Precious little noises

Just in the past few days, we've really seen an increase in the amount of different noises Esther's making.  When she first started smiling and cooing, her coos were all the same, but now, she's experimenting with a lot of different noises, holding them out longer and varying the volume. Yesterday and today, she was so loud and forceful with a couple of them, I almost thought she was going to start laughing.  I don't think her first laugh is very far in the future!

Our little chub

So we had a doctor's appt for little Esther yesterday.  She measured 22 inches and weighed 10 pounds 14 ounces!  To put this in perspective for ya'll, on April 3rd, she weighed 8 pounds 8.5 ounces.  That's over 2 pounds in under 3 weeks!!  She's really trying to talk.  She'll look you right in the eyes and make all kinds of noises.  She'll stare at new things and new noises and voices for quite a long time, just trying to figure them out.  You can see the little wheels in her head turning.  She's laying on the floor right now on her mat with the toys hanging above her and she's hitting the birds, mostly by accident but today's the first day where when she hits one, she'll keep her arm up there in contact with the bird, moving it around.  I think she's starting to figure it out a little bit.  Of course, she's a genius and I'm not a bias, proud mama... :)  She's one precious little girl, Zach and I don't know what we'd do, or even be, without her.

Our Funny Little Girl

Esther's smiling and cooing more and more each day.  She's growing out of her newborn clothes now,  took her 2 months to do it... and people kept telling me she'd hardly wear those clothes, and she couldn't fit into anything else for almost two months.  Pretty crazy.  Yesterday, she was starting to get hungry and I guess wanted me to know it, so she grabbed my finger, stuck it in her mouth and started sucking on it.  She's a bright one, our little girl.  Just like her daddy, doesn't want to go to sleep, afraid she'll miss the party. :)

Prayers for a Niece/Cousin

We are in constant prayer for Heather and Ryan.  We are praying that God's will for them is to adopt a little girl, Kiara Joy, who has yet to enter the world.  We hope so much that God's will is to bless them with this baby girl but even more, we hope that God's will is to bless this little girl with an amazing couple who will be such loving parents.  We want Esther to have a cousin to play with and we would love to have a niece to spoil rotten, getting all of our spoil-rotten-temptations out so our own daughter won't be rotten. ;)  So join us and pray pray pray!

Eye surgery and a growing baby

 Zach had his eye surgery last Monday, the doctor today was surprised at how quickly Zach's healing, thank the Lord.  Mom Vernon was here from Monday to Friday to help... the ironic thing was that Zach did really well and Dad Vernon at home got really really sick...  oh well I guess, things worked out and Dad's getting better now that he got his meds.

Esther's growing for sure!  Some of her footsies are starting to get a little short for her.  She is such a doll-baby.  Definitely should be in pictures, and sure is in a bunch. Mom took a lot while she was here, I can't wait to get them from her.  Esther's smiling more and more everyday.  This morning I spent a good deal of time on the floor with her, she was on her mat under the toys.  She was kicking and smiling, it was a good morning.  She also really enjoyed a bath this morning.  She is such a precious gift from God, she's only been in my life (on the outside anyway) for 7 weeks now, but I don't know what life would be without her.  A precious little treasure she is.

My Thoughts

When it comes to my feelings I've always been the quiet type... The past couples days I've been swimming in them though. I don't know who reads this, but as a prayer request I share this with you. The pending deployment to Iraq looks like it will get pushed back to November. I know that is only 2 more months, but that is 2 more that will be spent anticipating the departure away from Christina and the cutest little baby on the earth. There have been nights that Christina leaves me with Esther when she goes to bed. All I can do is hold her and cry. I'm ready to just go and get back. I want to go. I need to go. It is my time to go, this is my time for war. Yet, I'm torn. I've tacked on a saying to my Division motto... It's "No mission too difficult, no sacrifice too great! Duty First" but I have to tack on to that, "Yet through Christ alone will I climb these mountains". It is my time, It is my turn, it is MY duty, but it is only through Christ that I will survive the other battle, the battle of seperation between myself and Christina and Esther. I ask you, please pray for that battlefront. 

Zach

Family retreat and family

So this past weekend, the Chaplaincy had a family retreat at Windermere Baptist Conference Center in MO.  Esther did pretty well over the weekend, and the retreat went pretty well.  Be praying for our soldiers and their families, it is a really hard life to live, leaving your children for 12 to 18 months at a time.  We got back yesterday.

Aunt Jan got into Kansas yesterday and picked Esther and me up today and took us to Salina.  We had lunch with Aunt Betty and Gayla and then went to see Boba.  So Esther got to meet her great-great-grandmother.  Boba is 101 years old, broke her hip 4 weeks ago and is WALKING.  She held Esther and of course went ga-ga over her.  They were really really cute together.  After Boba's, Aunt Jan and I went to Grandpa Carl's house and he held her for a little bit, then home.  Grandpa Carl was amazed at how much she studied him and yes, she still likes looking at ceiling fans, she stared at two different ones today.

I will put pictures up as soon as I get them from Aunt Jan.  (Smart me, spent so much time getting her ready to go that I forgot to bring my own camera.)  One things for certain, this little girl is not short on love!