and away he Grows!

Josiah is getting bigger and bigger every day. I couldn't see the change until I compared a photo taken this weekend at 10 weeks to his first week with us. It's amazing!

Good Baby

Josiah had a great time at church tonight! Heather Bert graciously offered to watch him through the service, and she said that they had a great time playing, laughing and hangin' out. Apparently he's quite the good little baby, but you hardly have to tell the "proud papa" that. [grin]

Not sure what kind of adventures we'll have tomorrow, but the weather shoudl be nice, so I'm thinkin' a stroller adventure. Yee Haw!

She can COOK!

One of the bigger surprises when Amy and I were married over 10 years ago was the realization that I married a woman who doesn't cook. It just never came up while we were dating, or during our 2 year engagement. For some reason, it just never dawned on me to ask her is she know how to cook. I learned this, of course, one night just after were were married when I asked, "what's for dinner?" and she replied, "I don't know, what are you making?"

I'm not kidding when I say that I've cooked every meal since then. I didn't mind it, but I had to learn fast, because it was always my mom and sister in the kitchen growing up.

Well tonight, Amy made a meal from scratch that was absolutely perfect! I didn't know she had it in her, but I have some serious competition now. I have to step it up if I'm going to compete with her in the kitchen, because she nailed it! More to follow...

Shots

We had been dreading Josiah's 2 month visit to the pediatrician because we knew that he was due for his vaccinations. Three injections and one oral. We knew that the injections would upset him, and the thought of him in pain just broke out hearts.

We didn't have to wait long at the pediatrician's office. We went right back where we was weighed and measured. 12 pounds and 22 inches. Growing perfectly! Then in came the syringes. We both cringed, but I held his little hand and gently stroked his hair to calm him, as if to apologize for the pain that I knew he was about to feel. The injections went in one right after the other, and within a matter of seconds, she was done. The pain didn't register on his little face at first, but a few moments after the first injection, his face turned bright red and he let out a cry that broke our hearts. We did everything we could to ease his suffering. Miraculously, about 20 seconds after he began to cry, he was done! He managed a smile and returned to his usual wiggles and cooing. We were amazed that he took it so well.

What a trooper!

Diapers

Why is is that infant diapers come in cute cartoon designs like Sesame Street? It's not for the baby, so I assume that it's for the moms who want to compare their cute diapers with other moms when changing the baby.

Now here's a thought: (and maybe this is the guy in me coming out...) since we're agreed that the design on diapers are mainly for the parents, as they're usually the only ones changing them on a regular basis, why don't they put interesting facts or funny quotes on them? I mean, I change about 5-7 diapers a day, and it's always, "Hello, Big Bird. Hello Ernie." Why not pull out a new diaper and learn the definition of "epitome" or laugh at a quote from Steve Carrell.

Someone is going to jump on this and make a lot of money . . .

Lullabies by Eminem

We were driving somewhere the other day when Josiah suddenly became unhappy about something. We were in a pickle: do we pull over and get the bottle out or try to reach back and find his mouth with the pacifier? So I did what any good father would do: I started singing rap lyrics. Eminem was the first to come to mind: "You've gotta lose yourself in the movement the moment ya gotta own it and never let it go...you've only got one shot; do not miss your chance to flow..."

I honestly don't know where it came from, but to our amazement, he quieted down and actually stopped crying. we thought it was just a coincidence, but he started up again, and I repeated the refrain, this time Amy was trying not to laugh hysterically. Again he quieted down and fell asleep.

Who knew Eminem did lullabies . . .

What's in a name?

When Amy and I told people that name we chose for the baby, we got lots of different reactions. Some liked that it was racially appropriate. Other liked the history behind it. Still other think we're insane. I'll admit that Josiah is a strange name that you don't hear very often. But when you explore the meaning behind it, the picture begins to come into focus.

Josiah means "supported of the Lord" or "fire of God" but you get the full story in 2 Kings 21, where a 22 year old King named Amon was reigning in Jerusalem. According to the scriptures, "He did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he worshiped the idols his father had worshiped, and bowed down to them. He forsook the LORD, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the LORD." His officials assassinated him in the palace, and his 8-year-old son, Josiah, became king.

Everything changes in 2 Kings 22 and 23 with King Josiah: "He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left." Josiah immediately restores the Temple, smashes the sacred stones and idols, removes all images of Baal an other false gods, slaughters the high priests that were leading the worship of false gods and decreed that his people celebrate Passover for the first time in 18 years! What struck me was this sentence: "Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength..."

King Josiah, from the house and line of King David . . . that's a pretty rich lineage!