Child Dedication

At Cross Point, we practice baby dedication instead of baptism since it is our belief that baptism should be completed when a person is able to make a conscious decision to follow Christ. During the child dedication, Steve and I as parents made a commitment to raise Hannah in a Christ filled environment. The congregation also promised to support us during our parenting journey. Here’s the commitment we made on May 10, 2009.

We acknowledge that our child is a miraculous gift from God. We also acknowledge that our child is a unique person created in the image of God and we understand that raising our child is both a privilege and responsibility.

Therefore we promise to love, train and support our child looking to God for divine guidance and support. We, in the witness of these people, publicly place our child into the care and protection of our great God, asking our church community for their support, guidance and encouragement in the days ahead.

Hannah let me hold her in front of the entire church while we made our commitment. Steve and I selected Jeremiah 29:11 to be her life verse. The verse reads, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Hannah even waited until we got home from church to have her meltdown (see last picture).

I Doh

Hannah has recently begun using short sentences instead of just words to speak. Her first sentence began when she was trying to express to us that she was ready to leave the house. “I doh” translates to “I go.” When she tries on my shoes and prances around the house, she likes to tell us, “I Mama” which means, “I’m Mama.” When her daddy is outside working in the yard, she’ll tell me, “Dada mow dass” which is her way of saying “Daddy mows the grass.” For 2 years, we’ve been waiting for her to be able to verbally communicate with us, and we’re so excited that the time is finally here.

Here’s a recent picture of our big girl ready to “doh.”

Noooo

Hannah has been a little slower to speak than some children, and I’ve tried not to be too concerned. At her 18 month doctor’s appointment, the nurse asked if Hannah could say 6 – 10 words. We really couldn’t think of that many, and I was afraid she had flunked one of the questions. Around 20 months, Hannah started saying a few more words, and it has been so cute and so much fun to hear her use each new word. Until now. Her most recent word is no. I guess I should be thankful that she’s been saying yes for a couple of months now. I’d kind of gotten used to her being pretty agreeable to things. Just recently she learned about no, and I think it’s been her most used word yet. Even when she disagrees, she still sounds cute when she drags out the word into nooo. After all, she will be two just a couple of months from today. In addition to no she’s also saying

apple, baby, ball, bar, Bible, bird, boo-boo, book, boots, cheese, choo-choo, church, dada, dink (drink), doggie, ears, Elmo, eyes, fish, mama, moo, nana (banana), peez (please), purple, shhh, shoes, that, yes

And since I can’t write a post without a picture, here’s the one I just put on my desk.

Same Sweater, Different Dress

When I purchased Hannah’s Easter dress for this year, I was hoping since the holiday fell in mid-April, the weather would be warm. It was a tad cool Sunday morning, and while it was an opportunity for Hannah to learn sometimes looking good comes with a little sacrifice, I still felt the need to provide for her. I’ve saved a few of my favorite outfits of Hannah’s, so I searched the attic for last year’s Easter cardigan. I was hoping if she just had something to cover her little arms, she would survive from the car into church. But our dainty little girl was totally able to wear her 6 – 9 month sweater from 13 months ago! At this rate, we’ll be lucky to have her in a 3T by kindergarten.

My Little GPS

Hannah may not know her telephone number or address yet, but she can show you exactly how to get to the neighborhood playground ½ a mile from our house. Last Sunday, Hannah and I were outside helping Steve in the front yard. I ran inside for a second to check on the laundry, and when I returned Steve and Hannah were holding hands and walking across the street to the sidewalk. I caught up with them and asked where we were going. Apparently, Hannah had taken Steve by the hand and begun leading him across the street. I assumed she just wanted to go down the sidewalk for a little bit, and we would turn around after a couple of houses. Pretty soon it was apparent that this little girl was on a mission! She followed the sidewalk to the 4-way stop, and when we suggested a turn, she was adamant that we continue her path. We went through the 4-way stop and crossed over the bridge. When she caught sight of the playground, I think her gait picked up a little speed. If I would have known our destination when we began our travels, I would have taken the camera. Since I don’t have a picture from this Spring yet, here’s Hannah about a year ago in her favorite spot on the playground.

She’s Not a Baby Anymore

My baby girl is becoming such a big girl. As if time wasn’t flying by fast enough, I lost an hour with her due to daylight saving time this past weekend! Last Sunday at church, she pointed to her classroom and was ready to go in when we arrived at Kidz World. She walked right into the room without as much as a tear.

Bedtime is usually when we snuggle for a few minutes while we rock in her room. We say our prayers and sing Jesus Loves Me and Jesus Loves the Little Children. The past three nights she has wanted to go straight to her bed without even rocking. No matter how much I tried to hold her and snuggle, she wiggled and squirmed until I gave in and put her to bed.

For the most part, she is capable of feeding herself with a spoon now. She gobbled up her dinner last night with minimal help from me.

Last night was too warm for her fleece pajamas, and I've not started shopping for summer sleepwear yet. Since she's so tiny, I held on to her 12 month pajamas from last summer, and she wore those just fine last night. It was even more obvious how big she's getting when the pants that used to drag the ground came just below her knees.

Since the weather was so nice over the weekend, we spent lots of time at the playground. Hannah has always been a fan of the swing, but this weekend I introduced her to the slide. After I helped her the first time, she figured out how to climb up the ladder and slide down all by herself. If she went too fast, and her bottom landed on the ground, she just jumped up, brushed herself off and went back for more.

Remember when she looked like this? I guess I’ll have to figure out how to stop blinking.

They Call Me the Fireman

Last week at school, Hannah learned about community helpers such as police officers and firemen. She came home Monday with a police badge that was nearly as big as she is. On Tuesday, her class learned about firemen, and she made this adorable little hat. Can’t you just hear her on top of a fire truck shouting “Wheee” just like they do on Wonder Pets!?