5 Month Update!

Meredith is about to be 6 months but before she gets to that point, I need to update you on what she has done this past month!

-She now eats bananas, peaches, green beans, and sweet potatoes. I am making her baby food and it feels so good to know that I am providing for her in that way.
-She is starting to hold her own bottle.
-She sits very well with pillows around her and for very short spans of time by herself.
-She makes a razz sound, growls, says mamamama and bababababa, and loves to giggle especially when I make funny faces at her or play peek-a-boo.
-She is rolling over and pushing up really well when on her tummy.
-She is pulling her legs under her as if she is ready to crawl.
-She is almost too big for her swing and bouncy chair--this makes me sad :(.
-She is paying attention to ANYTHING we eat and opens her mouth every time we take a bite.
-She loves to watch Lucy in the house.
-She loves both of her cousins (IV and Baylee)--she is fascinated by them.
-She loves bathtime and LOVES to get Mommy and Daddy wet!
-She is extremely photogenic and definitely recognizes the camera at this point.
-She pretty much sleeps from 7PM-7AM every day.
-She loves her daddy and gets so excited when he walks through the door at the end of the day.
-She is a busy body and HAS to know what is going on around her always.
-We went to our first birthday party--Julianna Saunders turned 1.

Meredith's 6 month check up is on Friday....we will update you shortly.

Passport 2008 - Gordon College, MA

As many of you know, I went on a trip with the Emerywood Baptist Church Youth to Gordon College outside of Boston, Massachusetts a few weeks ago. The trip was to Passport which is camp with a mission theme. Every day we were there, our youth and the adults on the trip visited various mission sites which included schools, Boys and Girls club, area churches, and assisted living homes. During most of the afternoon, we served the small town of Lynn with our mission work but while at Gordon College, the youth got to be spiritually fed through their camp counselors and time with their own youth groups. We stayed in dorms and had lots of activities and camp-wide parties (recreation party, volleyball tournament, dance, and talent show). I have been asked what I walked away from camp with and this is always my answer: a new found confidence in my abilities to teach/mentor youth, ministering to strangers, new relationships with the youth that I did not have before, and an opportunity to be spiritually fed without outside distractions. I was personally assigned to a carnival at a church in Lynn. Many single moms that worked either nights or did not work at all came to the carnival with their children. We played lots of games, had water slides, and free food. I met a mother who was a drug addict and another who was a member of a gang. It was very interesting how this opportunity came about after my having Meredith...it definitely opened up the opportunity to be able to connect to other moms and use that as part of my way to minister to these moms. I could go on forever about the trip...if you want to see more pictures than below, go to my facebook page! I want to say a special thank you to John, Elaine, and Anna Ruth for helping take care of Meredith so that I could go out of town. Thank you and I love you!

We can't wait for November, Anna Ruth and Baylee!

Anna Ruth and Baylee visited the latter part of July and it was such a great visit! Meredith finally got to meet her aunt and cousin and they all hit it off great--it made our family feel more complete. We met them at the Partin condo at Myrtle Beach and spent a little less than a week just spending quality time together before I left for Boston. Baylee is now 2 years old and a beautiful little ham. She talks and talks and talks and LOVES to help take care of "Baby Meredith." We spent a lot of time at the pool and beach while also making some time for shopping and putt putt. Here are a couple pictures from our visit. We can't wait to see you all again soon!