A Quality Weekend

This was a weekend to be savored, enjoyed, for every moment it brought. Nothing particularly exciting happened, and the frigid temperatures kept us home a good bit (when we woke up on Saturday morning the temperature was -2!) so maybe it was more my heart attitude that made the difference, but we - all 3 of us - seemed aware that these days are fleeting and should be treasured. Also, the sun came out for the major part of both days, so that certainly didn't hurt! Here are just a few of the highlights...

- Long naps. Benjamin took a couple 2+ hour naps on Saturday and Sunday, leaving Mom and Dad time to take naps themselves or discuss the new adventure on the horizon for the Trautman fam - graduate school. Yes, folks, it does indeed seem that yet more schooling is in our future ... this probably comes as no surprise to those who know us well. But anyway, after such long naps, Benjamin awoke smiley and happy and gurgle-y and ready to enjoy fun family time ... things like watching his mobile while Mom and Dad just stand and watch him watching it. :)

- Church fellowship. Have I mentioned lately how grateful we are for our sweet church family here? This Sunday, as we sang together of God's blessings, with my husband beside and our son cuddled in my sling, I felt that being in the midst of this fellowship was a real taste of what heaven will be like. I couldn't stop the tears that this brought, and when the friend behind me pressed a tissue into my hand, I cried all the more for the concrete evidence of what I was already rejoicing in!

Here's a picture of my men sporting their match-y stripes for church this morning...

- Julie and Julia. Though certainly no Sleepless in Seattle, I truly enjoyed this movie. My husband was gracious to watch it with me, too, and even chuckle at parts! I was able to relate to the main themes of the movie 1) cooking - since I've so enjoyed cooking lately and 2) blogging - since as you may have gathered by now, I have a blog :) My favorite line of the movie had to be from Julie, as she waved her butcher knife animatedly at her husband, "I could write a blog! I have thoughts!" On an unrelated note, I loved how the movie celebrated lifelong marriages - having fun together, working through issues together, moving to new places together. Such a refreshing change from the normal Hollywood depiction.

Anyway, we are sad for Monday's arrival, but looking forward to God's faithfulness in this week.

Crave

(these pictures really have nothing to do with this post, but aren't they just too stinkin' precious?!?!)

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1 Peter 2:2

And yearn like newborn infants for pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to salvation (NET)
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation (NIV)
Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation (NASB)
You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk (NLT)

I've always heard that you really don't know the meaning of this verse till you live with an infant - and it has surely been true for me. There is no desperation like that of a hungry baby.

Benjamin's normal morning routine is to wake up somewhere around 7:00. He definitely wakes up hungry, but until he sees Mom or Dad, he's happy to lay in his crib, playing with his hands or talking to himself for 15 minutes or so. One morning this week, he had been doing just that when Will went in to say good-morning before he left for work. Then I came in and sat down in the rocker to feed him ... it was then that we realized that his diaper had leaked out through his jammies and we were going to need to change his diaper and his clothes before we went on with breakfast. So I got up from the chair, put him down on the changing table, and proceeded to take off the dirty pajamas and change his diaper. As soon as he realized what was happening, Benjamin's face just crumpled and he let out the most pitiful little squeal of a cry you've ever heard. This cry wasn't just that he was hungry, wasn't just that he was mad, it was a cry of ... heartbroken desperation.

"Mom! I'm so hungry, and you were all ready to feed me, but now we're doing this?"

It was so pitiful it brought tears to my eyes! I changed his diaper as quickly as I could, then just threw a blanket over him to keep him warm and sat down to feed him ... forget new jammies! we can get those later! this poor child is desperate!

And then, as happens many times when I hear Benjamin cry to be fed, the Holy Spirit reminded me of this verse ... crave the pure milk of the Word! How I need this attitude of utter desperation for the Word - it is my only source of true spiritual refreshment and growth.

May God give us hearts that crave to meet Him in His Word!

New Skills

These days, Benjamin is discovering something new every day - last week, he learned to roll over! Watch out, mobility, here we come!

And with his new skills, Mommy is learning some new things too.

A few weeks ago, a friend from college who has a little boy only a few months older than Benjamin posted something like this on her Facebook status: My to-do list is now divided into four sections 1) What I can do with no hands 2) What I can do with one hand 3) What I can do with two hands while singing and dancing for baby 4) Naptime turbo speed

I know exactly what she's talking about! Benjamin's latest favorite pastime is being toted around while I do whatever I can do while toting him around. Therefore, I've developed some mad skills with that one hand. I can now accomplish the following with only one hand (and the occasional assistance of my teeth)...

1. Make a pot of coffee and ...
2. Fix a cup of coffee, complete with sugar and creamer
3. open and close a ziploc bag
4. open the mail
5. type emails or a blog post (with pretty decent speed I must say)
6. take a self-portrait
7. make a fun video
8. Take leftovers out of the fridge, fix plates, and microwave them for dinner
9. unload the top rack of the dishwasher

Of course, all this toting Benjamin in my left arm while "being productive" with my right arm is probably the reason I seem to have pulled a muscle in my left shoulder - resulting in a lot of pain and not so much sleep the last couple days... Watch out, old age, here we come! :)

I did some ironing today...

Road Trip!

This weekend, Benjamin went on his first road trip ... to Boston! He was a trooper once again, and did great in the car and with a busy weekend schedule. We had great fun hanging out with our sweet friends, Meah and Evie...

and we also got to eat at Chick-fil-A!!!!! Oh, how we've missed those waffle fries and chicken sandwiches! :)

We also enjoyed a beautiful walk at a park on Saturday - sunny and 40 degrees - like springtime!

Also, if any of you out there are expecting a little one and wondering what kind of stroller to get, we love our Graco Metrolite travel system ... the walking paths at the park were gravel and sometimes quite bumpy, but the stroller held up great and Daddy was proud to take Benjamin on his first off-road adventure :)

Next time we go, Benjamin will really enjoy the selection of animals who call the park their home...

All in all, a most memorable weekend!

I can do it, Mom!

When we gave Benjamin his bath a few days ago, I laid him down to dry him off and a whole new thing happened ... he grabbed the towel himself and started waving it around like, "I can do it myself, Mom!" Of course, really, he's just grabbing everything these days, and his drying was not effective at all, but it was surely cute!

A New Do

As long as I had long hair, I always said, "We'll have fun with it for a few years till babies come" and sure enough, the long hair was not cooperating with my new job. You know its gotta be cut when you're carrying your baby up the stairs and hear him start gagging. You look at his face to see what could be the matter and see that he's gotten a big fistful of hair, put it in his mouth, and tried to suck on it - yuck! :)

So, Saturday morning at 8:00, I had a date with destiny ... AKA Donatella of Donatella's Salon and Day Spa. At 9:30, I left, closely resembling My Big Fat Greek Wedding...

Since then, I've fought with the new do every day, trying to convince it that it is on my head and not Donatella, the sweet little Italian woman. Yesterday, it finally got the message...

On another note, are you wondering what all that light is doing in our living room? Well, THE SUN CAME OUT TODAY!!!!! Seriously, I almost cried with joy :)

(And yes, I took that picture holding the camera up to mirror - Benjamin couldn't figure out what in the world I was doing :)

A Blessing and a Curse

The black screen sat in the corner all day ... silent, blank, cold. At times , it seemed to call out quietly, "Just come over here ... I've got the answer to your loneliness!"

You're thinking, "What is she talking about? Has all the snow finally driven her over the deep end?"

While that may be true, here's what I'm talking about. Yesterday, was our church's annual day of prayer and fasting. The whole church family takes the day to focus on our relationships with God, both individually and communally. Since I'm nursing Benjamin I couldn't fast from food, so I decided to fast from the internet ... golly, was the day insightful.

I didn't realize that the first thing I do when I come downstairs in the morning is turn on the computer. I didn't realize how often I open our internet browser in a day ... or just stay logged into my email constantly (an old habit from office work I guess). Throughout the day, I'm checking email, Facebook, blogs, writing here, and googling countless things from weather to recipes to "When will my baby's eyes change color?" (Answer: anywhere from 6 mo. to 2 years)

And this has been great for me, since moving so far away from loved ones. This quick and easy connection. We skype with grandparents, email with friends across the country, and share photos of our babies on Facebook.

What a blessing!

And yet...

Is it also a curse? That instant connection can be so easy, rather than doing the harder work of slowing down to connect with God. At times, the connection can even be deceiving, as I read the blogs of other moms whom I don't even know "in real life." The wealth of information available at my fingertips ... if i have a question, I google it... what's the best diaper rash cream? what's going on in Haiti? how much does it cost to spend the weekend in NYC? What about Kate Gosselin's new hairstyle? But with all that information running around in my brain, am I crowding out the more important things, like praying throughout my day or meditating on Scripture?

Sometimes, the answer is sadly yes!

So, I am grateful for this gift, incredibly grateful, for long-distance connections, but right now, I am making a resolution to STOP, and connect with my Heavenly Father, before I look to others to fill that void.

"I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil.
Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous judgments.
Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.
I have for your salvation, O Lord, and I obey your commandments."
Ps. 119:162, 164-6

Quarter Year! (and a brief catch-up)

Sorry for the long delay in posting. I haven't written in a while mainly because we haven't been doing much - the 3 feet of snow on the ground kept this southern girl indoors for the week! In an effort to keep things cheerful during the long winter, I've hung twinkle lights all around our living room and still play Christmas CD's every day.

Here's just a few of our daily sights:

icicles outside one of our upstairs windows

if you can't tell, this is snow plowed up to the height of the dumpster

gotta love the neighbors cigarette butts hiding out in the snow pile

All in all, I feel like we've adjusted to the snow and temperatures pretty well. I did finally get out on Friday to go to Bible study and I did pretty well driving, too! The thing is, its just a whole lot of WORK - scrape the car, shovel the walk, bundle me up, bundle Benjamin up, heft us all out to the car, remember to bang off my snow boots before i get in, etc. However, my dad sent a picture today that reminded me that it could be lots worse...

Northern Michigan

Anyway, speaking of snow being a lot of work, here is Benjamin in the midst of being suited up for going out... I just can't help but share the preciousness!

Benjamin turned 3 months old on Friday - a whole quarter-year! It's so fun to watch him growing up, doing new things every day, and surprising himself with his new abilities. Here are just a few of his new talents, some of which I think may be harbingers of boyhood to come :)

- Yelling! In just the past few days, Benjamin has discovered that his little voice can make such big, fun noises. Cooing has graduated to squealing and screaching just for the fun of it. Sometimes, after a particularly loud exclamation, his face looks surprised, like he's thinking, "Did I just do that?" He's also a growing conversationalist, if we speak in his language.... Here's what I mean (so far, Daddy is his favorite person to talk to!)



this video also showcases another emerging talent - playing with his tongue! :)

- Remembering! Benjamin is getting more and more aware of his surroundings and remembering what Mommy does when. "The books" say that babies his age may begin smiling when they recognize its mealtime, anticipating the yummy things to follow. There's no smiling for this boy - nope - when he recognizes that I'm about to feed him, he promptly opens his mouth so wide it makes his precious little nose crinkle ... "Feed me already, mama! I'm a growin' boy here!"

- Pooping! (on purpose, that is) For the first few months, it seemed I could never keep Benjamin's little diaper clean - there was just stuff coming out of somewhere constantly. But now, Benjamin has learned to poop on purpose ... accompanied by the funniest little grunts you've ever heard!

- Pushing up! he'll be rolling over before we know it!

And so life continues on as normal - fight the snow, fold the clothes, change the diaper - but every day, I am struck by the amazing privilege it is to call this precious little one our own and to call such a wonderful man my husband!

A Whole New Year

Just because it's already January 4 doesn't mean I can't still do a New Year's post, right?


glad you agree :)

I've been procrastinating a New Year's post primarily because 2009 was such a momentous year for us ... we took on basically every major life transition in one year. We both changed "jobs" - Will from student to engineer, me from full-time work to stay-at-home mom. We moved - not just houses, but states, nay regions even. And we jumped into the wide, wonderful, terrifying world of parenthood. 2009? You were one for the record books.

Surprisingly, though, as Will and I have reminisced about the past year, we haven't talked about it negatively. Sure, there were stressful days - when Will was traveling each week to another city for another job interview, when we were two weeks from moving across the country with no place to move into, when we walked into the hospital to have a baby ... and when we walked out of the hospital with said baby in tow ... holy cow, i still can't believe they let us out of there with him! They clearly didn't know how scatterbrained I am.

But, he's doing OK for himself ... almost 3 months old and no limbs are missing :)

As I look back over the past year, I am overwhelmed at the grace that God has poured out on us. Grace to walk through change with open hearts instead of resentful ones. Grace to grow in our marriage instead of alienating each other. Grace in tangible provision and intangible ... provision we may not see the full picture of till we get to eternity. Grace all bottled up in this amazing little boy we get to call our son.

And that Grace of all Grace, Mary holding Jesus in a stable - God WITH US - that promise is ours - that yes, no matter what, GOD IS WITH US! Happy New Year, holding tight to that promise.

The Big Snow

Though to some lifelong residents of this winter wonderland our recent snows may be no big deal, to us recent transplants from the South, this is CRAZY! WHO CHOOSES TO LIVE HERE?!?!

... oh yeah, I guess we did, didn't we?

Anyway, we've just been trying to keeping warm, drinking hot chocolate, watching movies, and enjoying Will's last few days at home before he has to go back to work.

So I thought i'd try to catch some footage of the winter shenanigans today with our cool new video camera - what an awesome Christmas gift! And as I was taping the snowplow men, it occurred to me - that is the perfect job for my brother Daniel! It requires a desire to serve people, precision driving ability, an enjoyment of snow and cold weather (i don't know if you can tell in the video but our snowplow-man was wearing short sleeves and had his window down the whole time - and just for the record the wind chill at the time was -2 degrees) and a desire for adventure ... dare I say even an amount of funloving recklessness? So come on up here Uncle Daniel! we've found the perfect job for you! Plus, we miss you and Aunt Hannah!

(quick disclaimer: the dogs at the beginning of the video are not ours - they just live in our building. Our dogs are living it up in Florida eating Grandma's hot rolls :)

(another quick disclaimer: sorry for the bouncy video. Benjamin has been kinda fussy for the last couple days - i think we're teething - and most of this was filmed with the camera in one hand while I bounced Benjamin with the other. I think you can even hear him start squealing at the very end of the video :)

Christmas Recap

Our Christmas trip to Sunny Florida was a resounding success! Benjamin proved to be a sweet trooper through airports, car trips, Walmart craziness, and being the center of attention for a whole week! We so enjoyed spending time with grandparents, great-grandparents, and Aunt Mattie - we are truly blessed! Not to mention how much we enjoyed the 60 degree temperatures and bright sunshine (as I write this, it's 15 degrees here and snowing like crazy)

Christmas Eve in our Christmas jammies!

Christmas morning! so excited!