But I know who You are

Have you heard this song before?

If you haven't, please listen before reading. If you have, please listen again before reading. 

This song hit me like a ton of bricks. I have heard it several times, but on our way home from Tennessee, it came on the radio and I got chills.

The chorus, 

"She says I don't know 

I don't know what you're doing

But I know who you are"

It seems like lately, several things have happened to my family, friends, and our world.

I don't know why my best friend of 20 years  just had her second surgery to remove her thyroid due to cancer at the young, healthy age of 20. Which by the way, she is still praising God for her health and His goodness, seriously, this girl's faith is admirable.

I don't know why my cousin found out 1 week before her 16th birthday that she has stage 3 hodgkin's lymphoma. She still had a party and celebrated her birthday with family even though she went through a grueling bone marrow test that morning. She still has a smile on her face and is trusting God.

I don't know why people who went to compete in the Boston marathon were victims of a bombing. People lost their lives, innocent people, at the hands of someone filled with hate. 

"You have a father's heart
And a love that's wild
And you know what it's like to lose
Yeah you know what it's like
What it's like to lose a child"

I have 2 babies. One laying beside me, Little A, and one in heaven who I only carried for 10 weeks. I don't know why God's plan called for those 10 weeks with my first baby who I will only meet in Heaven. But I rest easily in knowing it was part of His plan, not just a random event. It was for a purpose, a purpose that will bring glory to God. I have peace in that, and that God knows the sting of losing a child.  

I don't know why these things are happening or have happened, but what I do know is that God is faithful. I'm not questioning Him, I am in no position to demand answers. The second line in the chorus, "I don't know what you're doing", comforts my heart. No matter what is going on, God is DOING something. He is active, moving, working, being sovereign. 

We may not understand God's plan, but we can rest easily in knowing who God is. The God walking my best friend through her surgeries, the God helping my sweet cousin through chemo is the same God who parted the Red Sea for Moses. He is the same God who healed the blind, who hung on Calvary, and who gave Hannah a child. 

When buying a new product, a lot of times, you do research and read the reviews. Well grab your bible and look at God's reviews. Seriously, He scores a 5 star rating every. single. time. 

El Shaddai (Lord God Almighty)
El Elyon (The Most High God)
Adonai (Lord, Master)
Yahweh (Lord, Jehovah)
Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner)
Jehovah-Raah (The Lord My Shepherd)
Jehovah Rapha (The Lord That Heals)
Jehovah Shammah (The Lord Is There)
Jehovah Tsidkenu (The Lord Our Righteousness)
Jehovah Mekoddishkem (The Lord Who Sanctifies You)
El Olam (The Everlasting God)
Elohim (God)
Qanna (Jealous)
Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide)
Jehovah Shalom (The Lord Is Peace)
Jehovah Sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts)


"Those who know your name trust in you,
    for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."
- Psalms 9:10

5 months

5 months.

5 months.

5 months.

I was hoping the more I said / typed it, would help it sink in that my baby is 5 months old!!! Geez, slow down there, little one.

Little A doesn't have a check-up this month, which also means NO SHOTS! Praise the Lord! We weighed him a week ago at my grandma's house and little man is a whopping 16 pounds!! Insanity gives me a run for my money but holding Little A definitely brings the burn by the end of the day. 

His personality is developing. He is so friendly, he is always smiling at people and tries to "talk". At church when Paw-Paw Mike is preaching, Little A hollers back, everyone says he is preaching back at him. He loves to be tickled, the "helicopter ride" with daddy, putting his toes in his mouth, his johnny jumper, rolling over (he can now roll from his back to his belly, so he just lays down and rolls continuously), holding our hands and standing. 

Little A now sleeps in his own room. We rock him for a minute or so and lay him down awake and he may fuss for a minute but then goes right to sleep. He goes to bed at 8:30PM, usually wakes up around 5:30AM to eat, then back to sleep until 8:00AM. He sleeps on his side and has to have his blanket to snuggle.

He is still exclusively breastfed, which is going great. He eats every 2 hours. We are beginning to play around with some real food. We steamed some carrots, pureed them, and gave him a bite but he isn't too sure about it yet. One thing Little A does love is lemons. We gave him a slice thinking we would get to see him make a funny sour face, and he just went to town sucking on it. He cried when we took it from him. When he sees us drinking water from our Brita water bottles, he immediately tries to grab them, so we put it to his mouth and give him a few drops, he loves it.

He is so curious it's hard to keep him in his car seat if he is awake and we are out. He would much rather sit on our lap or be held so he can see what's going on. When we go for walks, he prefers just being in the stroller facing out, not in the carseat hooked into the stroller. 

And little man definitely has some strength. When he is on his playmate, he will grab the rings that hang and do a pull up to try to get up. Ironman in the making?

We have also added in some sign language recently. The signs we are teaching him are hungry, eat, thank you, please, mommy, daddy, grandpa, grandma, tired, all done, bed, and diaper. I have a few friends who taught their babies sign language and love the idea of Little A being able to communicate with us earlier about his needs. 

5 month stats:

• Weight - 16 pounds
• Length - no doctor appointment this month so not sure
• Head circumference- "         "
• Diaper size - 2 
• Clothes size - 3/6 month, and some 6 month things like jeans and PJ's.
• Favorites- Loves to talk, smile at people, his teethers, books (playing with them and mommy reading them) johnny jumper, and rolling around.
• Mommy's favorite moment/s this month- I love how friendly he is. He smiles at everyone, talks, and enjoys interaction with other babies, especially his cousins.