We are overjoyed to announce the newest addition to this Moberg family…I have the honor of growing another sweet little love in my womb!!!
I have just crossed the 11 week mark in my pregnancy, and I’m not going to lie–the last 5 weeks have had their fair share of challenges. Nothing compared to my pregnancy with my perfect sweet little Elliott, but nonetheless…challenging. The toilet bowl has once again regained the title of “bff” (it’s a love-hate relationship) and I am a slave to food. I am fatigued beyond fatigue and carry my Tums with me every where I go to try to keep my lunch from crawling back up my throat. Life is challenging right now. YET…I wrote the following thoughts the very first day that I threw up this pregnancy, and I wanted to share them, both as a reminder for myself and hopefully as an encouragement to others. It has only gotten harder since, but nonetheless, I cling to the truth of the promises here. I hope that these words bring comfort, revelation, and a new joy to all those women out there who have tough pregnancies.
February 11, 2012
Scripture talks about the fact that the greater we suffer with Christ, the greater glory will be revealed in us. Suffering, in any form, teaches us to identify with our Savior, who, as an innocent man, suffered a grueling death that he did not deserve. And then there’s the verse in Hebrews 12: “For the joy set before him, he endured the cross…”
I’ve had this verse running through my head for about a year and a half now. Ever since I realized that I was one of the chosen ones to endure 9 months of vomiting in order to pop a baby out, I haven’t been able to get this Scripture out of my head. Because I knew we would have more kids–we weren’t going to stop at one–but with every addition, I would KNOW exactly what I was about to endure. And yet–yet–it is the JOY that is set before me that gives me the strength to endure.
It’s been 10 months and 21 days (but who’s counting?) since I’ve thrown up. And as I clung to the toilet seat this afternoon, the Scripture that accompanied every vomit with Elliott ran through my head again. I heard myself say out loud, “Okay…” in between hurls. An acknowledgment that it’s time to really start enduring. So many thoughts and emotions and resolves hung up in that word, “Okay.” “Okay, Sus, it’s time to put your game face on…” “Okay, just 8 1/2 more months to go…” “Okay, you can do this…” “Okay, you’re going to make it…’ “Okay…this is for you, Sweet Baby Beta…this is all for you.”
And, as motherhood continues to do, Jesus reveals his love for me to me even more. Because I am doing this all for one…one precious life, that I do not take for granted. Don’t get me wrong–I wouldn’t mind cramming a few more babies in there so that at least I could suffer once for two or three! But–it is all so worth it for my one. This little one is worth it, this little one is worth it all. To say Elliott was worth 9 months of throwing up is the most obscene understatement of all time. To say he was “worth” waiting 10 extra days for him to come, painfully laboring for 8 of those, all to end up in an emergency c-section…to say he was “worth” all of that? No way. I need a much stronger, much more powerful word. I can’t think of a single thing I wouldn’t endure to bring his life into this world.
And so I understand Christ’s love more than ever before. Because He suffered for all of us, but He would have died just for me. Because he loves me that much. Because I–alone–am worth it to Him. And the fact that I know that my re-birth into my new life in Christ came because of His sacrifice sobers me.
So now I wait for Baby Beta. I endure for Baby Beta. And I endure with joy. I do not look at this pregnancy as if it were an inconvenience to my life…it is my honor, myjoy to bring life into this world. And the fact that this life will come as a result of suffering? Well, I say, the greater glory that will come!! I want Elliott, and Baby Beta, to grow up knowing that they were WORTH my sacrifice. And I did not sacrifice begrudgingly or with complaint, but with joy in my heart for the prize that was set before me. (And, oh!! What a prize!!) And I pray that this understanding would begin to give them both revelation of the gift that our Savior gave to them…a gift that came with a cost. But it was for the joy set before Him that he endured…and so I pray that they would each know their value and their worth. That if they had each been the only one on earth, Jesus would have died for them.
Our sweet baby Elliott turns ONE on March 20th! Although we are SO excited to simply celebrate the past year of his life, we also feel prompted to turn his birthday celebration outward and change the lives of a family in need. Elliott, in reality, has everything he needs. So we thought, “What if we direct the money that would be spent on Elliott towards a family who doesn’t even have a home?”
Would you like to be a part of changing the lives of a family forever by helping build them a home in honor of Elliott’s first birthday?
Here’s how you can help:
1. Pray for us! We need to raise $5,700 to build the home. For an additional $1,800 we can purchase furniture and appliances for the home (beds, curtains, stove, etc.). Please pray that we raise the money and also that this is a life-changing event for the family we’re building a home for and for all of us who have the honor to build and donate!
2. Donate money towards the house! Elliott does not have the expectation that anyone would buy him a present for his birthday. However, if you were/are considering buying him a gift or card, would you instead donate that money towards the cost of the house? Even if you weren’t going to get him a gift, would you consider donating money towards the cost of the house? We will give him one card signed from everyone who donates toward the house.
If you would like to donate, you can do so online under the “Support” tab here on our website. Be sure to clarify that the money is for the house build, not our regular support. Or, feel free to send us a check (again, noting that it’s for the house build):
Brian + Susanne Moberg
YWAM–TJ Base
P.O. Box 5417
Chula Vista, CA 91912
Some further -very honest- thoughts…
Brian and I got this idea in our spirits several months ago. We really sat on the thought and prayed about it because we knew it would be a lot of work–both to organize the house build and to raise the money. Not to mention the time and money it would cost those who are coming to build with us. But we really felt like our idea was from God. We want our family to be marked by giving away. We want Elliott to know from the youngest of ages that although he is the absolute gem and treasure of our lives, although we adore him to the point of not being able to take our eyes off of him, although we want him to have EVERYTHING he needs as well as some fun toys throughout his life…he is NOT the center of the universe. We want him to know that our lives are meant to be lived outward. We want him to have conviction over the fact that it is more blessed to give than to receive. We want him to experience the joy in giving, in pouring out, in changing the lives of any person that God puts in our path.
As strong as this conviction is in my spirit, I’ll be honest–it’s been hard for me at times thinking about it. Those of you who know me, know that I L-O-V-E throwing a good party! 😉 It’s one of the ways that I love to love people. Whereas some may look at a perfectly planned out, thought out event as unnecessary or a waste of time, energy, and resources, blessing others in this way is truly one of the things that brings me life and joy. So, fittingly, I’ve dreamt many times over Elliott’s short lifetime of his very first birthday party. Of the cool presents I want to get him, of the awesome cake I want to make, of the theme–thought out to every detail. And not that I won’t ever be able to do that for him, but this year–it’s in our spirits to keep it SIMPLE. I was looking at party blogs (a DANGEROUS passtime for me) and I started to get a little sad that I wouldn’t be able to throw him this extravagant birthday party. But then, I realized–this is exactly why we’re doing this. As soon as I thought about a family with several kids sleeping on a cardboard floor and then aligned Elliott’s extravagant construction birthday party next to that picture…I was sick to my stomach. AGAIN–I’m definitely not saying that Elliott will never get a themed birthday party that’s all about him one day (trust me!) but THIS YEAR…God is doing something in our family. Probably mostly in me :). Even if I were going to just spend $100 on Elliott’s birthday party, this year I would rather spend that $100 on the paint that will cover the wooden slabs of the walls of the home that will be a family’s very first real shelter from the wind and the rain. I think about the $25 I might spend on party favors for our guests, and I would rather spend that $25 on sheets for the very first beds that these children have ever slept on. I think about the $50 I might spend on the cutest themed, extravagant food and I would rather put that $50 towards a stove for the family who has never even dreamed of having such a luxury.
I am writing this with tears streaming down my face, broken over the fact that my heart still wrestles at times over wanting Elliott to have “extravagant” when so many families don’t even have “basic”. So here you go, world–the honest struggles of this mommy :). I am so, so, so grateful that God has put this in our hearts this year. I am so, so, so grateful that He is doing this transformation in my heart. I am so, so, so overwhelmingly grateful that He’s going to use us–and many of you!–to literally redirect the course of this family’s lives forever.
The two young Mexican men who are students in our DTS class are here, ultimately, because their families were without homes when they were young and Homes of Hope (that’s the name of this ministry in YWAM) built them one. And that, again, floods my eyes with tears. I wish you could meet these two guys. They are WORLD-CHANGERS. Jonas has a burning fire inside of him that youth would know the REAL God…not the God who disciplines and tells you you’re going to Hell if you don’t follow him. But the God of mercy, grace, justice, and JOY. He is passionate about showing youth that living your life with God can be the ADVENTURE of your lifetime, much more rewarding than any pleasure you could get from the world. Then there’s Luis. Oh, Luis. This tough-looking Mexican man has one of the softest hearts of anyone I’ve met. He weeps over his family, his friends, and the lost. He weeps with a deep love and a fierce compassion. You will find him in the lowest of the lowest of places, serving, loving, and praying. Both of these men will–mark my my words–change the face of this nation. They are rising to positions of confidence, believing that they are, indeed, LEADERS. Believing that they have a call on their lives. Believing that God plucked them out of the mire and set them on firm ground.
And they are here because someone built them a home.
What if that group of people who built them a home that weekend had said, “No”? Where would these two be today? I’ve often wondered that…
Well, my friends. All that to say, we are organizing a house build in honor of our sweet Elliott’s first birthday. I hope you will consider donating towards this house. The house build takes place in just under a month. PLEASE–consider this opportunity to alter the course of the lives of a family in need.
When Brian, Elliott and I first crossed the border into Mexico last July to check out this YWAM base and begin the decision process of packing up our lives to become missionaries, Sean and Janet Lambert took us to the most important place on the tour first. We crossed the border and they said, “Before you see anything else, we’d like you to meet Josefina.”
I see now how that was so representative of Sean and Janet’s hearts. Yes, yes…we eventually saw the two Mexico YWAM campuses and over time we heard stories of the ways this particular YWAM base functions. We learned about Sean and Janet’s history and how they started this base. But first–first–it was important that we SEE. It was most important that we SEE the fruit of this ministry. KISS the cheek of the woman who can now safely lock her family in their home at night. TOUCH the hands of these beautiful children who no longer have to dig through trash for food and toys. So we met Josefina and her beautiful son and daughter. And that, my friends, was the moment my heart was captured.
Grab a box of tissues and watch these two videos below if you would like to meet Josefina, too.
BEFORE
AFTER
Finally. (Is this the world’s longest blog post?) Finally, I believe that we as a society are often so overwhelmed by the needs in this world that we shut down and do nothing because we know we can’t possibly help “them all.” I wrote a post several months ago, The Greatest, The One, that articulates this wrestle in my own spirit. Though Brian and I have both wept over the vast amount of poverty we see in this world, we are committed to helping the one in front of us. When I met Josefina and her two darling children, I was not overwhelmed by the vast need in Mexico. I was overwhelmed at how the sacrifice of one weekend, a little bit of hard work, and some money from a group of Canadians changed this ONE family forever.
Will you consider helping us build a home for ONE family? Will you consider helping the ONE?
You know what comes next, don’t you? I can barely even type the words…
THE.
ONE.
YEAR.
MARK.
Good grief! My baby is so BIG!!!
Elliott continues to be a crawling, climbing, laughing, smiling, babbling bundle of contagious joy. He’s been working hard this month on feeding himself real food, repeating sounds, trying to do everything we’re doing, and learning how to stand on his own.
He’s been super close to standing on his own for a while, and he’d do it for mili-seconds at a time, but at the beginning of February he started FOR REAL standing on his own. He was standing, playing with his Alphabet Train and just decided to let go! We both started clapping and then he thought that was the most fun game ever. He would just stand there and clap and laugh with us as we cheered him on. He did it so many times before it occurred to me to get the camera so I jumped up and grabbed it and captured this beautiful moment:
Yay!!!!!
Possibly my favorite picture of all time. I love his joy!!!!!
Bath time is becoming one of Elliott’s favorite activities. For those 8 weeks we were traveling over seas we just showered with him because there were no tubs available. So, when we arrived to Tacoma to stay at my dear friend Courtney’s house, we were overjoyed to have a real TUB. We put him in it, and…he cried. A LOT. But he got used to it within a few minutes, and after about 15, splashing in the tub was his new favorite.
The thing I love most about our new house is our bathtub. It is incredible. I’ve never seen a bathtub like this–it’s SQUARE! And huge! So bath time is like swimming in a swimming pool :).
His favorite part is looking at his "friend" in the metal mirror…he usually gives him lots of kisses :).I LOVE this picture because it shows all of his teeth!This makes me laugh 🙂"Ooohhh…"Towel snuggles with Mom……and Dad
Eating has continued to be quite a steep learning curve…he still gags and chokes when we try to give him food other than purees. But since he loves doing EVERYTHING we do these days, he always wants to eat what I’m eating. So one day when I was eating a pear and he wanted some, I figured I’d let him try a few bites…
And he did AWESOME! No choking or gagging, and he wanted more!!
I KNOW we need to work on this skill, so one day I gave him small pieces of banana and he gagged on them and threw up. So then it occurred to me to give him a big chunk of banana (totally counter-intuitive, right?) because he LOVES taking bites of my pear. Sure enough…he safely ate the whole thing without gagging even once. Doesn’t make any sense to me, but I’m just going along with it…
Yes, those are Christmas jammies. Because we LOVE Christmas in this household and it WILL be celebrated year-round!
Some playful parts of the month:
A good family friend, Sherrie Paul, sent Elliott this A-MAZING alphabet book…he LOVES it (almost as much as I do!)
His favorite page is the "F is for football" page (You'd be proud, Coach & Mrs.!)"Don"t worry, I've got this, Mom."
A little photo shoot that we had with Auntie Melisa:
Learning to walk with one handLaughing so hard at Melisa's sillinessThis is his new favorite way to sit.
Now for some less-glorious parts of the month:
Have you EVER seen a fatter lip than this one?!He had a cold for about a week, and this was what he constantly looked like…a snot moustache and a drool goatee…
And, last but not least…a few of my favorite Elliott faces from the month. For some reason, the nickname I hear Brian and I call Elliott the most lately is, “Buddy Face.” No idea how that came about, but here are some cute faces from The Buddy Face himself…
"Oh yeah!""What's up?"Plotting…I love this face.My sweet 11 month old!
Our son is officially in the double digits!! The big 1-0!! 10 MONTHS!!! The next time we’ll be able to say that will be when he is 10 years old, which feels like it’s going to happen in the blink of an eye. March 20, 2021 is practically next week!
Well, big surprise—Elliott continues to be our absolute greatest delight. The other day I got to stay home with him all day by myself (unfortunately because I am sick, but that’s beside the point) and it amazes me still that I have never gotten tired of him…not even once in his 10 months of life. I have never had that moment, “I just a need a break from him!” In fact, I still hate leaving him…I still would rather be with him than do just about anything else.
We simply adore him. I think I say that every time I write about him, but that’s the way it is…If you were a fly on our wall, those are the words you would hear coming out of our mouths. He is simply the best. He is simply the most wonderful. He is simply the greatest gift of a child.
Elliott is happiest when he is moving. He’s really always been like that, but the desire to move has increased! He walks along everything and pulls himself up onto everything. He loves opening and closing cabinets and drawers. One of his favorite games is “The Chase Game.” He squeals with delight, trying to catch his breath while he laughs and crawls as fast as he can as I run after him and say, “I’m gonna get you!” He still loves “Peekaboo,” and any game where the object is to laugh and laugh and laugh…
Here are some of Elliott’s favorites this month:
Giving kisses.
Oh my word, I wish I could put into words how wonderful it is when Elliott gives kisses. He opens his mouth as big as it can go, sticks his tongue out ever so slightly, and plants his open mouthed French kiss anywhere you’ll let him. He prefers the cheek and the mouth. And when he’s feeling especially affectionate, he will do it over and over and over again…Ahhh, it is my favorite.
Clapping.
He kind of looks like he's on the verge of crying here, but he's actually just really, really happy, ha!!
He started clapping last month and now it is one of his favorite things to do. For some strange reason, he loves to clap when I am changing his diaper… ?? He literally does it every time I put him on the changing table. It is so hilarious, and I was telling Brian about it and told him we should video it because it’s so funny. Well, sure enough—something about having Brian in the room and the camera made him camera shy because he didn’t do it anything like he normally does, and we tried twice! I’ll put a video below of the best video we got, but I’m telling you, this doesn’t even come close to doing the cuteness justice.
Whistling.
What 9 ½ month old whistles? Brian Moberg’s son, that’s who. (Brian’s won whistling contests, you know!) Yes, you heard me correctly, Elliott is whistling. This whole month his favorite and most common face is the “o” face…you know, when you put your lips like a little tiny “o”…like when you want to whistle. Well one day, the whistle came out. I couldn’t believe it. And he now whistles an average of 2 or 3 times a day… Yep, you heard it here first, folks.
Whistling Face as he goes into the Mexico Home Depot for the first timeSuper Excited Whistling Face as the nice Home Depot Lady hands him his very own balloon!
Climbing out of his car seat.
"Yes? May I help you?"
As soon as I start to unbuckle him, he does his part to get out. It’s pretty darn cute. The lighting isn’t the best at the end of the video, but here’s a video of him climbing out:
Food.
We have finally had some success in the eating of solid foods this month…we’ve gotten him to take some Puffs (like little cereal pieces that dissolve in his mouth) and a few bites of a Mum-Mum (a dissolving rice cracker).
Evidence
And then one day…he finally decided to start feeding himself and, of course, I pulled out the camera after he did it once, hoping he’d do it again:
"Are you REALLY getting this on camera, Mom?""*sigh* Okay. I'll eat one by myself again so you can take a picture.""You know, these really aren't my favorites still…""Ehh, you know…slimy, yet satisfying."
Friends.
Folks, this little buddy just loves people. I am constantly amazed that he is never afraid of new friends and more than that—he loves them instantly! As soon as we walk into the room with him, he waves at every person he sees…it is the cutest. Here are a few shots of some of his favorite same-sized friends and some of his favorite new friends!
The first two are from Christmas time.
Quinn! Quinn is Elliott's true Bosom Buddy. And they are less than 2 weeks apart!Cody! Cody's favorite way to play with Elliott was to sit on him…and Elliott didn't seem to mind at all, ha!Our new DTS friends
To sum up, Elliott is the cutest 10 month old that ever existed. Still don’t believe me? Here are some pictures over the last month to prove it…
Loving his Home Depot balloon!!"Helping" me by taking all of the dirty rags BACK OUT of the bin…Playing with Daddy's tool set from when HE was a boy…LOVE.I love how Elliott delights in life…Chewing on this disgusting, germ-infested apple leaf……and loving it.Playing with his new alphabet train! Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa Moberg!So pure.Playing the mirror game with Daddy…one of his favorites.This is his "polite smile."
And, finally, my top four favorite pics from this month:
So wonderful, he is.So kind…So filled with joy…All in all, he is perfect.
We love you, sweet little love of ours. Happy double digits birthday, to you!!!!!
DISCLAIMER! I wrote this post the day after Christmas, and then was without internet to upload the photos! So, it’s late…but better late than never :). Enjoy!
I remember last Christmas so vividly…not the presents, not the people, not the events…no, all of my thoughts were consumed with the idea that next Christmas we would have Elliott with us…not inside my womb, but here with us. He would be 9 months old and he would wear Christmas jammies and he would destroy the wrapping paper we used to cover up his very first Christmas gifts…he would smile at us and wave at us and snuggle with us. He would dance to jingle bells in our arms and he would follow along as we read, “That’s Not My Reindeer” to him. We would get to celebrate this beautiful time of the year with him instead of waiting for him…
And I can’t even count the amount of times that tears have flooded my eyes this Christmas season as I realize that he is, indeed, here with us this Christmas. For the first year ever, I couldn’t think of a SINGLE thing to put on MY Christmas list, but I had an entire document filled with things that I wanted to get Elliott…I have everything I want right here in my sweet, perfect, little family. At the end of the day, all I care about is snuggling in Christmas jammies with Elliott and his handsome daddy…
Last year, however, when I was picturing this year’s Christmas, I could have never envisioned that we would be in three different countries within the month of December. I could have never envisioned that we wouldn’t have a home, or a Christmas tree, or a place to hang our stockings, or that we would get take-out on Christmas Eve. I could have never envisioned that we would just wrap two small gifts for Elliott because that’s literally all we had time to do. And I’ll be honest–there have indeed been a few times when I’ve had the slightest moment of sadness that I haven’t had a home to decorate and Christmas music playing 24 hours a day throughout our home since November. I haven’t had the time or the opportunity to carefully select and beautifully wrap Christmas presents. It hasn’t been a neat, tidy, perfectly orchestrated Christmas season…but it has been PERFECT for US. It has been perfect for Elliott, and it has been perfect for our family. We got to spend the hours we would normally spend shopping, putting up Christmas lights, cutting down a tree, and decorating instead being entirely outward focused…serving, loving, and bringing the gospel to those in real need. We got to simplify this year…majorly simplify…so that it is just our wonderful little family, waking up on Christmas morning in the home of a dear friend who let us stay in her house, opening a few simple gifts, and simply enjoying being together.
So now that you’re probably feeling pretty darn guilty that you have been running around like a crazy person this Christmas season, cutting in line at Toys R Us, and making sure that your kid had the most popular toy of 2011 sitting under the tree, and SERVING someone in need has perhaps been far from your mind, let me just be honest. I probably wouldn’t choose to do my Christmas like this every year…I’m not quite THAT holy, you know :). This isn’t going to turn into a sermon about Jesus being the reason for the season (although he IS, you know). (Sorry, couldn’t help myself.) I am grateful that God gave us an opportunity to serve and travel this Christmas season, but you’d better believe I’m already picturing where our Christmas tree will go next year in our new rental house…and I’m already thinking about how I want to wrap Elliott’s presents…and I’m already thinking about the new Christmas CD I want to listen to next year… and I’m already thinking about the peppermint brickle that I’m going to bake…and the garland and the lights I will put up around our house…Ahh, only 364 more days to go!! But for now, I am simply and overwhelmingly GRATEFUL. Grateful for our family, grateful for each of our families, grateful for our friends, grateful for the adventure the Lord has us on, grateful that Grammy Karen got us some Peppermint Bark so we had a fun dessert after eating take-out on Christmas Eve.
Here are a few picture highlights from our Christmas 2011!
COLORADO CHRISTMAS!
We got to spend our Colorado Christmas with ALL of my family!
"Yeah, as cool as that new smart phone is, I really like this piece of wrapping paper…"Laughing SO hard with Grammy Karen!The Whole Crew!
Mauss Cousins
Andrew, Elliott, Gryffin, Rowan, Courtney, Fable, Jaxon and Finn
TACOMA CHRISTMAS!
Melisa gave me some Christmas paper so I could make ONE Christmas decoration that was my very own…REJOICE, indeed!
Christmas Eve
He just really cares more about small, choke-able objects than the gifts under the tree…Opening a present with his cousin Micah"I can play the drums on this present!"
Moberg Cousins
Elliott, Taylor, Hailey, and MicahI love this kid so much!Brian and I are wearing Bronco colors instead of Christmas colors…oops.Reading the Christmas story out of his new picture bible before going to bed. (Thank you, Grandpa & Nonna!)
Christmas Morning 2011
Going after the presents under the tree"Hmm…which one is for me?""Probably this one…it smells like a BOOK!""Cool! A mirror book! I LOVE mirrors!""Oooh! I like Daddy's new boots! Can I try them on?""Whoa! A megaphone for Mommy so she can preach on the streets? What an awesome gift you picked out, Daddy!"Our family on Christmas morning…Still in our pjs, of courseMerry 1st Christmas!
Well, Elliott has –almost–officially been out of my tummy longer than he was in it! On December 20, Elliott turned 9 months old! 9 months of watching this perfect little baby grow into a perfect bigger baby…9 months of cuddling him and rocking him and documenting every milestone…AND…not to mention, 9 MONTHS OF NOT THROWING UP!!! Yahoo!!!
I love how every month we learn something new about Elliott’s personality, or see it to a greater degree. Elliott continues to love meeting new people and getting strangers to smile at and fall in love with him. Last month, although he was doing “wave-like” motions, I wasn’t quite ready to declare that my son was intentionally waving. Well, for the last several weeks, there is no doubt about it–he is a waving machine! And he waves to every person, new or old, that he sees.
One of Elliott’s passions has absolutely taken over life this last month–handling small objects. He loves the “pincer grasp.” He is SO in tune to itty bitty things…he will literally go after a piece of thread from 15 feet away. He also LOVES small pieces of trash. What kind of mom lets her baby play with small, chokable things? Well, this mom does. And do you know why? Because he refuses to put them in his mouth! And I know you are thinking I must be so fortunate that he doesn’t want to put small things in his mouth…and I am, until it comes to trying to get him to put REAL FOOD in his mouth, and he gags until he throws it back up.
Look at the terror/disgust in his eyes as I offer him a puff:
"You want me to put that puff WHERE?""In my MOUTH? You've GOT to be kidding me…""Blech! No way!!"
When I was pregnant, someone said to me, “You know, the way your pregnancy has been so rough will probably have some sort of reflection on what Elliott is going to be like…like, he’ll probably have a really bad gag reflex or something.”
Why anyone in her right mind would say that to a woman who had been throwing up for 9 months will remain in the mystery box forever. But, quite unfortunately, it looks like she was right…this poor child has already thrown up twice when there was a tiny little “chunk” in his baby food…
Okay, on to some fun highlights from the last month:
Elliott opened his first Christmas gift at all staff Christmas party that we got to be a part of while in Tijuana for the two weeks before Christmas.
All of the kids got a special gift
Distracted by the super cool used napkin in his hand."Oooh, there was something INSIDE the paper?!""I LIKE this whole present tradition!"
Elliott had his first stab at climbing stairs at my parents’ house, and he went right up them without any hesitation. He loves to climb!
Climbing the stairs with Fable
Made it to the top!
Elliott CLIMBS all the time…on EVERYTHING…it’s so fun! He loves to pull himself up onto everything and walk along anything he can.
Helping us pack in the DR before leaving for Tijuana.
Climbing is so fun!
First time in snow!
Gently placing Elliott in the snow…UTTER AND COMPLETE SHOCKAND…some tearsOkay, LOTS of tears…
I know, I know…we’re terrible. But we had to get a picture of it.
First time meeting the Smiths!
Cousins Andrew & Courtney and Aunt Joanne & Uncle Jim
And, last but not least…a few favorites from this last month:
Baa!Sweet smileCute faceMan on a missionYeah, he's cute.He-ey!
Happy 9 months out of the womb, sweet baby Elliott!!
Elliott has a “Jesus Loves Me” book, which we read or sing to him almost every night. One day Brian was playing with Elliott and started singing the song. Elliott dropped his toys and immediately started looking for the book, and then found it! We decided to put it beneath another book and see if he could do it again. He did! So we pulled out the video camera and tried again, and sure enough…
We tried it again the next night, but made it a little trickier for him…we hid the book behind him beneath two other books…and here’s what happened:
He was exactly 8 months old in these videos. This is a testimony to how much babies actually DO know at a very young age!! Aren’t little ones amazing?! I have been inspired to a whole new degree to set high expectations for Elliott. Isn’t our God incredible in how he created little ones?! God wasn’t kidding when He said, “From the mouths of babes and infants He has ordained praise!”
On Elliott’s 8 month birthday (November 20), he woke us up bright and early (as has become tradition ever since living in the Dominican Republic) at 5 am. How did he wake us up? Not by crying. But by standing up in his crib, walking himself around 2 corners and 3 sides to get to the side parallel to our bed, pulled the blanket out that we tuck underneath the mosquito net so he can’t see through the side of his crib (so if he wakes up early and we’re not ready to get him, he won’t see us), and peered his beautiful blue eyes which were brimming with a huge smile over his neon green pack n’ play.
Like this:
“Good morning! Happy 8 month birthday to me!”
And the line from a Misty Edward’s song rang through my head with slightly different lyrics: “He’s not a baby in a cradle anymore…”
I can’t believe how much Elliott has grown up. I can’t believe how much more we love him with every glance. I’m still not quite sure how we got the most incredible baby boy ever created, but I don’t even ask…I just thank God every single time I set my eyes upon my Elliott, every single time he comes to mind, every single time I get to hold him & hug him, laugh with him & play with him, read to him & sing to him…
He has certainly grown up this month! Elliott has accomplished so much in his 8 months of life!
elliott has now been to three different countries!
The good ol’ US of A, Mexico, and now the Dominican Republic! This is us at the airport, about to get onto a red eye flight to Miami, where we laid over for a couple hours and then hopped on over to Santo Domingo.
Getting a little sleep before hopping onto the plane…
…and waking up and getting a little play time before hopping on a plane 🙂
This is the sign that greeted us upon our arrival
I think Elliott looks just like the Dominican child, don’t you?
waving
So, I”m not quite ready to say that he’s entirely waving on purpose, but it sure does seem like he is! For a few months he’s had this habit of hitting something over and over with his right hand…he loves discovering things like that. But just in this last month, he’s been doing that same motion in more of a “wave” right when he greets someone. Here he was “waving” at me while playing with one of his new bffs, Jose Luis.
“He-ey!”
elliott has mastered the art of pulling himself up onto everything & playing on tile floors
I’ll be honest…the tile floors FREAKED me out when we first got here…Elliott had just learned to crawl a few days before we got here and so I was terrified we were going to end up in the ER in need of stitches. But–it’s been so incredible to see how well he’s learned how to move, and how much more in control of his body he is! We rearranged our room so he could have a fairly big space to crawl around without too many sharp corners and laid a mattress down on the ground so he’d have a padded place to play, too. He climbs up (and down!) on the mattress with incredible ease…I am so impressed. 🙂
favorites
Elliott’s starting to have “favorites”…which, of course, are mostly the things that are not ACTUALLY toys! He’s also started carrying his toys with him everywhere he goes. I think it’s the cutest…he crawls and climbs with his toys in hand, and if he drops one, he always goes back to get it…
He loves…
this empty water bottle
this hanger
this ziplock bag (and his teething ring)
all drawstrings, shoelaces, etc.
Not pictured is one of his very favorites: a used package of wipes. What can I say? The kid loves plastic. Some of his favorite “real” toys are…
his phone
his keys
his ducky ring set
“mowgli”
I’ve been calling Elliott “Mowgli” this month because he walks just like him! Isn’t this hilarious? I think it could be because of the tile floors, but who knows…
Will the real Mowgli please stand up?
Elliott “Mowgli” Moberg
laughing
I think I might say this every month 🙂 but one of my favorite parts of this month is just laughing with Elliott…Ahh, it’s the best!! I think he has the best sense of humor! The other day he was crawling under the desk and “hiding” so I was playing hide and seek with him and he just thought he was the funniest creature on earth every time he’d “hide” himself under the desk and I”d “find” him. We play so many fun games like that all day long…it is the best. We laugh so hard every day!!
One of Elliott’s favorite “laughing friends” is Jose Luis…I’ve never seen Elliott laugh as quickly and naturally with anyone like he does with Jose Luis. It is so fun to watch Elliott make new friends!
laughing with Dad
first minor accident
It was bound to happen eventually, right? Elliott was playing on the floor like usual and I think he just got ahead of himself and went face-first into the tile ground. He only cried for a few seconds, but as I pulled his head away from my shoulder after comforting him I saw this HUGE fat lip…so sad :(. It’s pretty hard to see in this picture, but look at the right half of his upper lip…little puffy lip :(. It was back to normal the next day. 🙂
new teeth!
For sure impossible to get a picture of it, but Elliott got his third and fourth teeth! He got his right and left incisor. The top two middle teeth are showing through the gums so they can’t be too far behind!
He continues to chew on EVERYTHING…
random fun
And fnally, a few of my favorite cute pictures from this month…
Several weekends ago, we took Elliott to swim and play at the beach for the first time! The YWAM base is a quick 10 minute walk from the beach…glory.
And…!
He hated it. Literally, hated it. Poor kid :(. He was terrified of the sand.
Baby Shark was not a big fan of the sand…
So, he took a nap with Dad while I played in the ocean with friends.
Seriously now, could anything possibly be more darling??
Then he joined me in the ocean:
Now there's a little smile!
He loved splashing in the ocean, but just really hated the wet sand…we even tried again after his nap! But we went back the next week and he had a blast playing in the dry sand…so…baby steps. Baby shark steps!
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12
I grew up with dreams.
And I am convinced, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that my dreams are from God. That He, the Author and Perfecter of my faith, planted these dreams in my heart long before I knew what the word “dream” meant, and He–and only He–is the One in charge of fulfilling them.
There are so many “itty bitty” dreams that my Creator has knowingly crafted and accomplished in my life, but here I want to reflect on four of the “big” ones. (Note: I must put the size of these dreams in quotes because really, is anything “big” or “small” for our God?! With a spoken word, every part of creation was crafted into being…I can’t think of a more simple “act” on God’s part and yet with that, he created the greatest of all complexities!)
Ever since I can remember remembering, I’ve always dreamed of being a teacher. Not sure where that came from…neither of my parents were teachers by trade, although they are both quite gifted in teaching. I remember sitting in school (as early as first grade) thinking, “Wow, my teacher is doing a great job of teaching me…I should write down everything she is doing so I can teach this well when I grow up.” Every grade I attended became my new favorite and thus the grade that I wanted to teach when I grew up.
Somewhere along the line, I became passionate about Mexico. And little Mexican children. Definitely not sure where that came from… But I knew I had to learn Spanish, and it wasn’t until my freshmen year of high school that I was finally able to take a course. And I immediately fell in love with the language that I apparently had a natural knack for. And meanwhile I dreamed of living in Mexico one day, doing mission work and teaching little kids how to speak English.
I went to college to pursue my teaching degree and finished with a bachelors in Education, endorsements in Spanish and Elementary Education and a minor in Teaching English as a Second Language. Perfect set up to pursue my dream. Not long after graduating, I was offered a job teaching at a Language Immersion School in Tacoma…and I remember blinking several times as the job fell into my lap…Really? Really? Could this really be happening? So many parts of my dream are coming true…
Ever since I was a little girl, I have dreamed of marrying a prince who would adore me and cherish me and love me forever. I remember when Brian led me by my hand to the boat that was supposed to take us to a job site he was called to in the middle of a date we were on, and saw the gorgeous pink flowers and the perfectly wrapped presents inside and suddenly there I was again…in my dream. I was floating through a dream, watching Brian lead me across the dock and down the steps into the boat. And I heard myself say, “Wait, was is this?” And I saw my brain ticking…It’s not quite my birthday yet, so this can’t be a birthday surprise…and we haven’t picked out a ring yet, so he can’t be proposing…and wait a minute, we’re supposed to be heading to his job site…What is this? And I watched the tender and knowing smile spread across Brian’s face as he told me to sit down while he started the engine… And the dream went on, as a ring was slipped on my finger, as my brother and sister-in-law (who live thousands of miles away) suddenly appeared on the dock of the restaurant where we were to eat lunch, as the woman gave me a beautiful french manicure, as we ate dinner with both sets of our parents, as we drove to Brian’s home where our closest friends were waiting for us and as every day after that passed and my ring was in constant view, secured in a permanent place on my left hand. Really? Really? Could this really be happening? My dream, my prince has finally come? The reality of this dream becoming a reality was almost too much for me to handle…I couldn’t even filter and sort the gazillion thoughts flooding through my head during our engagement season, the night before our wedding day, and as I walked down that aisle towards my prince.
Ever since I was a little girl, I have dreamed of being a mom. I have just loved “little ones” ever since as I realized that there were “little ones” littler than me. I volunteered in our church’s nursery, read every book in The Babysitter’s Club series, and enrolled in courses to be a certified baby sitter while still in elementary school. I ordered books on fun craft projects with kids and I’d bring them with me when I landed babysitting jobs. About 5 seconds into my teaching career I was ready to apply for my foster care license because I just couldn’t handle the injustice that so many of my students lived under. I wanted to be their mom. I knew I could do a good job, by the grace of God, and I wanted to take them home with me… When Elliott was, after a long hard labor, placed in my arms that Sunday evening, I just wept and couldn’t believe this dream was being realized. Really? Really? Could this really be happening? I have a son…a most perfect son… And not a day has gone by since that I have not been overwhelmed by the goodness of the Lord to give us this perfect baby boy.
Ever since about 2001, I have dreamed of being called and sent out by God. I have dreamed of being a missionary. I have dreamed of working in an orphanage or working with children and families who are in need. I would read about times when the Lord would call his people in Scripture, and I would beg Him to call me. “The Lord spoke to Joshua…saying, ‘…Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them–the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you…No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your lives; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them…” (Joshua 1). I would read things like that and pray, “Oh God! Would you call me in the same way? Would you give me the land for your Name? Would you be with me, not leave me, not forsake me?” I would read about the destitute in Scripture and the ways that the Lord asks us to take care of them. “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8-9). And I would long to defend the rights of those who cannot speak up for themselves. I longed to be with the broken and the hurting. I longed to bring the love of Jesus to those who were suffering. The words in Isaiah 6 were the cry of my heart: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” I told the Lord over and over that I promised I would go if He would call. And He has called me various places over the last 10 years. I have been called to my students, I have been called to my colleagues, I have been called to my friends, I have been called “to the least of these,” I have been called to Africa, I have been called to the Eastside of Tacoma, I have been called to my husband, and I have been called to my son.
And then the Lord called us to Mexico. To do all of the above. All my dreams, colliding into one.
As is the reality of dreaming–dreams feel so surreal. So real, yet so unreal at the same time. You pinch yourself over and over, blink until there are tears streaming down your face, but again and again you wake up and realize that the dream is, indeed, reality. And so here we are, selling most everything that we own, because we’ve heard him say, “Whom shall I send? Who will go?”
And we, two children of God on our knees, have blinked and pinched ourselves to the point of realizing that yes, He is asking us to go. And though I think we’ve known in our hearts that this was our call since the moment we heard of the opportunity, we are finally able to audibly say, “Us, Lord! Yes, send us! We will go!”
And so we strap our little one our back, and we go…We go with the faith that “He who’s promised is faithful,” with the faith that “a longing fulfilled will bring life,” with the faith that, “God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne.”
Here am I, Lord. Awake, alert, and ready to be sent out into this dream that You have fostered in my heart. Send me, God!
