"If We Are the Body"

Now that we are attending a new church (again), I thought I'd take a brief moment to talk about our church-going experience since moving to Florida.  It's been an interesting one, to say the least.  I'm so thankful I was exposed to so many denominations growing up, because it encouraged me try a church regardless of it's name.  My parents have always taught us its not about the name of the church but about their doctrine. If a church is proclaiming that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, came in a manger and died an innocent death on a cross, buried in a tomb and risen 3 days later to ascend alive into Heaven, and that church encourages people to not focus on a religion but on having a personal relationship with Jesus, then my goodness that is a church worth attending! 

Brian and I have attended 8ish churches in the Central Florida area over the last 3.5 years and have really enjoyed some while nearly walking out of others.  We were so pleased to find First Baptist Orlando, but after moving the opposite direction from that church just 4 months after becoming regular attenders there, we decided to begin our search again.  Although my first experience at Celebration Community Church, the church we would settle at for nearly 2 years was a negative one, once we took the step of getting involved in a small group, it ended up being a place we would be very thankful for during the most difficult transition of our life...becoming parents.  There were quite a few women who rallied around me and encouraged me during my pregnancy and after Carly arrived.  I will forever be grateful for those women and truly couldn't have entered motherhood without them.  The church is very involved in global ministry and is quite a family, growing more each and every week.  I'm so glad to have been a part of it for the time we were. 

It was hard to decide to church shop again, but bottom line was that CCC had became a half hour drive after our move this summer, and we desperately needed Christian friends who lived in our same town and community.  We also needed a church with mid-week programming, since the head of our household is unable to attend church on Sunday mornings. 

As a pregnant mama with a baby on her hip and no husband at her side walking into a new church, I'm not treated very well.  It's awful.  I am ashamed at the thought of how Christians judge one another before even having a conversation.  The first church I tried alone I wasn't even spoken to until I asked if there was a nursery I could take my 18-month old to.  Even then no one tried to make conversation with me.  But when I walk into a church as a pregnant mama, with a baby on my hip AND a husband at my side, we get bombarded with welcomes.  This has been the pattern at EACH of the 8 churches over the past 3.5 years.  Why?  Because a young family has something to offer.  A young family is going to get involved in ministry and be an asset to the church.  A "single" mom, or someone who perceivingly doesn't have the support of her husband, has nothing to offer.  She isn't going to tithe much, she's going to be too busy with her young ones to be involved in ministry, lead a small group, volunteer for nursery, greeter, usher, communion, worship team, you name it.  So why waste time pouring into her when you will receive nothing in return?  It was so sad.  I've come home bummed on several occasions. 

Quite honestly, HBC (our now church home) wasn't any different.  I think most churches really need to work on their welcoming strategies.  BUT...I dropped Carly off in the nursery, walked into their auditorium, listened to their worship and the preaching that went on that day and felt incredibly comfortable.  Finally...a church that felt like home.  Finally.  A big (near mega-size) church with a huge band and a pastor who was willing to yell from the pulpit about ridding ourselves of the filth of sin we live in.  Home.  I wasn't greeted, barely spoken to, but at least I didn't feel judged and I knew this church was a Christ-centered place (I had a very similar comfort level when I first attended CCC as well...just minus the "mega-church" part). 

I was so excited to share my experience with Brian and the next week couldn't wait to attend a newcomers class I saw in the bulletin.  Again, even in that small classroom of people, I wasn't greeted well.  I was SO bummed.  Here is this church I can tell has good intentions but falls short when it comes to reaching out to the single pregnant lady.  I loved the course material, however.  I loved what the teacher had to say about their foundation.  So even though I once again left without being greeted, I gave it one more chance.  The next week I got up and INTRODUCED myself to the teacher, deciding to take matters into my own hands.  I requested to be introduced to a small group in my area and just a few days later I received a call from a man who invited us to his home and seemingly couldn't wait to meet our family.  We now attend a small group with 10 couples who have 13 children and 5 on the way to be born this spring.  We are very happy with the church and I continue to love going each and every week.  Carly ADORES Sunday School and also cheers as we walk into the BEAUTIFUL building. 

So why write this post about our experience?  Well, I have 3 points to make.

1. If you are someone who is well established in a church, please, please take the time to not only shake someone's hand but ask them a few questions.  Even if you have no idea if that person has been attending the church for a year or is there for the first time...if they are new to you...reach out.
2. Stop judging a book by it's cover.  As Christians we are called to love, particularly the "least of these" or someone who looks like they might be among that group.  I challenge you to take that extra step and find the person who looks most uncomfortable, or the person who appears like she has her hands full with a toddler on her hip and a baby in her womb with no husband.  Likely, she really needs you.
3. If you're church shopping, take the time to walk up to an info table, introduce yourself and state that you are new.  Fill out the info sheet in the bulletin and then give them a chance to contact you.  The individuals of the body are often not trained to greet you, but the people at the info desk should be. Is it awkward? Yes.  But it's worth it in the long run.

And if you want a good song to help you take the step of introducing yourself to someone at your church who looks new, listen to "If We Are the Body" by Casting Crowns. :) 

"This Little Light of Mine" {22 Months}

Carly is just two months away from her second birthday.  I've caught myself saying she's almost 2 recently...but I wish I wouldn't do that.  She's still very much 1 and I'm enjoying every second of having a blissful and very happy one-year-old running around my house.  I can't even think about her being 2 yet...there's too much that will happen before February 18th!  Here's the last synopsis I'll write of our little first born as a one-year-old:

There are two things I think are most notable.  One is her continued language development.  Just two months ago I was writing down each word she could say...and now I couldn't possibly do that.  She pulls words out of the air we had no idea she even knew these days! She can repeat almost anything we say and she speaks all day long.  We've noticed a bit of dyslexia at times when trying to pronounce words, and the letter "f" seems to be the most difficult for her, but other than that she's doing a pretty good job.  Our favorite dyslexic word is "Dida."  This is in part our fault, because once she started calling her daddy, dida, we couldn't help but join in! She also calls lotion, "shappa" and the act of brushing her teeth, "yaya." What's funny about "yaya" is that she can say "teeth" and "toothbrush" just fine...but it's the act of brushing that gets the, "more yaya!" Where she comes up with this stuff I really don't know! I have done very little research on toddler speech, but I can say with confidence that she certainly isn't behind.  Not sure if she's necessarily ahead, but could very well be.  Here are her favorite phrases:

• Oh no, where Mickey go? (or insert any name of the person she's looking for)
• There's a car coming!
• I wana ride a ride!
• I run around 
• Go, mommy, go! (this occurs when she hears me huffing and puffing on my runs)
• More _______ (usually in that line is "ceh" which means candy)!!!!
• Up please, Mommy (insert other names there as well...one time she said, "up please, pizza...")

The other item of note I'd like to share is her recent showing of a very sensitive heart.  We've known from day 1 that she took after me when it came to personality type, but I think she's more sensitive than I was at her age.  She will almost always cry if she hears another young person crying and is frequently in tears because of embarrassment and fear over pain (like when she falls down..she doesn't care that she's hurt...she cares that others witnessed it. If no one is around to see her fall...she gets right back up and keeps going).  Brian and I don't do a whole lot of punishment...I have my philosophies on why but I essentially toss that up to very good communication and...a sensitive heart. She desires to please us, desires to be a "good girl" and knows that goes hand in hand with "obeying" us (words in quotes are ones she says).  She is not compliant by any means...she will push us until we get a firm voice on and begin our count to 5...but generally speaking by the end of 5, if we ask her to make a good decision, she will. 

• What really effects my little sensitive heart is when I get truly upset over something that was an accident.  An example this week is when I had a plate of nachos I stupidly decided to eat in the living room.  She came up quickly and grabbed at the center, getting her hands all up in my beef, cheese & sour cream.  It was still hot so she reacted quickly, shaking all the food elements off her hand and all over the living room.  I went into reactive mode and sternly voiced, "Carly Ann Weiss!! Why did you do that?!"  She lost it...just melted.  She was crying so hard I had to pick her up and comfort her before I could even get her hand cleaned up.  I realized in that instant that I was in the wrong, not her.  I apologized immediately and explained that I never should have brought something so messy into the living room, and acknowledged that she didn't purposely throw my food all over the living room.  A precious interaction really, and a good learning moment for a learning mama. 

•  What doesn't effect my strong-willed little girl is when I get truly upset over something she darn well knows is wrong...when she deliberately disobeys.  The example I can think of was earlier this week when she accidentally spilled her real water in her kitchen-play cup.  When I asked her not to spill it again she looked me straight in the eye and dumped her water on the floor.  I can "Carly Ann Weiss" her and swat her booty all I want and she just looks the other way.  She knows what's coming and the only form of discipline that works at that moment is loss of privileges.  

I really do enjoy parenting!  Brian and I have such different ways of handling things that we rarely parent side-by-side.  We agree in most circumstances, but how we get there is often times very different.  Anyway, whichever parent chooses to fight a battle with her, that parent has to finish it.  There have been times where I've disagreed with Brian's choice to fight a battle that I just have to leave the room as I would never want to undermine him, and he has done the same with me.  It remains true that in my opinion he's too strict and in his opinion I'm to lenient.  I think any couple could validate that dual-parenting is a learning journey...and with each new stage we have to have continual communication about it!  We believe a mutual trust and respect is most important...and we most certainly have that! :)

Awe...so the title of this blog reflects Carly's love for the song, "This Little Light of Mine."  Her Bapa taught the song to her last summer, and each time he is around her love for the song intensifies.  The CD we always play in the car also has an arrangement of that song on it, and we can't even barely get the car on without her yelling "Mine!" from the back seat with her little finger swinging round and round.  She is quickly learning other songs so I can't say she only sings that one, but it was certainly the first song she attached herself to.

And...a few more fun facts about Carly:

• Can identify the letters A & C ("A for Apple" she will say, and "C for Caca"), the colors blue, green, yellow & red, the shapes circle, triangle, heart & square and the numbers 1 & 2.
• Can count to 10 minus the number 7
• Knows Solfeggio...way more important that her ABCs, right?! ;)
• Loves to brush her teeth and requests to do so 3-5 times/day
• LOVES candy...her favorite being gummy bears with chocolate chips a close second
• Each morning asks where her daddy is shortly followed by a request for her vitamin (in gummy bear form...oops)
• Is showing great strides in imaginative play...I could go into many details about her interactions with her stuffed animals, baby dolls & play kitchen
• Is completely in love with each and every one of her stuffed animals and for the most part gives them all equal love & attention
• Has been sleeping in a big-girl bed for 10 days, accompanied by every stuffed animal on the planet (more on that transition another time)
• Asks to go to the park every time we are outside (she claims the swings are her favorite but spends the bulk of her time climbing up and sliding down the slide)
• Doesn't barely eat a thing...she will try anything but has very little desire to eat...unless it's candy
• Is easily bribed with said paci or Mickey & Minnie.
• Darts for the door if we say we are going to the parks to see Mickey & Minnie and when she sees a castle will shout, "Mickey!"
• Requests to watch TV ("TT") quite frequently but can be easily distracted by another play suggestion
• Shouts, "More play!" each time we leave the church nursery...she just loves it in there!
• Sleeps 10 hours at night and often 2 hours during the day
• Enjoys looking at photographs of her family
• Has a very secure attachment with both of us...generally showing no signs of distress when we leave but racing into our arms when we return home
• Loves her nanny Jen
• Loves to pray at the dinner table and will remind us if we forget.  She is patient about waiting to until we all sit down and will hold out her hands and bow her head as soon as our behinds hit the chairs.  Her prayer consists of:  "Dear Jesus, I love you, thank you for our yummy yummy food, amen."  The most hysterical prayer she's ever said was when we brought home a box of pizza to eat: "Dear Jesus......Pizza pizza, AMEN!!"

I'm loving this journey through life we get to take with someone who is so eager to learn, sensitive at heart, strong-willed and determined, one who tells Jesus she loves him everyday, a great kisser and an even better hugger.  Parenting a one-year-old has had its share of struggles...but an overwhelming amount of giggles, enjoyment and satisfaction.  I can't wait to see what the 2's will bring!

I grouped her 22 month photos with Christmas...enjoy...

"So Blessed I Can't Contain It"

I'm not sure I will ever catch up on blogging everything that's been going on in our lives.  When you are in the heat of your third trimester with your second child, still unpacking a few boxes and decorating a home you moved into nearly 6 months ago including a full makeover for the new baby's room, getting acquainted and involved in a new church (more on that later), working more hours than ever before trying to save up days for maternity leave, entertaining guests, including a live-in nanny (more on that, too), preparing for the holiday season, and throwing a vacation in there...it's just too much to report.  I am not claiming to be any busier than anyone else this time of year, but certainly stating that our wheels are spinning. My wheels take much more energy to spin these days, so I will start this post by expressing my sincere gratitude toward my mom for taking care of us the past few weeks.

She spent two full weeks with us, her longest jaunt so far since we moved South.  She came in before the cruise to help us prep and spend time with Carly while we were at work, then spent another week here after getting home from the cruise.  In that time she did all of my cooking, cleaning, laundry and grocery shopping and provided early morning childcare so I could sleep in and entertained Carly for hours so Brian and I could nearly finish Luke's room!  She also ran back and forth to the airport to pick up my Grammy (her mother) so that we could all spend some time together.  It's truly a blessing that I've consistently seen my 84-year-old grandmother twice/year...even while she lives in Cali and us in Fla!  We very much enjoyed the company of one another and she got quite the kick out of Carly.  This picture is precious to me because this necklace is one that I played with for hours when I was little.  I'm glad she wore it when she arrived.  There is just something fun about counting strands of gold on a pretty necklace worn by one of your favorite ladies. ;)

We thought it would be super silly and super FUN to all dress in red and head to the parks for a 4-gen pic that included Minnie Mouse.  So...one of our days was spent half at EPCOT and half at DHS.  We got some cute pics of us with Minnie Mouse and then later at the Osborne Spectacle of the Dancing Lights.  I think it's safe to say if we weren't in Christmas spirit before seeing the lights, we certainly were after. :)

Another one of our mornings we gallivanted over to the Grand Floridian to see the gingerbread house and then took the monorail to MK so Grammy could see Carly dance with her favorite characters during the "Move It Shake It Celebrate It" dance party.  I didn't bring my camera, but you can all imagine exactly what that looked like, considering I've posted a million photos of her with characters in previous posts.

Grammy was only here 4 days before my Mom took her to Tampa to spend time with her Brother's family so my Mom could get back to work.  I'm thankful she has a boss who lets her leave for two weeks!  Oh how I cried as I hugged my Mom standing on our front porch and watched her get into her car.  It was emotional for me because this is the first holiday season that we won't be with family at all until after Christmas when Brian's folks come AND because by the time I see them again my life will have once again changed drastically.  I realize 7 weeks left of pregnancy feels like the home stretch to most of you...but for me it feels like it's in the very distant future.  I also knew I was going to miss her help!  No one can come into a woman's home and help out quite like her own mother.  And there's not another soul on Earth I can completely let my guard down with (other than Brian, of course) and live life without questioning glances.  #grateful.

But we seem to be getting along okay without her. I've definitely felt more tired without the extra rest, but it just means I have to sacrifice my productive time during Carly's naps as my own nap time.  C came down with a cold on Wednesday so she's been sleeping extra long in the afternoons.  Today her and I both crashed for 3 HOURS!  I woke up to Brian calling me at 5pm that he had just left work!  Generally speaking, Carly being sick doesn't slow her down much.  This week we enjoyed a wonderful night at Magic Kingdom so we could see the castle light up, put up our Christmas tree, had our lovely 4th Annual Thanksgiving Meal with Todd & Brenna and spent time outside enjoying the (finally) beautiful weather.  It's been in the 70s during the day and 50s at night...so pretty perfect.

Thanksgiving morning (we both had Thanksgiving off...I think that is a FIRST for us since moving to Florida...having a holiday off together, that is) we took a stroll around the Grand Floridian and introduced Carly to hot cocoa.  She had no problem learning that word and requesting "more cocoa" about every 30 seconds.   The Nelson's came over in the late afternoon, strategically planned so we could cook while Carly took her nap.  Brian handled the turkey and I managed the other dishes.  We had a really nice time making the meal...it's certainly a sense of accomplishment and it's sure nice to eat those leftovers for the days following!  Here's our photos from the day, including a pic of my beautiful growing bump.  I've gained 25 pounds thus far (I was at 50 pounds at 32 weeks with Carly) and it has certainly been HARD work.  I'm still jogging 4 times/week even though at this point it is rather painful.  I'll probably stop soon...maybe.  I have such a different perspective about what it means to have the privilege of carrying a child this time around...and I am beyond grateful that thus far my body has proven to be able to carry so healthfully. :)
#thankful.

Happy December!! We can officially say I'm having a baby NEXT MONTH! ;)