A Walk Down Memory Lane with the Phillips

Before I blog about our trip to Tempe, I wanted to blog about our friendship with the Phillips. Joy and Travis have walked with us through thick and thin. They have been dear friends these past five years. We got to know them when we started helping out with college ministry in the fall of 2006. Travis was preaching and leading worship at the college worship service, and Joy was running projection. They needed some people to join with them, and we felt like God said that there was a place for us to serve with them. Seth started leading worship, and I started helping with projection.

Our first couple outing was bike riding. Those are the first pictures that you see. It was a great time on some trails on the North Shore of Boston.

Some of my favorite memories come from the college leaders' Christmas party that Joy and Travis hosted at their house each December. We would have a Yankee Swap (or White Elephant) each year. I usually got stuck with something pretty useless. Oh well. I guess that is what those swaps are all about.

I remember when Joy told us that she was expecting with Ellie. She had some friends over to her house for an Easter brunch and shared the news with us. At the same time Travis and Seth were hanging out. Joy told us the news, and I was pretty much in shock. I wasn't ready for them to have a baby (as if I needed to be). As I left their house that day, Joy said, "Now don't write me off just because I'm going to be a mom." She knows me so well because right when she told us the news I was thinking, "Well, I guess that's the end of our friendship." Don't know why I thought our friendship would end because of a baby, but I did. Let me take a moment to say one thing that I really appreciate about Joy as a friend. She really knows me. She doesn't just know me by the things I say but also by the things I don't say. Those types of friends are rare indeed.

Ellie came in November 2007, and it was such a joyous occasion. It was the first of several more visits to see Phillips babies at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Brighton. I was able to hold Ellie the night she was born. Seth and I visited again the next day so that he could see her as well. It was the first time that he had held such a newborn baby. I remember Travis showing us his mad swaddling skills as well. Ellie won our hearts immediately and getting to spend so much time with her was the beginning of our journey to having kids. It took a few years to get to the point where we were actually ready, but being around the Phillips' girls definitely played an important role.

When Ellie was just 3 months old, we got to take a vacation together to Park City, Utah. We had so much fun skiing, snowboarding, playing games, eating, and hanging out. Our friendship was deepened during that trip. One story from that trip is that we were riding in the minivan we had rented, and Ellie was screaming. We couldn't figure out why. When we got to our destination and took her out of her car seat, she was sweating from head to toe. Poor thing was so hot! Lesson learned. I also remember picking them up from the airport and thinking, "Really, they need this much stuff?" Now I know that one little person adds quite a bit of stuff to your life.

One of my favorite pictures is the one of Joy, Ellie, and me right before Gracie was born. Gracie was born while we were in Indonesia, so we didn't get to see her in the hospital. We visited right when we got back to the States. I love the picture of Seth with Ellie and Gracie in his arms.

It has been so much fun being friends and experiencing life together. When Joy and Trav told us that they were going to be leading a team to Tempe, the saddest part for us was that we knew that God wasn't calling us to go with them. Since we had walked so closely for several years, it was difficult to think about living life on opposite sides of the country. Joy and Travis have talked and prayed with us through the most important decisions we've made these past five years. When we were thinking of moving to Nashville after Seth graduated, their advice to us was to go where we were going to get the most of God. After the Lord spoke to me three times that I should do the day school, I told Joy, and she said that we should draft a document and have me sign it so that I wouldn't forget the word of the Lord. :) I remember walking into their house after I miscarried in August 2009 and Travis holding Ellie in his arms and giving me a hug. I spent that day with Joy as she spoke words of life to me. Just as they had grieved with us, they also rejoiced with us last Christmas when we announced that we were expecting.

Although we live far apart now, our lives have been forever marked by this friendship. I am thankful that we still get to walk together even though it isn't in the day to day. I will always cherish the years of walking together so closely in Boston. Joy and Travis, thank you for loving us so well. We are so thankful for your friendship!

Stay tuned for a post about our trip to Tempe.

Mornings

Mornings are the best time of the day. Lydia is so happy after her first morning feeding and stays awake for awhile. I took a video the other morning and have finally trimmed it down enough to upload it to the blog. This is Daddy's favorite sleeper. She's almost too big for it.

Tummy Time 2

Our pediatrician said not to worry about the fact that Lydia doesn't really like tummy time. He said that she'll be rolling over soon enough. Yesterday was the first time that she has slept on her tummy for any amount of time. We had her 2 month appointment yesterday, and she had to have two shots that contain multiple vaccinations. It was very sad, and she experienced some normal side effects after the shots. She was feverish and pretty fussy when she wasn't sleeping. It was the saddest thing. Even when she fell asleep, she would have these little whimpers that were so pitiful. I held her in my arms for most of the afternoon. Before I was holding her to sleep, we put her on her tummy in her crib. We snapped a picture to document the occasion.

Snuggles

Lydia isn't the biggest snuggler. She used to be a little more fond of it. I am enjoying a little snuggle time while she's sleeping. Today was a big morning for us: 2 month old well visit to the pediatrician and 2 grocery stores (Russo's and Trader Joe's). The pediatrician said that she's doing great. She weighs 11 pounds 1 ounce and is 22.5 inches long. She's in the 40th percentile for both. I guess she is exhausted because she had to get 2 vaccinations (which I think is worse for me than it is for her). I also had to get 2 shots, a flu shot and a tetanus/whooping cough shot. I opted for the kid-friendly nasal flu vaccination. :)

Sundays

Ready for church (after a few outfit changes for both Mommy and Lydia)

Sundays are busy days for us. Seth goes to the church office at 7:15am for staff prayer. Until just recently, I would go with him. I have made it one time with Lydia. I am still learning how to manage my time in the morning and get out the door with a new baby. Setup starts at 8am at the Thomas Edison School where we meet for our corporate worship service each week. The band begins rehearsing at around 9am, and the celebration service begins at 10:30am (or close to it).

I was hoping to make it to prayer this morning, but instead, Seth came to pick me up afterwards. He was preaching this morning! He did an awesome job talking about the word of God, and if you would like to hear his sermon, you can find it at http://www.cfcfboston.org/resources/sermondownloads. While Seth put the finishing touches on his sermon, I was able to go to an Equipping Class (similar to Sunday School) on parenting. Since we are new parents, we are excited about every opportunity we have to learn about Godly parenting.

I was really encouraged and blessed to hear Matt and Pam Neave share from their experience. They have two small children and one on the way. They started off by reading Deuteronomy 6:4-9. It says:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Matt pointed out that in the same breath that the greatest commandment (to love the Lord your God) was given, the Israelites were told to impress these commandments on their children. The Scripture goes on to give some practical ways to do that. We have such a high calling to teach our children to love the Lord our God. It doesn't happen haphazardly. It happens by being intentional about how we live our lives and what we teach our children. Here are some practical ways that people in the Equipping Class teach their children to know God:

-Reading the Bible together (after Breakfast, devotion at dinner, before going to bed)
-Listening to worship music (specifically, "Songs for Saplings")
-Allowing your children to see you serving others in the name of Jesus
-Having Scripture written in different places around your house
-Reading from Bibles that are age appropriate (recommendation, The Jesus Storybook Bible)

We also looked at Ephesians 5:31-6:4. It says:

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery - but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother" - which is the first commandment with a promise - "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Prior to admonishing children to obey their parents, Paul reminds husbands and wives of their commitment to each other. Somehow these little people in our lives know when something is wrong between mommy and daddy. How we love each other as husband and wife flows into how we parent. We will teach Lydia to obey us because if she learns to obey her earthly parents, then she will be quick to obey her Heavenly Father. We want her to experience the promise that follows honoring her father and mother - "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy a long life on the earth."

Finally, we looked at Colossians 3:12-21. It says:

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

The part that we focused on was the first part of the Scripture before the specific commands to wives, husbands, and children. I was challenged to ask God to give me compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience as I learn to be a parent. When I fail to have these virtues as a parent, I want to be quick to ask for forgiveness.

A Scripture that Pam said that they recite often in their home is Proverbs 15:1. It says:

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

The last thing that struck me was an encouragement to choose to be thankful. When we choose thankfulness, we are preparing the way for God to meet with us. Thankfulness changes the atmosphere. Pam and Matt ended by saying that God wants us to succeed as parents. I am thankful to have God the Father on our side teaching and helping us to parent.

Thanks for allowing me to reflect on the teaching I heard today. i guess you got a little more than just hearing about our Sundays! After a nap in the afternoon, we head to CFTS, our church's discipleship training school. I'll have to share about that another time. Blessings!

After church at Wild Willy's

Naming Lydia

Isn't she the most adorable baby ever? Those cheeks are so sweet. She started off in the center of her crib, and when I went in to check on her, she was almost sideways. She is always moving. You can't see her pajamas, but it is a cute little ballerina onesie. She's wearing her princess crown hat that Gigi gave her. Thanks Gigi!

I wanted to write a post about how we decided on Lydia's name. We didn't find out if we were having a boy or a girl. We wanted to be surprised, so we had a boy name and a girl name picked out. Lydia comes from the Bible. In the book of Acts Lydia was "a dealer in purple cloth" whose heart was opened by God to hear Paul's message. She is described as "a worshiper of God." Lydia means "of nobility." First of all, we really liked the name. We also liked her namesake in the Bible. She isn't necessarily a main character, but she is important nonetheless.

Once we found out we were pregnant, we decided that if the baby was a girl then her middle name would be Hope. After our miscarriage in 2009, the Lord spoke a specific word to me about hope. As I was lying in bed, a Steven Curtis Chapman song came into my mind. The specific lyrics were: "We will cry with hope and we will grieve with hope because we know our goodbye is not the end." The Lord was telling me not to lose hope, that he would fulfill the word of life spoken over me in his timing. When we got pregnant, we knew that this baby would be the fulfillment of that promise of hope. Lydia Hope has already brought more joy to our lives than we ever imagined.

On a different note, I read today that when you are raising kids "the days seem long but the years are short." It is hard to believe that Lydia has been with us for 2 1/2 months. I can identify with the days seeming long at times. It is a never-ending job that reminds me of Groundhog Day at times. I realize that a year will have passed before I know it. I don't want to miss out on the richness these days have to offer. I want to savor every moment that I have to hold her in my arms so close because I know that these days will pass so quickly.

Tummy Time

Lydia isn't too fond of tummy time as you can see from the video. I think the longest she has lastest on her tummy is about 2 minutes. As you can see, she is developing a flat spot on her head from being on her back all the time. I'm trying to position her head different ways when I put her to sleep, but she always ends up back in the same position that she started in. Tummy time is important because it helps babies strengthen neck muscles that they will need for crawling. It also helps them get ready to push up, roll over, sit up, and eventually stand. We try tummy time a few times a day for as long as Lydia will last.

Bouncy Seat

Lydia is loving her bouncy seat these days. She was very happy in her seat while I was cooking dinner tonight, and I got this video.

Musician in the Making

Daddy's Little Pumpkin

Seth was listening to some music to get ready for the college retreat, and Lydia was sitting with him. She seems to like it!

Family

Big Mama was able to come see Lydia just a week after she was born. We were very excited to have her in Boston to meet Lydia when she was just a few days old.

This was the first time that Amy, Papa, and Jan Ma were able to see Lydia out of her carseat. They fell in love immediately.

Just the girls. We took some beautiful pictures in the Public Garden when Seth's family was here. It was a gorgeous day. After pictures, we headed to the North End for Italian food. We picked up some cannolis from Mike's Pastry on our way home. This was Lydia's first ride on the train.

Aunt Amy is in love!

Papa and Jan Ma with Lydia

Big Daddy and Lydia on the back porch. Big Daddy had a special touch to get Lydia to calm down when she was upset. I would wake up each morning that Big Daddy was here and give Lydia to him first thing. I got to go back to bed knowing that I didn't have to worry about Lydia.

Big Mama wanted to see the beach while she was here, so we decided to have a little photo shoot to remember Lydia's first visit to the beach. We went to Good Harbor Beach on the North Shore.

Gigi was our last visitor. I was barely able to hold Lydia the entire time that she was here. We were so thankful to have her with us for a long weekend. She watched Lydia for us while we attended Brittany and Dan's wedding. They had a fun adventure at the beach in Rhode Island.

We loved having our family come to celebrate our new little one with us. It was a really sweet time that I will never forget. Thank you for coming to Boston to love on Lydia (and us too)!

Lydia's Visitors

Lydia Hope Little had so many visitors! It was such a blessing to have so many of our dear friends come to visit us in the hospital. Once we got home, we had even more visitors. We also had yummy meals provided by people in our church. We felt so loved!