world around them was so precious to see.

Everyone was part of the group. The way they included each other and accepted one another, regardless of differences, was so sweet.

And these are just to name a few of the ways they encouraged me. Their soft, gentle hearts and playful spirits made me stop and think about how we as adults should embrace more of these childlike characteristics. It's amazing what kids can teach you :)

**On a side note- Casey's 30 BIG tubs from Oregon that he had boxed up in crates arrived here in Wilmington on Monday!! After an adventure of going to pick them up from Leland, we loaded them in a U-Haul and took them back to our condo! We have slowly but surely been going through them! Casey's been reminiscing as he looks through all his stuff (art, clothes, housestuff, pictures, golf clubs, you name it!) 

We have been hanging more stuff on the walls and its starting to feel more and more like 'our' home! Baby's nursery is coming along too! Just gotta hang some shelves and then we'll be done (we'll post some pics when it's all finished!)

On Saturday, I'll be 34 weeks along! Almost 6 more weeks to go!! Woohoo! Casey and I had our childbirth class last Saturday, so we were able to get  a tour of the hospital and learn some important things as we get ready for little H's arrival!

Oh, (and how could I forget!) last Thursday, my wonderful twinkie, Erin, and sweet friends Amber and Kate hosted a baby shower with all the ladies from church! It was such a sweet and encouraging time to be around these ladies and to be blessed in such neat ways as I prepare to be a momma! Thank you girls!

At the end of September, I have one last shower in Raleigh, hosted by my 2 aunts, and then we'll be ready for our little man!

This weekend we're headed to Emerald Isle to celebrate my Mom's 50th birthday!!! We're having a big sha-bang with all my mom's family! So that should be lots of fun! 

The next 3 weekends we'll be out of town- I guess we gotta get in as much as possible before our little man shows up!!!

Transition!

So, I'm gonna give this whole blogging a try! I thought it would be a great way to keep family/friends in the loop about what we're up to! With loved ones all over the world, this seems like the easiest way to update people with pictures and the latest Herring news!

So a quick update in a nutshell of our last 2 months:

1. At the end of June, we said "see you later" (not goodbye!) to our dear friends/family in Peru. Casey and I treasured the 2 years we were able to spend in Lima, the relationships that were built, and the students whose lives we got to pour into! They will forever be part of our hearts! As hard as it was to say goodbye, we both know that God has new plans for us in this next chapter of our lives and we are excited to see those plans unfold!

2. At the beginning of July, we rented a U-Haul and moved our small collection of stuff we had from my parent's house in Raleigh to our new home in Wilmington for this next season of life! We don't know how long this season will last, but we are here for however long God has us here :) God was so faithful to answer our prayers in big ways by providing us a place to live, a job for Casey, and a car to drive around in!

3. Casey and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary on July 11th! We had a sweet day together and had a picnic dinner on the beach as the sunset (one of the perks of living 3 miles from the ocean!) It's been a wonderful 2 years and I feel so blessed to have him as the love of my life and my best friend :) I'm a lucky girl!

4. In the middle of July, we had a reunion with our dear friends the Fryars!! We first met them in Brazil and they quickly became like family to Casey and I during our time overseas! We have started a yearly tradition of meeting up at my parents lake house for a few days every summer! We SO enjoyed catching up with them, swimming in the lake, boat rides, and enjoying the sunshine!! We also got to meet the newest addtion to the Fryar gang (sweet Negash who was adopted from Ethiopia!) Casey and I fell in love with him right away and it is so fun to watch their family grow!

Here's Case goofing off with Negash and Caleb!

5. About 2 weeks ago, Casey started his new job at Coastal Christian High School (about 10 minutes from our condo). He is teaching government and US history. He has really enjoyed getting to know the staff and students and is excited about the opportunities ahead of him this year. He JUST finished his Masters degree last night(woo hooo!) with the completion of his thesis defense! I'll go ahead and brag on him a bit and say he totally rocked it! He's been working so hard the last 3 years and I'm so proud of him!

6. As many of you know, back in December, God put it on our hearts the plans that He has for us and the future. After alot of prayer and listening, we feel that God has called us to start a school for disadvantaged children in Mexico. We don't know many of the details at this point, but we do know that He has put this passion and dream in our hearts and we want to be obedient! We are in no way qualified to do such a big task, but we are excited because we know it will have to be God showing up every step of the way- we can't do it in our own strength! The first step in starting a school is actually starting a non-profit here in the States to organize and fund the school. Since being back, our goal was to get all the paperwork done for the non-profit by the time baby comes! It looks like we'll be on track :) So far, we have filed and become a corporation (Igniting Hope for Mexico), have received a tax identification number, and now start the LONG paperwork of filing to become tax-exempt! Once, this process is done, we can turn our eyes to really start focusing on where in Mexico the school will be and making connections down there that will help us get started!! We are really excited about what the future holds!

7. On Saturday, I'll be 32 weeks pregnant! Sometimes it feels like this pregnancy has flown by and other times, it just seems to be creeping ever so sloooooowly! My due date is October 28th and Casey and I are SO so excited to meet our little guy! We had a new parent's class tonight at our pediatrician's office where we got to the meet the doctors who will be taking care of our little one. They seemed super sweet and helpful and informed us of what to expect the first 2 weeks! 

8. We're still working on the nursery and will post some pics when we get it more set up!

9. I will have the privelage of getting to stay home with our little man after he makes his grand entrance into the world! I'm so thankful for my hubby who is working so hard for our family and managing our tight budget so that I get the opportunity to be a stay at home momma! I can't wait!

Well, those are the recent Herring updates I have for now! I'll leave you with a few new baby bump pics! We love you guys and are so thankful for what you mean to us! Until next time...

 Baby H growing!

32 weeks