Month: July 2011

  • 4 Months of Glory

    4 Months of Glory

    Elliott is officially 4 months old!



    I can’t believe how much Elliott has grown up this last month…it’s just the greatest joy in the world to watch…!


    Elliott now weighs 16 lbs 5oz and is 27 1/4 inches tall! What a mighty little man!!


    Here are LOTS of highlights from the last month of Elliott’s life!


    the evolution of the jumper toy

    Brian has been soooo excited to put Elliott in this bouncer since he was *very little*. Check out these first three pictures. Elliott is about a month and a half old, and Brian just really, really, really wanted him to be able to play in it :). 

    A month and a half old in the Jumper
    Even on the lowest setting his feet weren’t even close to reaching the bottom, so Brian put this large textbook underneath him so his feet would touch :). 
    Look how little he is!!!

    Well, we tried again just after his 3 month birthday and he was *instantly* captivated with all of the colors and pictures. As soon as we put him in it, he just stared at the cartoons on the side for several minutes. I love watching his brain tick!

    He loves his new bouncy toy!
    “Look at how I can keep my head up now!”
    “…and I’m finally tall enough to reach the floor!”

     Just a few days later he began to intentionally reach for and grab things, not just unconsciously grab objects. I caught it on camera as he, for the first time, noticed this little bear and reached for him over and over. 

    Very near his four month birthday he started playing with the little rings on the bouncy toy. He sees them, reaches for them, and slides them back and forth! Good job, little buddy!!



    this month, he found his toes




    he’s started sucking his thumb



    he wants to crawl so badly!

    It was  hard to get a great picture of it, but he LOVES tucking his knees under him and scooting himself forward.  Every time we put him on his back, he instantly rolls over onto his tummy, but after a few minutes he gets really frustrated because he wants to MOVE…but he can’t! He can also rotate himself in a complete circle while on his tummy, but still doesn’t know how to roll over onto his back again.

    he is trying to sit up

    He can “sit up” by himself for a bout 3.5 seconds, and then he falls over :). 

    he is starting to grow some hair!!!

    This is the worst quality picture ever, but look! Look!! He’s just come from taking a bath and you can see all of his little hairs matted together! He’s not completely bald!!

    first family vacation…San Diego!



    which included his first plane ride

    Getting ready to feed him for take-off!

    Sooo happy standing on the tray table!

    We got him his very first teething book (he can chew on the corners) for the plane ride so he would have something new, fun, and quiet to do during the flight :). 

    his first foreign country

    Check out my last post: The Mexican Mobergs


    his first swim

    Baby Shark and Daddy Shark


    What a full month we have had!! And, finally, here are a few of my favorite candid shots of him from this last month… Hope you enjoy our little man’s face as much as we do :).

    Gross, yes…but a true glimpse into our world of spit up :).



  • The Mexican Mobergs

    The Mexican Mobergs

    Those of you who know me, know the deep love I have in my heart for Mexicans. For Spaniards. For anyone with that perfectly brown skin, round brown eyes and dark brown hair. I really don’t know how on earth I ever gained such an affinity for Latinos. I always dreamed of marrying a Latino man. A very tall Latino man, that is. For as long as I can remember, I remember saying, “When I grow up, I want to teach English to little children in Mexico.” That was long before I had ever spoken a word of their language let alone set a foot on their land. When I began taking Spanish my freshmen year of high school, I quickly fell in love with the language, encouraging this little dream in my heart. The summer after my junior year I spent three weeks in Mexico studying the language and learning about the rich culture. I was captivated. My host family called me “Susy” because “Susana is far too formal,” my host mama explained. My host brother and sister quickly nicknamed me “Susips.”

     

    I’ll never forget the vivid awakening I got the morning I arrived in Mexico at a mere 17 years old. My flight had arrived around 2am so by the time I got to the house it was somewhere around 4 in the morning. I started class that day, so I went to bed knowing I had just a couple hours to sleep. The loud knock that awoke me practically caused me to jump out of my skin.

     

    I opened my eyes to see a wooden door that I did not recognize. I had no idea where I was. No idea. And some lady on the other side of the door, whom I didn’t know, was speaking some jumble of words that I did not understand. At all. I could tell by the inflection of her voice that she was asking me a question. After at least a minute of pounding and yelling at me, my first moment of recognition came.

     

    Spanish. She was speaking Spanish.

    Mexico. I was in Mexico.

     

    Yes…that’s right. I flew in the day before, landed in the middle of the night, and now it was time for me to start my first day of classes. I was in what was to be my home for the next 3 weeks. The lady speaking was probably my host mom. I thought I had remembered meeting her several hours earlier…yes, I was sure that was her…

     

    And all the while the pounding and talking continued and intensified. I snapped into reality. Focus! I told myself.

     

    And finally, I caught a word: “Desayuno.” Oh, so familiar…Don’t fail me now, oh espanol. Clearly three years of high school Spanish was not enough to prepare me for this. Desayuno, desayuno…what does it mean…? Wait! I got it! BREAKFAST! It means “breakfast”! She’s asking me what I want to eat for breakfast!!

    The excitement and pride only lasted a split second before it occurred to me that now that I knew what she was asking, I needed to ANSWER her. Okay, I can do this. I can do this. Breakfast words….hmmm, breakfast words…. My mind flipped through the pages of my 1985 Spanish textbook, trying to find the picture of the family sitting around the table eating one morning with all of the little breakfast words highlighted in bold. HUEVOS! I know how to say, “eggs”! I blurted it out as soon as it came to my mind, so relieved that my first morning would not be an epic fail.

     

    “Huevos!” I shouted back. Come on, Susanne, think. “Huevos, por favor!” Good, good… “Me gustan huevos!”

     

    Yes! I had done it! I had constructed my very first sentence ever in the Spanish real world.

     

    Anyway. I regress. My point is, small beginnings. Verryyyy small beginnings. But those 3 weeks in Mexico were certainly foundational to my Spanish-speaking skills, which would be an integral part of the next several years of my life.

     

    I went on to take AP Spanish as a Senior, studied in Spain my sophomore year of college, taught in a Spanish immersion classroom for my first teaching job…and all the while I dreamed of marrying that tall Latino man who would give me brown haired, brown eyed Latino babies one day. And my babies would grow up speaking both Spanish and English and we would all live happily ever after. In my waiting, I developed an affinity for naming my most endearing possessions with Spanish names. Most of you know Chiquita, my beloved Honda Accord (who has now grown up and moved out from under my roof…sniff, sniff.), Felipe, my  Mac Powerbook (who has been my almost constant companion for the last 6 years and who is, unfortunately, dying a slow painful death. I have to keep a close eye on Felipe because Brian keeps trying to put him to sleep for good) and of course, iPaco (nicknamed iPaquito) who is my sweet little ipod. I was a lady in waiting, but I wasn’t going to let them stop me from having little Latino loves.

     

    But then…thee Mr. Brian Moberg walked into my life. Who is, incidentally, about as far from Latino as they come. (But he is quite tall!) When I’ve attempted to teach him Spanish in the past he always—and I mean always—responds with “Oui”…no matter what I’m saying. Sigh. When I fell in love with him, so did my dreams of living la vida loca.
    But when we got pregnant, my passions were stirred once again and I began to dream. I was convinced—convinced—that the baby in my womb was part Latino. I just really believed my God could take Brian’s genes and my genes and form a little Latino baby in my womb. If God really loved me, maybe he would give me a brown baby. Hey, stranger things have happened. Maybe, when I ingested that parasite last summer in Mazatlan that made me so sick when I was 10 weeks pregnant with Elliott, it left a little trace of Mexicano in my womb…but only time would tell.

     

    So when Elliott came out, with blue eyes and skin as fair as his mother’s (who was so pale when she was born that the doctors thought there was something terribly wrong with her), I realized fairly quickly that I needed to move on to greater dreams for my son. But, it wasn’t long before I started plotting to have a Spanish nanny come live with us. Not because I wanted a nanny, but because I wanted Elliott to grow up with Spanish influence. And I just really, really, really like being around Latino people!

     

    Well, the Lord must have heard my prayers. Because several weeks ago, we were invited to go visit some new friends down at a YWAM (Youth With A Mission) base in–get thisBaja, Mexico. And, my gringo husband was actually excited about it! Visions instantly danced through my head of Brian, Elliott, and I wearing sombreros and eating tacos. I could hear Elliott toothlessly shouting out his first word: “guacamole.” I could see Brian wearing a cape and shouting “Ole!” as a giant bull ran past him. Yes…yes! My dream was being realized.

     

    Here is a picture of Elliott with his feet on Mexican soil (err, concrete…) for the very first (and hopefully not the last!) time. Look at how overjoyed he is! He was made to be Mexican!!!! I’m just sure it’s in his blood!!
    On our drive back across the border to the US, my heart was humming with overflowing joy. I was one happy Senora. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face as I drank in the reality of what had just happened. My 4 month old had had his very first trip to Mexico (outside the womb). As we drove by cars packed full with little brown children practically hanging out the windows, I have to admit that there was such a sense of feeling at home. I just love these people. I think they are hilarious and wonderful. No one does life like the Mexicans. You can’t sit in traffic without someone offering to wash your car (illegally) or give you a mango on a stick or cook you a burrito or sell you a giant life-sized plastic turtle. Because waiting in a line of cars for 75 minutes certainly makes one realize that one cannot go on one more second without that turtle in hand. Ahh, Mexico!

     

    We were only in Mexico for a quick 48 hour whirlwind, but I just know it was the best 48 hours of Elliott’s entire existence. I even think he looks more like a Mexican now, don’t you?

     


    With love, 
    The Mexican Mobergs
  • Elliott’s Nursery!

    Elliott’s Nursery!

    I’ve really wanted to put up pictures of Elliott’s transportation-themed nursery, so here I am…finally doing so :).

    Brian LOVED putting together the crib & changing table…perfect finds from his favorite store…COSTCO :). We were so blessed to find the EXACT style/color of furniture that we wanted at Costco at the exact time we needed it! Yahoo!!



    As you may or may not remember from a post in March, my dear friend Amy Wallace and her mom made us these PERFECT, WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL wall hangings and quilt. They are my favorite parts of his room…every day I just stare at them and marvel at Amy and her mom’s talent…! I’m so grateful!!!



    My sweet sister-in-law Melanie made us a crib skirt out of one of the fabrics from the quilt. You can see it below. I love knowing such talented people :).





    The infamous, Glory-of-God-in-a-rocking-chair is below…thanks again, Mom and Dad, for making it possible for me to have the best rocking chair on the planet!!! I love it, and think of you EVERY time I sit in it!!





    One of the last projects I worked on before Elliott was born: 



    A close up of the wall hangings



    A cute little touch:



    Melisa got us this little sign for our anniversary last year: “Just when you think you know love, something little comes along to remind you just how big is really is…a beautiful little baby.” 


    How true it is…our love has grown so much more in the last almost-4 months! Our love for each other has grown and our love for our little E.B. grows exponentially daily…what a gift he is. We do not take him for granted. We praise God for our little gift of love every day!
  • Auntie Danielle

    Auntie Danielle

    My dear friend Danielle and her two beautiful girls were in town for a quick few hours today and she finally got to meet my Elliott. It’s bittersweet when God calls one of your best friends to move far, far away to pursue the call he has on her family…I couldn’t be more thrilled for every way the Boleys have come alive in the last several months and for the ways that they are pouring out their lives to help others know the Lord more and advance the Kingdom of God. But I have been quite aware of the void that there is in my heart not having Danielle–my friend who loves deeply–near, especially when sweet Elliott was born and she wasn’t able to come meet him when he was hours old. BUT…but :). It was amazing how quickly I forgot about how hard it has been to not have her in Tacoma as soon as she scooped him up in her arms today. Danielle has been loving little Elliott from afar these last few months, and it was like a floodgate of love poured out on him when he was in her arms. And although beautiful Raegan has continued to blossom even more vibrantly and sweet Anabelle has changed from a baby into a driven, determined little girl in the last 6 months, it feels like we haven’t skipped a beat.  
    What joy to be with my friend today. What joy to have our kids under the same roof for a few hours. And, strangely–what joy to send her right back to Kona with a firm embrace, knowing she is right in the middle of God’s plan for her life. 
    Love you so much, Danielle!!
  • All American, Baby!!

    All American, Baby!!

    Be warned…this “4th of July” post is mostly a big excuse to post a bunch of themed pictures of Elliott.
    🙂
    Elliott just loved his first 4th of July (outside the womb). It was a glorious day here in Tacoma. The 4th of July is definitely one of those days where it is just an utmost blessing to be in the house we’re in…front row seats to all the celebrations!
    We sat out on our deck to watch the famous air show.
    Boats gather from all around to watch

    If you look veeerrrrry closely at the following picture, you can see an aircraft hovering above the water. This was, by far, the coolest part of the air show. Here’s the paragraph that describes this plane:

    USMC – AV-8 Harrier Demonstration Born during the national call-to-arms immediately following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Marine Fighting Squadron 311 (VMF-311) was first organized on December 1, 1942. The Squadron has deployed in World War II, the Korean war, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and now in Afghanistan and Iraq. The AV-8 Harrier aircraft has Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing (V/STOL) capabilities which allows this jet to practically hover in mid-air.

    It demonstrated the Vertical takeoff and hovered over the water for a LONG time…sooo cool!!

    Ahhh, Mount Rainier…you are perfect.

    4th of July snuggles

    Look at this kid. Could there possibly be a cuter All American Baby?

    We were trying to do some “artsy” photos with this stool… As you can see, Elliott doesn’t look so sure about the whole idea… Ah, well…we tried :).

    Red, White, and Blue!

    He does this thing where he sucks on his lower lip…I just think it’s the CUTEST…

    And now, for a series of adorable faces from Thee One and Only, Elliott Adorable Moberg!

    If I ever take up photography, I would like to ONLY photograph my own child. I can’t get enough of his little face!!

    IN OTHER NEWS:
    (Congratulations if you’ve made it this far through the post!)

    Elliott has started sleeping through the night. I’m sorry, did you catch that? My little man has all of a sudden decided he doesn’t need me anymore at 3am. I’m not quite ready to say “He’s sleeping through the night,” but he has sure STARTED to!! He’s now done it 3 times in 5 days. The first night he did it was the night of July 3rd. So I woke up around 3:30am like normal and was surprised he hadn’t cried yet. I couldn’t quite let myself fall all the way back asleep because I was expecting him to cry at any minute. But then I looked at the clock at 4…4:30…5…5:30…6… and he was STILL ASLEEP!!! The funniest part is that every time Brian woke up and realized he wasn’t awake yet, he would ask (because he was trying to be helpful), “Oh, do you want me to go get him?” “No!!!!” I would laugh. “Let him sleep!!” And sure enough, that was our little 4th of July present from our sweet Elliott: first time sleeping through the night (10:30pm-7:15am). I feed him consistently between 7:15 and 7:30 every morning, so as SOON as the clock struck 7:15 and we heard him make the tiniest noise, we both bolted into his room…we couldn’t wait to see him and congratulate him!! This is a memorable day for us, as last year on the 4th of July we found out we were pregnant. What joy!!!!  

    Happy 4th, Everyone!!