My newest nephew.

My sweet little nephew, Jadon, entered the world less than one week ago.... keeping us all waiting in suspense for just over two weeks after his due date! We are overwhelmed with joy, and I find myself wanting to call every hour just to check in and see how he is doing. (No, I haven't actually do so as I remember how exhausting those early days are and how everyone wants to meet baby!)

His perfect little features leave me wanting to reach through the computer screen to hold him. His little reflexes and squeals make me oooh and aaah. His tiny little fingers and toes remind me just how precious these little bundles of joy are- how God perfectly designed each one. I look at Kaleb and then look at Jadon and find it hard to imagine that Kaleb was ever so tiny. (And by tiny, I mean nine pounds at birth- they were about the same birth weight!) Jadon is just such a beautiful baby boy, and I couldn't be a prouder aunt.

I have six nieces and nephews on John's side already, so I am not new to being an aunt. But, I will admit being an aunt this time around is so much different. I don't think it is because I love my nieces or nephews differently as I want to love them all the same. I think it is because of this: every time a baby is born so is a mother. Watching my own sister become a mommy is a such a treasure. Seeing the love on her face for her son is beautiful. Relating to her on this new level is so special to me. Not only am I a proud aunt, but a proud sister.

Never ending snow days.

It has been snowing here.... nearly every day. And sometimes we get a little cabin fever so we find new things to keep Kaleb entertained. The other day we spent a good 20 minutes playing with photobooth. Kaleb just kept saying "mor" when I tried to stop, so we kept at it.

This one has to be my favorite:



Of course, I love the sweet ones as well:





Please tell me other mamas find similar ways to pass time. I think more than anything it is nice to find a good excuse for your busy toddler to sit on your lap for more than two minute intervals!

Endless Kisses.

You know what else I will never tire of? My sweet toddlers endless kisses. The best kisses are the ones unasked for, because even though he can't say, "I love you mommy," I feel as if he is saying just that when he opens his mouth and leans toward me with this bright gleam in his blue eyes.

We took our little guy to the pediatrician here in Poland yesterday for some catching up on his immunizations. He was actually quite friendly with the doctor and nurse until they wanted him to stand on the scale to measure him, then he proceeded to melt down fast. Laying him down to measure him didn't do any good as he was longer than the tool they tried to use. In the end we got him to stand still by giving him a cracker and they said he measured in at 92 cm (36.2 inches), but I am not so sure how accurate that is. He would literally be off the charts if it were (as in an inch over the 98th percentile), so I am thinking it is not.

And then came the shots. Poor baby. He didn't mind them much when he was an infant. But the past two visits have been brutal. The nurses was so sweet with him though, letting me cuddle him in between shots and letting him sit on my lap the entire time. In the end he got his two stickers and was just fine. We went to the mall to buy some blueberries as a treat (they are not easy to find here!) and to let him go on some rides and he was as happy as could be.

Which brings me to today. The endless kisses. The sweet cuddles. He just needed some extra love today as he was running a fever from the immunizations. While I don't like to see him not feeling up to par, I must admit that I do enjoy the extra cuddles, the extra time spent reading books, the extra kisses. I am thankful that I get to be the one here to love on him and to pray for him. You know what else I am thankful for? The five minutes that I spent reading him some Psalms this morning and for every time he said "moa" (more) when I would stop. Sweet, precious moments for sure.

Mommyhood isn't always easy, in fact it is exhausting at times. But one tilt of the head and smile or kiss reminds me of how much joy there is in this great task God has granted me. In those moments, it doesn't matter that half of the bath water was spilled (or rather dumped) on the bathroom floor or that most of dinner ended up on the kitchen floor. In the end I won't remember the messes, but I will always remember the sweet kisses.... especially the ones I didn't ask for.