He turned on us!

Yes, he did! He's turning now from his back to his tummy (he could already do the opposite). On Monday morning Jakub must have woken up and made the decision that he would finally make the turn and not look back! He did it once, with a lot of effort and whining, and then he did it again (which Daddy got on tape) with a lot of frustration and crying, and then he did it over and over with ease as if he had been doing it all of his life. It's so much fun to see and I can't wait to share the video... whenever we get around to downloading the next set of them. For now I at least wanted to share the exciting news with you:)

He's also had some great moments sitting up and looking at books or playing!

Oh, and he picked up his pacifier and with minimal trouble got it back into his mouth himself. This was a big day for our little guy! :)








And on one last little note, last night I got up around 12 to check on Jakub because I could hear him talking in a way that tells you he's fully awake (which is odd for him at that time of night). I walked into his room and he had turned himself in bed and was on his tummy playing and talking to his crib bumper:) Funny kid...

Going green...

Here are some pictures of Josh and Kuba from their "Earth Day" celebration, which we held with our teammates and the teenagers we work with. Last Thursday we had our usual after-school activities at our facility, but we also celebrated "Earth Day" by going green... literally. Everyone was supposed to dress up in the most green they could wear and then the winner would get a small prize. Well, after the teens voted... Jakub won:) I guess we did a good job of dressing him up. It's really not fair to be a cute baby in the contest. We also had games to play using recycled material and we watched a video about amazing sites and animals around the Earth. We also held a program to share why we think it's important to recognize God's amazing creations around us, that He created it all and that we should be responsible about taking care of it. I say we through all of this, but really only Josh and Jakub were able to go as I was at home sick. I'm sorry I missed it because it sounds like they had a very enjoyable time. I'm glad I have some photos to share with you, though, because these two lads were very cute:)


I don't really question why he won:) Isn't he the cutest thing?! (biased, I know) That's some pose he's trying to strike there:)

Happy 5 Months Kubičku!

Laughing and playing...



Sitting and playing with his toys! He just began doing this for very short periods over the last week. He does really well at not falling over, and using his arms to hold himself up, but he starts to lean forward too much still.


Interrupting his play time... :)


He's started saying what sounds like "hey!" over and over. This is his "hey!" face:) It's so cute when you walk into the room and it sounds like he's greeting you with "hey!". I love it!


This is the face he now makes when he's studying something interesting.


Flying with Daddy...


These are some pictures of Kuba from the last week. I just can't believe we're already at 5 months past his birth. I'm glad I can record some of these special moments because they go by so quickly and he changes so much with each passing month! We had his 5 month check-up today and as a special gift we got him 2 immunizations for his birthday:) He cried tears of joy when he got his gifts... Here are his 5 mo stats:

- He weighs 17 lbs 8 oz (not much of an increase from last month- is that normal?)
- He is still 27 inches tall, or maybe just a slight bit taller


Here are some other stories and things I want to remember from the last month of life with Jakub:

• He talks more often now than last month and he says frequently what sounds like "hey!" I like it when I walk into a room and he starts talking to me with this "hey!" It makes me feel like we're really interacting together:) I usually throw back a "hey!" to him and he smiles. He's also making a "b" sound now and sometimes a "a-ga" or "a-ba" sound.
  
• He's now turning every day "almost" over. He still can turn over from his belly to his back, and does so infrequently, but he "almost" gets over from his back to his belly. At the last moment he won't kick over his leg and instead gets frustrated and keeps arching his back until he looks like he'll break in half.
  
• Last Thursday afternoon he sat up by himself and played for about 4-5 minutes before falling over. He doesn't sit straight up, but leans forward and uses his arms to hold himself up. He can take one arm and bring a toy to himself while holding himself up with the other arm. He really liked being up. He's getting tired of laying flat or on his belly to play. He loves also to stand on my lap and look around at everything.
  
• He will play for around 30 minutes on his belly before changing positions.
• He splashes with his arms and legs all the time now in the bath. He still loves bath time and seems to be having more and more fun with it.
• He wants one arm out of the swaddle now, but still likes the other to be tucked in.
• He, as of this last week, eats around 7-8 pm and 530 or 6 am on most nights. He still eats around every 3-4 hours during the day and it's usually closer to 3-3 1/2.
  
• He has a lot of hair coming in and it's dark blond/light brown (darker than I thought it would be). His eyes still seem very blue.
• He smiles all the time and is laughing more and more. He laughs at Daddy making funny voices, at being tickled, at clapping, and at peek-a-boo. People often say he is one of the happiest babies they have been around. I'm thankful for that.
  
• He sucks on or chews on everything and he's even biting down hard sometimes. He loves the teething rings Aunt Hopey gave him. I still don't see any evidence of a tooth, though.
• He can take out his pacifier and throw it away... he still can't get it back in. This does not make for fun before nap/bedtime. He's still good about not needing it unless he's going to sleep. He never needs it during the day when he's awake and playing.
• After a wonderful suggestion from my Mother last week Jakub has finally fully discovered his lovely feet (she suggested taking his socks off for parts of each day). He's now regularly playing with them and kicking them up more and holding on to them while he rolls over onto his side. Thanks, Mom:) It's been so cold here since he was born, and still is pretty cool outside, that I've forgotten to actually show him his feet very often:)
• On a sad note, he's started crying sometimes when we leave a room. That's tough! It's usually only when he's getting tired and doesn't want to play alone anymore or he's about ready for a nap. Otherwise, he still plays alone well, also.
• He's started watching me eat breakfast and it's simultaneously entertaining and slightly disturbing. He just sits very still and watches, almost without blinking, while I eat. If I look at him he cracks a smile and then goes back to being very still while I continue eating. I like to think he's just making some mental notes on "how-to" for the future:)

Evidence that he found his feet:)


And one funny story: Two days ago Josh was changing Kubi's diaper and giving him a little playtime on his changing table before dressing him again. Well, of course, Jakub suddenly peed everywhere and then he started laughing really hard. There is no other way to describe it than to say that he knew exactly what he just did and he thought it was hilarious. We laughed so hard, which made Jakub laugh even more. I love this kid!

Ok, I think that's it. There's so much I don't want to forget and every day it seems there's some small, new moment you want to remember forever. I hope I didn't bore you- if you made it this far:) Thanks for indulging me! Remind me to give any future children the same amount of attention:)

The Moms are back in town...

Isn't this a sweet photo of brothers? It doesn't really have anything to do with this post, but I needed a picture so- here you go. This was probably taken about one month ago, when Thompson was about 6 weeks old. He's grown so much since even then. I just love this photo, so I wanted to share it. Evan is the sweetest older brother I've ever been around. He's so gentle and loving with Thompson. Of course, he's sometimes jealous as all older siblings are, but for the most part he's very good with his little brother.

Anyway, I wanted to tell you that Sarah K. and I began again our Moms' and Children's class today. It went really well, praise God! We had the potential to have 10 Mothers total and 13 children, but we ended up with 6 Moms (counting me and Sarah K.) and 8 children. We had a wonderful time and I think the Mothers really enjoyed it. We are hoping the next time that the other 8 Mothers will be able to come with their kids. Please pray about that with us and please pray Sarah and I can be a light in their lives. It was a little chaotic with Sarah and I both having children now, but Josh was able to work from the facility office this morning and keep an eye on Jakub as he took a nap so I could continue working in the class without distraction. Now that's a supportive husband! Jakub loved all of the singing and interaction with other kids. He's such a social butterfly:) There is one other baby his age there and they had fun also laying on the floor and looking at each other.

I hope to have some pictures of this class time in the future. Thanks for your prayers!

From Slovakia...

Here is a view from our window at the retreat facility in which we stayed. We had gorgeous weather the whole weekend and we were so thankful.


Here we are getting ready to take Jakub on a walk for his afternoon nap time.


Here is his baby carriage.


Here he is hanging out inside waiting for us to get on the move:) He has a window on the top that he can look up through and watch as the trees and sky above go by. He seems to really like it.


Just a sweet one of him smiling before the walk.


Sunday afternoon we took pictures together outside. It was a beautiful day, but the sun was actually a little too bright and direct for him and for the pictures. It would have been a little cuter without the hat, but it was necessary:)


Our little sailor-man:)


Excitedly watching something in the distance...






Kisses from Daddy!



Playing on the ground and getting just a little bit of vitamin D on the skin:) Don't worry, I applied sunscreen first!





Opening our gifts from family for Easter. We love all of the new books to read with Jakub. Thank you!!! The one in the middle that Jakub is holding is a book not like anything I've seen before. It has a place to record your voice inside and my parents recorded themselves reading the book so that Jakub hears them as we turn each page. It was such a sweet idea! Thank you!

We're back!

Thank you to all of you who wished us a Happy Easter and also sent us emails, cards, or gifts. We had a wonderful time at the retreat in Slovakia, as well as a very happy first Easter celebration with Jakub. We spent time with, celebrated with, and worshiped with many of our friends who we may only see two times a year or less. God blessed us with gorgeous weather and we took advantage of it while staying there in the Slovak mountainside. We took Jakub on walks, used our new baby carrier, and took photos and video outside together on Sunday afternoon. I'm also thankful to say that Jakub handled this first, long road-trip very well. The first two days/nights he played, ate, and slept no differently than if he were at home. He also loved being around all of the new people and seeing all of the new sights. He's very observant and loves to explore his surroundings. He also continued in his quest to turn over from back to front. He almost did it, but not quite:) He still got a little frustrated, but it was a joy to encourage him and play with him alongside friends who were cheering him on:) He also began, while there, to scratch any object he can in order to see what it feels like. It's so cool to see him exploring in this manner as well. Other children at the retreat also enjoyed playing with him or watching him. Some friends were kind enough to hold him for us while we were all eating in the dining hall... that was a treat! I think he got a little used to being held as he's wanted it a little more now that we are at home again and it's not as necessary. It was also good to bring him home and to see him become excited in his bedroom- as if he recognized he was once again home. He started talking to his favorite book case in his room and jumping on my lap. I like to think he was telling "him" all about his big adventure in Slovakia! Well, I didn't mention the third night there (the third day was great), but that's because he didn't do well at all and I believe it's because he had had enough of the retreat type diet that is typical at these events. Sometimes fruit and vegetables are hard to come by in these countries at these retreats... I did take some of my own, but that only went so far. Anyway, it was a wonderful trip and it is also wonderful to be home again. I hope to have the pictures and video ready to post this week. For now, I'll leave you with a few that we took right before leaving for Slovakia. Thanks again for your comments and prayers, we had a great and safe trip. I hope you also had a blessed Easter holiday!!!



Here he is cooking with his Mommy:) We made meatloaf together. He was pretty content to watch the procedure as I explained each step to him. He'll make some woman very happy one day:) (Don't worry, those knives aren't really in-reach as much as they appear they are!)



Here he is playing in his bouncy seat. He's also now wearing the overalls that Papa gave him. Thanks Papa! They are really cute on him.



This photo is a little blurry, but was so sweet to capture. He's snuggling with his elephant and listening to his Daddy read him a book before nap time. I think and hope he'll enjoy reading because he enjoys it so much right now. Unless he's really ready to get into his bed he listens through entire books, many times more than once before going to sleep.



This is a really great photo of Josh and Jakub playing together on the couch. We have to admit the moment is not quite as it appears in the photo. It looks as if they are snuggling nose-to-nose...but, they are not. Jakub is looking at some drool or something on Josh's shirt, while Josh is watching him. I don't care, though, the moment was wonderful anyway and now it also looks like they were snuggling together:)


I just have to include this one for my own sake. I can't get enough of that open-mouthed laugh/giggle. He expresses himself with his whole face! It just makes us melt every time. He raises his eyebrows with interest and smiles with his whole face and eyes. It's just awesome!


This is a sweet one of him looking at Josh, who was talking to him about something important I'm sure. :) You can tell he was biting on his lip. He's doing that now, too. I think there must be a tooth somewhere in that mouth dying to get out soon.



Just a cute one of him playing. That's all. :)

Happy Easter!

Jakub says HAPPY EASTER!!! You'll have to excuse the drool... he does that when he gets excited about telling you something:) We're leaving today for our annual Family Easter Retreat in Slovakia. We go every year with other church members and friends from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It's a wonderful weekend to get together and encourage one another, fellowship together, and praise God together. There are usually around 50 of us and it's always uplifting and inspiring for those of us who are used to worshiping with only 10-12 people on average. We're really looking forward to it! It will also be Jakub's first time to meet many of our friends there and for us to celebrate Easter as a family. I hope to have many wonderful pictures and some video to show you when we return (late Sunday night). I hope you all have a wonderful Easter holiday! We love you!