Life lately...

In the past month......

We've had an awesome visit with Grandpa Walt and family from Oregon. By the end of the weekend, Calvin and Grandpa were old buddies!

We attended the wedding of my beautiful step sister, Courtney, which gave Dave and I a much needed night out.

Calvin turned 10 months old, started crawling up a storm and pulling up on everything in sight, and is almost 100% self feeding.

There has been a rare, long string of beautiful weather in north Texas. 70s during the day and crisp in the mornings. We've gone on lots of walks, gone to the park with friends, and just sat on the blanket in the front yard to enjoy the fleeting, quick season that is Spring in TX.

Cadet Norvell (who won't let me pot a pic of him in his academy uniform!) is excelling in police academy. He passed all of this physical requirements in the first round, has the highest academic score in the class, leads a study session every Sunday at Starbucks,which started with 3 people and has grown to 10, and has been voted squad leader for his class. We are both adjusting to the changes of the past few weeks. Most days we only have about an hour of family time in the evenings, and after Calvin goes to bed, Dave pulls out the books and reviews the material from the day. But..I know he is doing what he needs to be successful, and I'm proud of him for following the Lord's command by doing this all for the Glory of God.

And Mom Norvell...well, I'm hanging in there. Adjusting to change, running a household, and trying to listen to the Lord as he directs and guides my path. By the end of the day I can hardly keep my eyes open, I fall into bed without turning off the light, but my heart is full and happy. I'm blessed beyond measure.

Lots and lots

Lots of things to talk about. Lots and lots. Month 8 to 9 for Calvin has been tiresome and full of sickness. Month 8 to 9 for Dave and I has been one of extreme excitement and blessings from the Lord. Let’s start with The C Man.

In month 8 we had our first bought of stomach flu (actually all three of us had it, but that’s another blog post) and a rough go at RSV. Its like no matter what I did, the kid got sick. I’m now the proud owner of my own ventilator so that we can do breathing treatments at home. In addition to lots of illness, Calvin has really started to use his words. When he wakes up from naps or first thing in the morning, he is so content in his cribs and just sits and talks to himself. What does he say? “ma ma  ma ma ma” and “ba ba ba ba” and sometimes “Da da da da da.” He’s discovered splashing in the bath tub, which makes for a soggy mom at the end of tub time. And he’s so close to crawling. He gets up on all fours and rocks back and forth. Dave and I try to purposefully keep his toys out of reach, but he usually gets tired and resorts to rolling over to get closer to them.  

I’ve realized that, right now, I’m in parenting bliss. Calvin doesn’t talk back, he doesn’t get into things that I don’t want him to get in to because he can’t get to them himself. He takes two naps a day which means I get to do whatever I want twice a day for at least 1.5 hours. I can take him on any errand I want to cause he’s still so portable. He doesn’t scream for things in the grocery store or get upset when I take things away from him. He loves to eat and will eat whatever I put in front of him. Right now, my biggest problem is not smothering him to death with kisses and hugs. I’m in parenting bliss. I fast forward in my mind 3 to 6 months from now and I realize just how much things will change. I’ll be challenged many ways, I’m sure. He’ll be crawling, which means getting into things and breaking stuff. It means I can put him on the floor in the living room and walk away to do laundry, wash dishes, or even use the bathroom. Eventually, his will is going to come out and he’ll fuss because he wants stuff or doesn’t want stuff. He’ll be more fidgety and won’t  sit still in the cart at the grocery store. He’ll drop the morning nap which means I won’t get a respite until the afternoon. I know my world of parenting is about to change totally. And…while I’m excited about the changes that are coming and watching him grow, I’m nervous about handling it with grace and wisdom. It is so easy, as a stay at home mom, to compare myself and then feel like a failure because I don’t measure up. Actually…self confession here….I’m really talented at just this. I can compare myself till I’m worn out and blue in the face. And then Dave gets home from work and I’m a depressed mess. But…through the grace of God I know that He will give me grace and wisdom to handle all situations….even cantankerous toddlers.

So that’s Calvin. Now on to Dave and I.

I could write an extremely long and detailed analysis of what has happened over the past 9 months in order to convey to you the changes that have taken place, but I’ll spare you the novel. Instead, I’ll simply say that right before Calvin was born, Dave felt like he was being called into another line of work. For multiple reasons, Dave felt like the Lord was leading him away from teaching. After much prayer, and a failed attempt or two, I’m thrilled to say that this coming week will be Dave’s last as a teacher. Starting March 15, Dave will be attending police academy to train for his new position as a police officer with the City of Euless, TX.  I know what you’re thinking….big change! Yes…it is. But one that Dave has wanted to try for a long time. And we have so much affirmation that this is what the Lord wants from Dave, wants for our family, and wants for His kingdom, that we couldn’t be more thrilled. The pics below are from a surprise congrats party I threw for Dave a couple of weeks ago. We waited to announce until now out of respect for his current students and parents. But…I must say, that I am confident that Dave will excel in this new career and that not only will the Lord bless his endeavors, but he will bless our family.

8 months

So it's been a month since I've blogger. And it's been a busy month. I'll catch you up on all that has happened in the past month, but let's get to the heart of this blog, and that is the fact that my child is now 8 months old. 8 MONTHS. I'm in shock and disbelief at times. So, here is what C is up to...

He can sit and roll like a champ. Rolling is, in fact, his main mode of transportation. If there is a toy out of reach, no problem, roll one way, push with the toes a bit, roll a different way, and continue until he gets to the desired toy. Crawling is just on the horizon...Calvin will push up on his hands and do a great yoga pose, and then at other times his chest will stay on the floor and his toes and legs go in the push up position, but they never happen at the same time. I'm anxious for him to crawl, but at the same time I know that all is fair game when he does.

Calvin eats like a champ! I'm making all my own baby food. It really is so much cheaper. A dollar buys me two servings of premade baby food green beans or an entire bag of frozen green beans that makes a dozen servings. It's time consuming and a little messy, but worth it in the long run. Calvin's favorite has to be sweet potatoes.We've tried all kinds of fruit and veggies and he eats oatmeal about once a day.

I have to say this past month has been my favorite. Calvin is snuggly, warm and smiley all the time. When I walk into his room in the mornings, he smiles really big and kicks his legs for me to pick him up. He puts his arm around my neck and usually gives me a "kiss"...open mouth right to my chin or cheek or nose. Throughout the day he talks and talks and talks, goes with me on all my errands, and is just so happy and content.

On Jan 20 we had Calvin's baby dedication in church. It was a special day. Mom and Mike came and many of our friends were there to celebrate with us. The minister who performed Calvin's dedication was also the minister who did our premarital counseling. We've maintained a close relationship with him during the last 6 years at church, and it was special for us to have him pray over our decision to raise Calvin in a christian home.

The next few weeks bring lots of exciting things. Next weekend, our good friends from Houston will be here for a visit and Calvin will get to spend some time with their little boy, Luke, who is just 6 weeks younger than Calvin. After that, we'll be getting on a plane to California to see some extended family for a long weekend. In March Dad and Pam will come for a visit and I'm so excited for them to get to see how much Calvin has grown. So...bring on month 9!

7 months

I'm in shock and disbelief that I have a 7 month old baby on my hands. Where did time go?
Calvin has developed so much over the past month. He's eating solid food like a champ...sweet potatoes seem to be his favorite. Over the past month, he has mastered sitting up on his own and I can actually leave him to play on his playmat for a while by himself. He entertains himself and is stable enough that he only falls over when he wants to try and reach a toy that is too far away.

Calvin has outgrown all of his 6-9 month clothes and is comfortably wearing size 12 to 18 month. I know he's grown because we had to raise up his jumper and move from an infant seat to a standard car seat. Here's his growth picture.

6 months

 7 months

It's hard to see with his pants on, but his legs are much longer and his torso is longer too.

Such a big boy!

Calvin's first Christmas

We started with a pre-Christmas celebration with mom and Mike. Calvin had his first gift opening experience, and with a little assistance from mom and dad, did really well tearing into the paper...

... but really he just wanted to chew the ribbon.

 Thanks Yia Yia and grandpa Mike.

 Dave and I exchanged gifts for one another that evening, too. Dave always picks out great clothes for me...always things I wouldn't pick for myself but end up loving!

 mom and daughter :>).

On the 23rd we packed up and headed to Arkansas for Christmas day. Calvin had a great time with Nana and Grandad Norvell.

 Calvin's first Christmas Morning!

 mama and baby feet.

 After Christmas day we packed up (yet again!) and headed to Branson, Missouri for a Norvell family tradition...Silver Dollar City. Mom and Dad Norvell got us a fantastic house in Branson  and we met up with Uncle Jon, Aunt Lydia and cousins Caleb and James.

 The coffin at SDC. To understand the significance of this picture...Gandad Norvell has a picture of him in this coffin, and Dave has multiple pictures of him at various ages in the coffin from all their family trips growing up. We have pics in the coffin of the two of us from when we got engaged, the two of us when we are married, and now the three of us. I imagine there will be lots more coffin pictures for our family in the coming years. 

 Bundled up cousins!

Merry Christmas!