Ellie's First Christmas Video

a young diva

second coming

I love this pic!

second coming
Originally uploaded by amandajane

imitation

Ellie has been learning for about a month now how to play peek-a-boo herself, by holding up the blanket in front of her face. It seems that Daddy has taught Ellie how to clap now! She has been imitating him by banging her hands together... it's the cutest thing. Seeing her being able to physically imitate us now feels like a whole new stage. It's also bringing into focus for me the fact that she is absorbing the world like a sponge. My mom always used to say "Monkey see, monkey do." Ellie will soon imitate everything she sees, and it's up to us to help her evaluate and interpret what she sees, as much as we have the power to do so.

I've always been a verbally and symbolically-oriented person, and I find myself excited for the time when Ellie can talk. When I think about it, what I'm really looking forward to is the time when she can reason. I dream about conversing with her about the way the world works, about Jesus and the Bible, and about what things that happen in her young life mean. It's going to be a while. I realize that I'm already conversing with her nonverbally, and I just pray that what's coming across is right and good. Watching her imitate her dad as best she can is heartwarming for me - and it reminds me to trust our family to God even more. Only He sees everything, every stimulus that goes into her little mind - how it all bounces around in there, and what will result from it. I'm so glad He knows her, and us, so perfectly. It's quite a relief for her mom.

the wheel

This photo was actually taken a few months ago. For all you Navigators, I thought you would enjoy seeing Ellie's first exposure to the Wheel illustration. She demonstrated that she is an "Obedient Christian in Action" by promptly tearing the sheet in half and trying to eat it. After, of course, praying, reading our bible, witnessing, and fellowshipping. :-)

more dada... and starting to pull up

dada...

Ellie is definitely a daddy's girl...

in the cart

Ellie sat in the cart for the first time today when we went to Meijer for groceries. She did so well! It was great not having to lug her car seat into the store, and the cart cover that I bought has a shoulder harness so she won't tip over to the side. Mom will be proud that I didn't get BABIES' DIAPER GERMS on the seat, nor did I let any existing ones get on Ellie or any of our produce!

Mr. & Mrs. Kidd

Here is a photo of the happy couple from their Oct. 13th wedding. You can't see in this photo but they're both wearing matching red and white Nike Shox sneakers. It was very cute.

They cruised to Bermuda for their honeymoon and are now firmly ensconced back in the booming metropolis of Bath. It's very nice to have Kadee around during the week now!

playing on halloween

Ellie and Jackson... learning to share???

(Sorry about the extra photo - I think it's the fault of my old-school template.)

for locals only :-)

There is actually a quiz for people from Mystic. It's pretty funny. I was a little surprised I didn't score higher, but it HAS been 15 years since I lived there (yikes!)

I scored a 86% on the "How Mystic, Connecticut Are You?" Quizie! What about you?

Mama, Dada... Poop?

It seems like Ellie will stay the same for a while, and then all of a sudden she's hit so many milestones it's hard to keep track. For about a week now she has been saying ma-ma-ma and da-da-da nonstop. I could swear that she said "poop" the other day too which would be quite fitting for our household. It might be my imagination but I think I've heard "Ellie, Doggie, and Baby" in there too. I guess the rule is she has to repeat it, but I haven't heard repeats on "Ellie" or "Doggie" yet. Her diet has expanded to include sweet potatoes and carrots, but she has decidedly rejected peas (see picture) and green beans. Her face at the first taste of green beans was priceless.

the latest

I'm busy today - but I need breaks so I'll be typing on my post throughout my morning. I'm getting progressively more ADD with work as I get older - I used to be able to focus and go for hours but now I need a constant stream of distractions. Maybe it's Facebook's fault. :-)

Tomorrow is Matt and Kadee's wedding. Justin is performing the ceremony, I'm singing, and Ellie is wearing a pretty red dress to match their colors. I can't wait to see Jackson, the ringbearer, in his little tux. How adorable will that be.

Ellie has decided that she loves sweet potatoes. It's amazing how quickly she learns things... now when I put her in her high chair she starts smiling and getting excited, which only escalates when I put her bib on, take her box of cereal out of the cupboard, and turn on the water. By the time I sit down with her sweet potatoes, her eyes are huge and she's bouncing up and down and grabbing for the spoon. It's so adorable!

In our endless house-hunting, we looked at a very cool place in Mason the other day. Almost 100 years old, very unique and unpredictable in layout with two awesome fireplaces, and needing our love. I did get startled and shriek at one point when I glanced into the sink and saw a dead mouse. After the initial shock, I peered back in and noticed that it was lying next to a (thankfully) dead, very very VERY large thousandlegger. It was so large it actually had FAT legs. I'm not daunted by unexpected finds in houses anymore after Justin found a dead rat in the oven of the Stirling Ave. house that we rehabbed, and later discovered the deceased's former home raining down from a ceiling that he removed. After seeing how beautifully that house turned out, one little dead mouse won't deter me. The thousandlegger was a bit frightening though. :-)

Riley's Here!

Riley Khensani Ngubeni arrived Sunday morning at 2:30 AM! What a beautiful little girl - measuring in at 7lb 14oz and 21" long, with a VERY full head of beautiful, soft black hair! Denise and Bambi are doing great. Ellie is so happy to have a girl friend... she let me know this by trying to grab the little bow out of Riley's hair. :-)So far in 2007 Brenna, Jackson, Ellie, Joel, Gavin, Danielle, and Riley have arrived, and we're eagerly waiting for Baby Girl Edson and 2 Baby Boy Johnsons! Baby Craziness!

Disco Preacher....

Watch at your own risk!

words

It's always interesting to me to observe the different eddies and swirls in the flow of life with God. I never talk enough about Him, and it's partly because all the words that we're used to hearing and speaking to describe Him are precisely that - we're used to them, and they tend to lie flatly in my mouth. Terms like spiritual growth, living water, revival- all precisely descriptive, but it's not only non-native speakers of Christianese who tune out at their mention. We all do. In my unending quest to stray from the expected, lately I've been trying to find words that aren't stupor-inducing to describe that vivid reality of His presence. And I'm not having much success. He is so far beyond our words sometimes that I feel like it's almost inappropriate to try and force Him into them.

I think it's for that same reason that His Word is living (Heb. 4:12). It's not just the Bible being described as living, it's that His own words about Himself are multi-dimensional, active, not stale, and not confined to our short-sighted descriptions. We use dead words to try to put God into our understanding; He uses living words to give us a starting place to expand our knowledge of Him. His words are just the beginning - to actively take us from just that, words, into the vibrant knowledge of Him that includes our senses and hearts and souls. Yes, His Word is truly active - it awakens, it grips, it shows, it lightens, it cools, it quenches, it ignites, it soothes, it troubles, it feeds. It is exquisite in that way only He can be.

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. (Ps. 51:15)

pic of the tornadic storm, from the south

Click the link for a fantastic pic of the storm on Flickr.
Barn Storming on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

tornadicism

At about 5:30 PM on Friday night we had a tornado come right through Lansing. I happened to be working late that night and was at the International Center on campus, and got herded into the basement with everyone else who was there. Of course I was freaking out as my cell signal cut out in the basement and Justin and Ellie were at home, about a mile north of the damage. There were a few hundred people crowded into the MSU Bookstore sitting and waiting it out.

It turns out that the storm produced an F3 tornado in Potterville, southwest of Lansing, and was still rotating by the time it got to the city. The rotation went right through the South Side, within a block of some of our church members' homes. Luckily no one was hurt and there are just a lot of trees and branches down in the path area. Our favorite Fazoli's restaurant had its windows smashed in by a flying billboard.

the end of an era

It's official: last night I packed up the oboe, went to the UPS store, and sent it off to RDG in Los Angeles to sell on consignment. I have to admit, I did feel a sentimental twinge although it's been sitting in my closet for the past 10 years. There's nothing like that distinct oboe smell when you open the case... although the romantic sentiment rapidly turns south when I start thinking about reeds.

I forgot how much I always had to explain to the general public about what an oboe is. The guy in the UPS store got that faintly amused look when he asked why I needed so much padding and I explained it was an instrument. "What kind of instrument?" I told him a wooden one that could crack with big temperature changes. Look of amusement deepens... then changes to incredulity as I tell him I need to insure it for $4000. "What, do you play in the Boston Pops?" he asks, still laughing. I tell him no but the people who play in the Boston Pops play this type of instrument. I then told him it was an oboe, and then watched him type O-B-O into his form. I politely added the E on the end for him and after laughing at me some more he promptly charged me the $83 I needed to ship it. I just hope it gets there in one piece!

dad is hilarious!

Here's a video Justin made while I was gone last week... I'm glad Ellie was having such a good time.



http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8544935170061197192

catching my breath

Ellie napped a lot Saturday and Sunday which gave me snippets of time to finish reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Quite a satisfying conclusion, although I wish we had seen whatever happened with Hagrid and Madam Maxime...

This month has been a whirlwind. I'm taking a short breather to write a blog entry - will probably randomly type on it most of the day before posting, as I'm sitting here at work, back full-time already, and purposefully swamped. Keeping busy here is helping me to keep my mind off of how much I want to be at home with Ellie. I'm trying to stay grateful... that I have such a good job and tons of new opportunities at work, that Ellie is receiving such great care from family and friends and not strangers, that I'm here and not halfway around the world like a friend of mine whose nine-month-old is in Korea while she is here finishing her studies. I'm glad that I started consciously trusting Ellie's life to God's perfect care as soon as I found out I was pregnant. It doesn't make it less difficult to do so now but I have such a peace that she is in His hands, whether I am present or not. The last thing I want to do is make an idol out of her upbringing or try to take an inappropriate place in her life. I know we will always have a special bond as mother and daughter... but I want her to know that her heavenly Father is the One that has perfect love for her.

Ellie's first "swim!"

Taking a dip in Traverse City...

as if I needed a quiz to tell me this...

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Musician   Doo doo de doo waaaa doo de doo! (<-- That's you playing something.) Everyone appreciates the band/orchestra geeks and the pretty voices. Whether you sing in the choir, participate in a school/local band, or sit at home writing music, you contribute a joy to society that everyone can agree on. Yay! Welcome to actually doing something for poor, pathetic human souls. (Just kidding.)
Literature Nerd
Artistic Nerd
Drama Nerd
Social Nerd
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Science/Math Nerd
Anime Nerd
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quizzes for MySpace

talking

Click play for a video of Ellie "talking"... with a surprise ending!

Ellie is asleep, tentatively, in her baby seat for the moment so I'm taking advantage Iof the time. The speed with which she is growing and changing just floors me. This week she's been "talking" to us... babbling and making the cutest sounds back and forth. As soon as I get a good video I will post it. She's also a lot more interested in her toys and is awake for longer periods.

I'm starting to gear up for the inevitabe return to work. I go back July 2 and will fortunately be able to start back at half time, at least for a week or two. That will help me ease back in to the swing of things. I have such a strong peace from God about going back... He knows that I need that or else I would be even more of a mess than I already am. :-) He keeps reminding me that His hand is all over me having my job. It's so obvious that He wants me there and has continued to provide so many opportunities for me, both personally and to do well at my profession, not to mention giving me a job that I enjoy so much. Believe me, if I wasn't absolutely sure that God wanted me there, I would be going down to the welfare office in a heartbeat and gleefully signing us up for food stamps in order to stay home with Ellie! I am really coming to know Him more as my Rock that I hold on to during this time. I'm so thankful that Justin is going to be able to take care of her when I'm at work. He may need some help, but we'll know that soon, and we trust that God will provide.

In other news... we had Teen VBS last week, and had a teenager come to Christ on Sunday night! Praise God for that one! Please keep him in your prayers as our kids from this neighborhood face huge obstacles to their growth. We're gearing up for regular VBS next week. We had an awesome turnout last summer and are hoping to build on that.

Ellie Live...

Ellie loves to have her diaper changed... you can see her smile at the thought of it!

how time flies...

Yesterday, if you can believe it, Ellie turned 8 weeks old. She is just now starting to do well if i put her down in her bouncer or bassinet for a nap so I can get a few things accomplished, hence the lack of blog postings and the poor correspondence with many of you. She is finally beginning to act a bit more like a normal baby! Her reflux is much more under control, and she is having much longer periods of alertness. She's starting to be fascinated by her toys, our ceiling fans, and anything with a high contrast. She is just about the cutest thing I have ever seen.

We have had a parade of family for the last month. It's been great to see everyone. This weekend my dad and Lynne are here, hence the pic of Ellie and her Poppy. The last visitors were Mom and Richard two weeks ago, and the Millers came out two weeks before that. Next on the list are the aunties... Alison and Deena. We hope to see them this month sometime.

I have been keeping my Flickr site updated at the very least. For pics of Ellie, you can click here. Until I go back to work, large chunks of time are rare for me to post (Ellie is asleep in her bouncer right now, hand up in the air) but I will try and get as much up as possible.

She's Here

Sorry for the late post but it has been just a little hectic!

Elinor Ann Miller, otherwise known as Ellie, was born at 6:33 PM, Friday, April 6. She weighed 7 pouns 13 ounces and was 20.5 inches long.

Photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/praise711/sets/72157600063233155/

More to come soon!

latest update

Today Ellie weighed in at 7 pounds 3 ounces, according to the ultrasound. Her head is getting farther down and much more difficult to see. Good news.

the beginning of a long break

Today is the first day of my 14-week vacation. I guess it will really only be a vacation until Ellie gets here but I am enjoying these last few days, however many there may be. It's shaping up to be 75 degrees here today - extremely warm for March, and Ive already got all of the windows open.

It's a nice luxury to sit, sip my coffee, have my quiet time, and plan out what to do for the day... or just stare into space! I do have a bunch of thank you notes to finish. Here are some photos from the church shower as I mentioned before.


Lots of gifts from everyone!


Kadee and Jessica


Carolyn and the chow!

counting down

I have pictures of the church shower to post, which will occur as soon as I get to my laptop. The shower was last Saturday and a wonderful time. I have been really overwhelmed by everyone's generosity and their excitement for Ellie to be born. This is the hardest waiting I have ever done. I thought it was hard to wait for Justin to get back from Cambodia before we were married, but at least I knew when he was coming! I still feel like Ellie's not going to come out and I'm going to be pregnant for the rest of my life. I guess that's first-time mom jitters.

The weather has been turning warmer here and it's wonderful. We'll still probably have a cold snap before it breaks altogether but we've been enjoying lots of 50s and 60s. It's finally been warm enough for sandals and I celebrated by wearing a (very large) skirt for the first time since the early fall. I have felt very skirt-deprived all winter. It will be nice to wear normal clothes again eventually.

Today is my lat day of work until July. It really doesn't feel like it at all. The longest I've ever been off of work since my first job has been 2 months - first to go to China and then summer unemployment in Kansas City. The thought of being off for 14 weeks is insane. Wonderfully insane, but I still can't wrap my brain around it. I have a feeling that I'm going to miss and appreciate my job a lot more from the time off - which is a nice feeling. In the past it's been much more of a "good riddance" when I have some vacation!

We went out and got a camcorder last night! It's funny, the last time I owned a video camera it sat on my shoulder and popped out full-size VCR tapes. This one has only a hard drive and fits completely in the palm of my hand. It's insane. I know I sound like an old lady... "Back in my day..." but I guess I am getting pretty old. :-) Seeing that making home movies and recording in general was one of my all-time favorite activities when I was a kid, I'm suspecting that some interesting video blogging might result from this latest purchase! Look out YouTube. I've had to promise Justin already that I won't stalk him with the video camera as is my natural tendency. That will take a lot of self-control on my part.

healthy baby

Ellie passed her non-stress test today with flying colors. She even kicked the little monitor to make some noise for our benefit. I also had an ultrasound and she is currently 6 lbs 10 oz and right on target. I got to see some shots of her little face today! She has beautiful lips. :-) She is also head down (hence my waddling) and should be right on schedule if not early.

showering and gigging

Thursday was our first baby shower. It was at work, and I was frankly overwhelmed! There were tons of people, food, and generosity going around. I'm glad Justin got to come and meet everyone who he hears me talk about all the time! Photos, courtesy of Peng, attached at the end.

Saturday we had Shower #2 at Marie's house. It was, again, a great time and I got some very cool books for Ellie, including a surprise return of the infamous Bun Appetit from Laura. That one will have to wait until she is a bit older I'm afraid. I'm not sure I want "Victualize my voluptitude" to be her first words! Of course, I forgot to take photos. Duh. You can take my word for it that it was a blast.

Sunday night our praise band had our first "gig!" We got our "roadies" Justin and Andy to help us load up and truck over to Faith Fellowship where we played at their revival service. The best part was the look on Matt's face when he walked in to the sanctuary and saw that they had a REAL drumset. He was practically jumping up and down. We left the electric set in the truck and let him bang away, which sounded awesome. We rocked so hard we ended up blowing out our sound system, hee hee! ;-) I wonder what Ellie thought of all that noise. She will be one rockin' baby!


Xiaolei and me, looming large, at the work shower


Me, Justin, and Laura chatting it up


Gifts galore!

scary smokestacks

I can't find a decent video of this, just bits and pieces, but the stills are scary nonetheless. I have always had this strange fear of smokestacks (and other tall things) falling down since I was a kid. They're continuting to demolish the old GM plants here in Lansing and they blew up the smokestacks the other day. Scary. Click here for the pics from the Lansing State Journal. If I find a decent video clicp I'll put that up too. It just makes my stomach tie into knots!

wake up and smell the... bouquet

Matt's bump on the head must have knocked some sense into him... kind of like the proverbial holy 2X4... because since his little stint in the ER he has managed to buy Kadee a ring, propose to her, and even gotten her to say yes! We are all very excited! The future Mr. and Mrs. Kidd are currently basking in the glow of betrothal. Of course poor Kadee is now resigned to a life of firetrucks, various distracting shiny objects, vividly detailed comments about poo, and cute little quarter-Mexican children (girls of course).

congratualtions both of you... we love you!

the last straw

I've been filling some of you in on our floor saga. To make an extremely long story short, we have had tile disaster since we tore up our kitchen and dining room floor in September. From contractors who didn't show at all, to one who disappeared in the middle of the job, to Justin and Matt learning how to cut tile and getting covered head to foot in slate mud, to the grout not coming off the tiles, to me being pregnant and incapable of helping, to Justin throwing out his back... who thought it could get worse. As I was coming home Friday at noon, Justin called to tell me not to park in the driveway so that there was room for the ambulance. Apparently Matt, our resident hazmat technician, got a nice whiff of the hydrochloric acid in the grout remover, passed out when he tried to stand up, and made a very impressive hole with his forehead in the kitchen wall. (Which he now thinks is "sweet.") Yes he is OK, but we all had a fun time in the ER on Friday afternoon. AND, to boot, the grout remover didn't even remotely work.

I REALLY think we could make it on to some HGTV show at this point. "DIY Disasters" or "Ghetto Grouting" or something like that. Oy vey!

frozen

Just had to say as my car very reluctantly started this morning I noticed that the thermometer said -5. We are definitely paying for 60 in December.

Jackson Pics

Here are some brand new family photos thanks to Kadee. Matt and Jill are proud parents!

Welcome Jackson!

I am happy to be the first to report that Jackson Matthew Cobb was born this morning at 4AM, weighing in at 7 lbs. 8 oz. and measuring 20.3" long. Jill had to have a C-section and will be in the hospital until Monday. I'm so excited to welcome the firstborn of Immanuel's newest 2007 generation baby boom! I'm sure the proud parents will have photos up ASAP - check out the Cobb Family blogs for updates. More soon.

the inevitable

So Justin and I went to our first of 6 childbirth classes last night. I didn't realize it was his first time seeing a video of a live birth. I guess in Oklahoma it's illegal to show that kind of thing in public school, or at least it was in the 80s. He did very well! No leaving the room or turning pale or barfing, even when the nurse gave the poor guys in the room a vivid analogy about the pain of labor, comparing it to having a blood pressure cuff wrapped around their um... nether regions and having it set to go off every 2 minutes! I'm actually more squeamish than he is when it comes to that stuff. I know I won't be able to watch OR listen when they talk about epidurals... the very thought of a big old needle anywhere near my spine makes me want to pass out!

It's been a busy week and the time seems like it's both flying and dragging endlessly until the baby comes. I have lots to do at work before my leave and the house is coming along really nicely. It looks like there are going to be 3 showers planned, which will be great fun. Winter has also finally decided to show up here - a few weeks ago the temperature dropped and it's been nice, frigid, and snowy ever since. I didn't realize how much I missed the sparkling, breathtakingly cold "real" winter! I just hope it doesn't last till June this year. ugh.

return of the man-pit

I am so excited, our basement, otherwise known as the man-pit, is almost done. Justin painted a very manly stripe along the wall the other night and we're getting ready to have the new carpet put down tomorrow. The men will be able to return to their lair of TV, movies, and snacking soon, and Justin's new office/storage will be ready too. We'll even have a new table for studying and space for the baby to play. While I don't recommend taking on a house renovation project during pregnancy due to the stress levels incurred and unreliability of contractors, I am going to be SO happy with the new room. Sighs of relief have been coming out of me for days. Finishing the basement means I'll finally be able to get the nursery done and our kitchen/dining room will follow soon after. There is finally a glimmer of hope that I will have a complete house again soon. Justin and Matt have been working their respective bootys off... i will need to send them on a vacation.

Our Winter "Vacation!"

We had a very unexpected extra four days in Oklahoma. The gorgeous, 68 degree weather which we enjoyed on Thursday turned into a much more Michigan-like setting an hour before our flight was scheduled to leave from Tulsa on Friday. Justin's parents lost power first, then phone, then water... you can see why in this photo! Luckily we had a propane heater to keep us warm. With the house being at the bottom of a long, steep hill with a gate right in the middle, it took us two days to actually get out to town. We spent the time reading, playing cards, sleeping, and doing crosswords. Click here for a bunch more of my storm photos.

Our flight was supposed to leave on Friday and was cancelled an hour before we got to the airport. Then it was Sunday... then Tuesday... finally we managed to make it back to Lansing last night. I was never so happy to see Lansing from the plane! Meanwhile, the Millers probably won't have power for at least another week. Luckily they were able to make it to a friend's house to stay for the time being.

We had a good rest of the trip, getting to see both grandmothers and a whole bunch of other family. Justin got to have his favorite Hot Hamburger (the world's nastiest food) at Murphy's Steak House in Bartlesville, where we also saw Kevin, Kara, and their adorable daughter Grace. We also went baby shopping in Muskogee and visited Oklahoma City where we got to see Stephen Wright, Bill and Lori Hicks, and David & Amy Sparks. Stephen took this shot of Justin and me enjoying the last of the gorgeous weather.

week of calm... sorta

We've returned from a New England Christmas - although snow and sleigh bells were replaced by all this warm weather it was still nice to be home. The grand tour took us to Niantic, Pawcatuck, and Boston, with a stop at the Mystic Seaport for a lantern light tour - one of those cool things I haven't done since I was kid. It was like a live version of the History Channel. Good to see family as always... and who knows when we will get out there again with the little one coming.

This week we're playing catchup with the house projects. The nursery is coming along and I now have a dresser in which to put all the vintage 1970s baby clothes that my mom brought out of the attic. The scary thing is that I actually remember wearing those plaid corduroy bell bottoms to nursery school! Denise and I ventured down to Ikea yesterday and picked up some extra things. We also got the travel system stroller/car seat combo that we've been eyeing. It really seems like there is a baby coming soon...

On the 1st, Jill put up our new web stie for church - immanuellive.com. Check it out! We will have pics for the photo gallery soon. She did an awesome job in getting all that info up there. We have now entered the 21st century... at least technologically speaking!

On Monday we're headed out to Oklahoma to see the in-laws. We're hopefully going to get to see family and grandparents and also meet up with some friends in OKC. Our much-anticipated Sonic trips may have to be limited due to the fact that I've developed a mild case of gestational diabetes... so no cherry limeaides for me this trip... the sugar-free ones just don't cut it. ugh.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year. I'll write again upon our return from the OK state.