The nicest thing my husband has ever said...

"It's fun watching you as a mom. You know how cool it is to watch someone do what they were born to do? Like watching Dirk play basketball or Ben Folds sing? That's what it's like watching you with Bear."

Wow.

Barrett's Dedication

In the middle of January, family and friends gathered for Barrett's dedication at our church, First Baptist of Hurst. While Pastor Jeff carried Barrett around the sanctuary and spoke to him about the meaning of his name, a slideshow played pictures of Barrett. (Please excuse my funky hair. That was my poor attempt at curling it. I've since cut my hair from the shame of these pictures!) Pastor Jeff spoke about the correlation between Barrett's name, meaning "strong and courageous", and the man of God he will become. He also shared the life verse that we gave Barrett. "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

Pastor Jeff asked us to accept the call to raise Barrett under God's direction. He then asked the church to support us as parents.

Barrett's Preschool Director, Kellie, presented us with a brick that has the word "Promise" printed on it. On the back of the brick is the verse in Deuteronomy 6:6-8. "Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night." Barrett also received a New Testament Bible.

7 Months!

"This is my son Barrett. He's 7 months old." That phrase sounds so odd coming out of my mouth. Even though he's a mere one month older, "7 months" sounds like so much less of a baby! A lot of that shock probably has to do with the fact that he seemed to hit so many more milestones this past month. (I bet I say that every month.)

I now have a boy who:

*Loves mashed blackbeans, carrots, green beans, and avocado. He recently ate an entire avocado while out to eat with his Aunt Cookie. He then started begging for her salad.

*Has mastered picking up cereal puffs and is working on grabbing pieces of pears and steamed broccoli. (We've yet to find a food he won't happily cram into his mouth.)

*Thinks he's hot stuff at restaurants in his high chair, munching on a baby mum-mums (glorified rice cake for babies). He is a huge flirt with any female waitress or nearby diner.

*Army crawls!

*Flies around the living room in the walker that Olivia & Davis were so kind to loan him. The dogs constantly have to be on alert or he will mow them down in an attempt to get to their water bowl. He also loves to hit buttons on the cable box and stare at the tv from directly below. I pull him away from the tv and my stubborn little dude wastes no time in running his little feet right back. You've got to admire the persistance.

*Goes underwater! He has also discovered splashing and does it with a joyful spirit. During swim class we have to back away from the other babies and moms so that Barrett doesn't soak them. He also splashes in the tub at home and creates a good-size mess for us to clean up after baths.

*Understands the word "more". I try to use sign-language for a few simple words and the minute I say and sign "more" during a meal, Barrett's mouth pops open and leans as far forward as he can in his high-chair. He may understand several other words, but that seems to be the only one that matters to him.

*Is in the process of cutting 3 more teeth. He's working on his top two "fangs" and a new bottom tooth next to the two front. Besides the constant drool and occasional ear-pulling, you'd hardly notice a change in his behavior most days. If I sense a bad day coming on, we spend a lot of time outside.

There you have it. The latest on my Bear. The months fly by and it just keeps getting more fun!

Snap-shots of Bear's First Christmas...