Category: Motherhood

  • 13 months

    Okay, so, I was in no way intending to continue Elliott’s monthly blog posts past a year, but I just can’t help myself tonight. He’ll officially be 13 months tomorrow, and I am bursting at the seams to write about him. Maybe because SO MUCH has happened in the last month and I don’t have a little calendar to record everything in because it was only a year long baby calendar :(. Or maybe just because I am totally, completely, overwhelmingly in love with my little boy.

    He is a true BOY. Elliott has exploded into EVERYTHING BOY in this last month, and I couldn’t love it more. He’s always been a climber and a fast mover, but in the last few weeks he’s started climbing up on much higher things, like couches and ottomans. He even climbed up onto a chair and then onto the table! (Eek!)

    I walked in to find this…
    …and then this…
    …and then this…which is when I put the camera down :).

    Today he learned a hard lesson about why we tell him “no” when he wants to climb over the back of the couch…yep, first big fall over the back of the couch onto the nice, hard marble floor. He must’ve caught himself fairly well because there wasn’t even one tear or yelp from him. But there’s nothing like hearing a big “thud,” looking over where Elliott was playing and seeing no Elliott there…

    He is walking. Because he loves balls. I don’t know when you officially count walking as “walking” but tonight Elliott took like 13 steps in a row. Is that walking?? His Uncle Kevin and Aunt Tabitha got him his very first soccer ball for his birthday which was the first thing in weeks that motivated him to start taking steps again–he wanted to kick the soccer ball, of course! So he’s been taking 2 or 3 steps for weeks and weeks, but then he just drops to his knees so he can get to wherever he’s going FASTER by crawling there! But his Uncle Doug and Aunt Melanie just sent him a package of various types of balls, one of which was a bouncy ball, which was exciting enough for him to take like 13 steps in a row!! So does this mean we officially have a walker on our hands?!?!

     


    He has so much hair! I’ve actually needed to comb it a couple of times!! HAIR!! Like, REAL HAIR!! The other day when I got him up from his nap he had sweat a little bit and so his hair was all curly and ruffled and matted in the back and the cuteness of it all hit me square between the eyes. My baby boy has hair!!

    Seriously, what is cuter than that head of hair??
    Okay, that smile is pretty cute, too!

    He communicates to us with words. Ahhh, I just love it. He consistently uses words in the midst of his constant stream of babbles, and I can’t get enough of it. “Mo’!” (More) is still his FAVORITE word, but he’s been saying “yeesh” (yes) the last few days. He very clearly tells us when he’s all done eating, too! He says, “go” every time he wants to play with a ball and he still uses “Dada” and “Mama” for a lot of things, including his parents :).

    He is eating. I mean, like a real human being. It’s been so hard for Elliott to learn how to eat “real food.” And I know it’s probably 99% our fault. But, it was the season we were in and he’s not going to be scarred for life or anything :). But we wanted to have a fair amount of control over what was put into Elliott’s body the first crucial year of his life. We both agreed early on: only breastmilk and only organic fruits, meats, and vegetables. (With a few puffs here and there, ha!) So, seeing as that we were living in a third world country for 6 weeks of his “solids” life, traveling for the next 4, and then eating on a YWAM campus for the next 3 months, we only fed him organic jars of baby food. So, as we are finally eating the majority of our meals at home now, we really only seriously started training him to eat “real food” a few weeks ago.

    Eating a PB & J…and loving every second of it.

    And, last night he ate his very first dinner completely with us!! As in, he ate ALL of the meal I prepared for us! VICTORY!!! It was a chicken, carrot, broccoli, raisin medley with asparagus on the side, and he ate EVERYTHING!! I think he even ate more chicken than I did! Seriously!! And tonight…he almost at everything again! I prepared chicken sausage with bell peppers in a marinara sauce. He L-O-V-E-D the sausage (ate an entire link!) but wouldn’t try the bell peppers. But he ate tons of steamed carrots and asparagus! VICTORY!!! We are so proud of our good little eater :).

    "Ahhh…thanks for the satisfying meal, Mom!"

    He is learning. It’s no secret that teaching in every manner is simply my passion. I love to teach and train. And I’ve always dreamed of the day that I got to train my very own kid. There’s no blaming anyone else for his behavior at this point :). Elliott has just started to learn that sometimes he really, really wants things that he can’t have, and thus he has learned how to scream and yell to make sure we know he’s not happy.

    The beginning of a "But-I-want-it-MY-way" communication from Elliott…

    And as much as I hate it, I love it. Because it’s an opportunity for me to train. It may have taken him 3 months of us saying, “No,” but he now stays far away from the fireplace, the glass vase, and electrical outlets 98% of the time. Still working on not eating foam balls, not touching the wall map and, as of recently, not climbing onto tables :). Within the last week we’ve had breakthrough in so many areas…like he knows I will not pick him up or give him food if he’s wining or yelling. And every moment of training is just so glorious…because I get that it’s for a lifetime…he’s learning self-control and healthy communication, even at the age of 13 months.

    I love the accountability that having a child brings to my life. Because it’s like I’m watching myself through the eyes of Elliott every day. I was so aware of myself especially during my first trimester, when I would often loaf around like a zombie because I was so sick. But that’s not how I want Elliott to be, and that’s not who I want his mom to be. So, I would sing. I would force myself to sing. And if I didn’t have the strength to sing, I would pray out loud, thanking God for everything I could think of, bringing a spirit of praise into our house to drive out the weariness. Because that’s who I am, and that’s who I want Elliott’s mom to be… So all that to say, I watch what I do now in a whole new way. The other day I realized that every time Elliott took something that he shouldn’t have, I would frantically snatch it out of his hand. Which of course, resulted in him screaming and throwing a little tantrum. Well it suddenly occurred to me that that is not how I want to model taking things to Elliott. So, the next time it happened, I said, “Oh, Elliott, that’s not yours. May I please have it back?” And guess what he did? He handed it back to me, folks. No screaming, no tantrum… And a “Thank you so much, my love!” from his delighted Mommy who was beaming with pride. Suddenly, he’s part of the solution and not “a troublemaker.” This is how I want to respect my child. This is how I want to train him.

    He is learning to be “clever.” At some point in time when I was feeding him baby food weeks ago, he decided to bite down on his spoon. And for whatever reason (I guess I was in a playful mood) I decided to turn into a game instead of into a “no.” So I just smiled and said, “Ohhh…you are just so clever, aren’t you?!” And he got the CUH-UTEST little smirk on his face as he gripped down on the spoon, and then for the following weeks, at least once every meal we would play this little game.

    See his little smirk?

    When it got to the point where he wouldn’t ever release it and give it back, I got the brilliant idea to ask him for it back instead of demand it back. And, again, then he got to be a helper rather than a problem child. I still love the little game (although we are feeding him with a spoon less and less) and it often reminds me to be patient and playful when sometimes I can get into task mode when I want to rush us through lunch so we can move on. Thankful for my clever little boy who makes me laugh so often.

    Well, this blog post has certainly wandered off the course that I thought it would when I started! I am just simply enamored with my Elliott, and there don’t seem to be enough words in my small vocabulary to articulate the fact that I just think the world of him. As I’m feeling more and more like a human every day that this pregnancy progresses, I find myself more and more thankful for the gift of health, so that I can take care of my son. I remember Kari telling me how heartbreaking it is to not be able to take care of your own children when you’re so sick that you can’t even look at a person, let alone sit up, without vomiting, and there really is nothing more difficult. I’m pretty much able to take care of Elliott on my own from about 8 am on now (usually) without vomiting, but even just missing his morning wake up and the joy of worshiping with him while eating breakfast is heartbreaking… I just love being his mom, and I hate missing those little moments. I love everything about it…I love making him laugh so hard he has to catch his breath and I love chasing him around the room because he gets the biggest kick out of it and I love making up silly games that are so predictable and ridiculous but he just thinks they are hilarious, every time. I love watching every milestone in his life. I love watching “the light bulb” go on. I love watching him love people. I love watching him love us. I love changing his diapers when they’re poopy so his bottom doesn’t get red and I love smearing cream on his little cheeks when they do so they can heal and I love wiping the snot from his two perfect nostrils when he’s sick so he doesn’t have to eat his own mucus…because he’s Elliott, and he’s my son, and he makes everything a joy.

    Takes my breath away…every day.

    Do you know what my absolute FAVORITE baby thing that we own is? It’s our video monitor. I l-o-v-e watching Elliott sleep. You’d think it would have gotten old by now, 13 months later, but it has only become sweeter. I can’t get enough of it. He’s such an amazing sleeper and honestly, I know that’s a huge part of why mommy-hood is such a joy for me…because he sleeps for 12 hours at night and naps for several hours during the day! Yet even though I get some “me” time while he’s resting, he’s never far from my sight…because I love staring at him so much…and I just don’t want to miss a thing!!

    When I began this blog post, he started out like this…
    …and when I finished, he looked like this.

     

    And I’m so glad I didn’t miss it…

  • For the joy set before me…

    For the joy set before me…

    "Baby Beta"…due October 1st (ish…)

    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 oneone 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, my joy 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.

  • My delight.

    My delight.

    Zephaniah 3:17

    17 The LORD your God is with you,
       he is mighty to save.
    He will take great delight in you,
       he will quiet you with his love,
       he will rejoice over you with singing.”

    I am starting to get it. 
    It’s just incredible how much I delight over my son…and I’m learning anew daily about the way the Lord delights over me. I thought I got it…until I had Elliott.
    Elliott is simply the most delightful being ever created… You know, some people say about their kids, “I don’t know how I ever lived without them!” I have a similar sentiment, but mine’s a little different… I’ve always dreamed of having children; I’ve always known deep down that there were children who were designed to be a part of my family, and in a weird way, I’ve always longed for them. So I’ve always kind of lived knowing someone was missing. It’s kind of the same as how I longed for my future husband when I was single…I didn’t know who he was, but I knew there was a piece of my heart created to love him, and until it did it would always be in a little bit of tension. Once Brian found me, my feeling was not primarily, “How did I ever live without him?” (although I really don’t know how I did!) but more: “I knew I always longed for you…I just didn’t know “he” was you, and I only wish I could have married you years and years ago….”
    And so it is the same with Elliott. In a strange way, I’ve always known there was a void in my heart for him…I just didn’t know that it was shaped like “an Elliott”…like a perfectly, clear-eyed, pure-skinned, tall and skinny baby boy named Elliott. I didn’t know this determined, brave, pure, joy-filled little baby was what the perfect puzzle piece looked like that would fill this void. And I know there are more “voids” in my heart…but only God knows how many there are and who they are…Ahh, I can’t wait to meet them… But with Elliott I find myself wishing that I could have known him all my life…he simply makes everything more delightful.

    But even though I’ve always loved him in some peculiar way, my love for him grows every single day…It is profound how it grows, and so, so beautiful. With every new dawn, with every new discovery, with every new skill, with every new event…I love him more. I love learning more about who he is…I love discovering the ways that his heart was knit together.

    It was no different when Elliott grew his very first two teeth.

    They started popping through on a Saturday. Sunday and Monday days and nights were all consumed with teething. EB’s nose ran constantly and his big eyes were lined with red and filled with tears and his cheeks were blotchy and warm.

    And there was something about that face that melted my heart even more than his usually perfect skin and normally vibrant clear blue eyes. He was a little baby boy. A messy, needy little baby boy. And for someone who doesn’t typically do well with “needy” people, I was just enamoured with my needier-than-normal little love, and couldn’t have been more eager to take care of his every need.

    He had just started to reach up for me a few days prior when he wanted me to pick him up. Ahhh…talk about melting my heart! There is nothing greater than to know that you are the one this perfect little boy wants…that  you  are the one this precious baby needs…he’s showing his affection, he’s showing his choice. And that choice is me. I can’t get enough of it. Though he’s been sleeping through the night for a couple of months, for those three teething nights he would wake up crying such a sad, sad, sad cry and couldn’t get himself back to sleep. The first night, I went in to try and soothe him in his crib but it wasn’t working. He just kept crying that sad, sad cry…like he was in so much pain. But as soon as I picked him up and squeezed him tight, he was okay. And the simplicity of the miracle of that act struck me afresh. Isn’t it beautiful? Isn’t it beautiful how God created us? That, with an embrace we are comforted.

    We were created to be loved.
    And there is just no greater honor than to love him. Than to comfort him. Than to tell him he’s being so brave and strong. Than to tell him it’s all going to be okay. And I’m just so struck by the fact that it’s not a burden to get up in the middle of the night to comfort him. I was not annoyed that he was teething and interrupting my precious sleep. Did I try and take a nap those days? Yes. And if I couldn’t get a nap in? God provided strength. But that doesn’t mean Elliott’s inconveniencing my life by teething right now. He can’t help it. And, let’s not forget that he is my full time job. And this full time job has its breaks, but sometimes it requires work hours in the middle of the night. And that is an honor.

    These are my two favorite pictures that show off his hard-earned, brand new two front teeth:

    I still view God as being frustrated as I grow. But daily I am being shown that if He loves me anything like I love Elliott, than He is not frustrated at all. No, no…He is far from frustrated. He is pleased with me. He delights over me. Even when I’m growing and it hurts so badly that all I can do is cry… It is a joy for him to be my Father, and it is a joy for him to scoop me up and embrace me. And as long as I am in His arms, there is no need to cry…
    Thankful for the love of my Father today…and thankful for the most wonderful son in the world, whom I have the privilege of delighting over every single day…
  • Happiest of all Days

    Happiest of all Days

    Happy Mother’s Day to me, the most blessed mom on the planet. 


    I couldn’t be more grateful to be Elliott’s mom…that makes me the most blessed woman on Earth. Brian has been saying he couldn’t wait to celebrate Mother’s Day ever since about month 2 of puking my guts out. My husband has so much vision to bless and celebrate me. That, in and of itself, is such a gift…but then to add Elliott to the equation? Over abundantly blessed am I. 


    We had a relaxed morning together at home as a family and then headed up to Alki Beach (one of our favorite Seattle spots). We cozied up in Starbucks. I enjoyed a delicious caramel macchiato, Brian guzzled down a vente ice water, and Elliott took a nice long nap. Brian had made reservations weeks ahead of time for brunch at my favorite restaurant, Salty’s on Alki. PEOPLE–if you have not been to Salty’s on Alki for brunch, I would dare to say you have not truly lived. It is INCREDIBLE. For just a few bucks, you have access to all you can eat of the food from the Land of Glory. Here’s a list of what I ate that morning:

    2 1/2 mini donuts
    5 Crab legs
    Several shrimp
    Pineapple
    Eggs benedict
    A few bites of an omelette with crab & shrimp
    French toast with whipped butter & syrup
    Strawberry crepe with cream & sugar
    Omelette with ham, peppers & cheese
    Chocolate chip crepe with lemon cream & sugar
    More pineapple
    Strawberries
    Chocolate covered frozen banana
    Chocolate covered twinkie
    Burnt cream
    2 pineapple orange juices



    I thought I was going to explode, but it was worth every bulging moment. 


    Alki Beach overlooks Elliott Bay & the Seattle skyline, and it was our sweet Elliott’s first time visiting the bay that shares his name. Here are a couple of pics in front of his namesake.




    And these are a few more of my favorites from the day he was “Bananas over Mommy”…

    Oh, how I love him!!!