Up All Night- The Growing Prysocks

Up All Night- The Growing Prysocks

Welcome to the World!

Filed under: by: David and Stephanie

When I was pregnant with Jonah, I heard that it was possible to receive a "welcome" letter from the President and First Lady.  I was intrigued and immediately realized I needed one for Jonah's baby book. 

I finally sent off Jonah's birth announcement to the White House at the beginning of the month and fully expected to wait for three of four months to get anything in return.  {I mean, that was the wait time most moms online reported experiencing, and the internet knows everything, right?}

But yesterday, what should appear in the mail? 

Clearly, Jonah is a much bigger deal than all those other babies.
In case you can't read it, here's what it says:
"Welcome to the world! Your arrival is a cause for great celebration for your proud family.  We wish you a long and happy life filled with chances to learn, ideas to explore, people to love, and dreams to fulfill."

Regardless of your political affiliations, you have to admit, a letter from the White House welcoming Jonah into the world is a very neat thing for him to have.  I hope I remember to do this with all of our kids! 

{By the way, not only does the President do this for new babies, but also for weddings, adoptions, birthdays for those 80 and older, and wedding anniversaries for 50 years and over.}



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Baby Giggles

Filed under: , , by: David and Stephanie

I'm still sickly.  These past two weeks have been characterized by Kleenex boxes, cough drops, tea, soup, and early bedtimes.  I've tried everything I can think of to get better {except going to the doctor.  Because why would that help, right?} and it just isn't happening as fast as I would have hoped.  

But this week as also been characterized by snuggles with Jonah, and tickling and giggles.  It's so adorable that it makes me completely forget that I'm a little under the weather.  

So.  For your viewing pleasure:

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Wordless Wednesday: Instagram Edition

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The Horrors of Parenting

Filed under: , by: David and Stephanie

Let me clarify the title- parenting is not horrible. Jonah is awesome and I love being his dad. But with parenting comes certain horrible things, like side effects. At this point I could talk about diaper changing, losing sleep which leads to phantom baby cries and insanity, the messiness of feeding solids, or even the never-ending stream of drool that this little guy somehow manages to produce. But no, perhaps the worst horror of parenting is baby-friendly music.

Jonah got a jumperoo for Christmas and he loves it. It's probably his favorite thing. It happens to be (like many baby things) farm-animal themed. One of the many wonderful features of this item is the edutainment music that activates when Jonah jumps. One song is about various numbers of animals doing things and the other is about the sounds that farm animals make. I have tried to avoid this, but I have memorized these songs. I'm trying not to quote lyrics or go into too much detail so that those songs won't get stuck again. You see, when I'm driving around town or going about my daily business, what music do you think is stuck in my head? Is it the new Coldplay album? Is it Switchfoot's Vice Verses? Perhaps MuteMath? No. I can only hear inane, repetitive music about farm animals. Farm animals. Farm animals playing hide and seek and dancing. All. Day. Long.

To make things worse, the songs are sung in the most annoyingly happy, sing-song voice. I've often wondered how music tracks like this even get made. Is there a casting call somewhere? Do they recruit students at music schools? For this particular song selection, the lady singing sounds like a Disney movie reject. Not that she has a bad voice, mind you, just that she didn't quite make the cut. I imagine she walked out of her Little Mermaid audition disappointed and thought to herself, "Hey since I can't be immortalized in an animated children's classic, why don't I just use my talent to delight small children. And also torment hundreds of thousands of parents by burning my relentlessly happy voice into their minds FOREVER!!! Muahahahaha....." That last part may have been a dramatization.

So why is his jumperoo farm-themed you ask? I have no idea. This information is useless to him. We no longer live in an agrarian society. It would make much more sense for a jumping apparatus to have upbeat and jump-themed music that would set the mood for jumping. I mean would it be so wrong to have modern, cool music on a baby's playset? The first song that came to mind was this, which I think has a good beat for jumping around. But then it became clear that what he really needs is a Jump Playlist. This is what I have come up with:

Jump by Van Halen (an obvious choice)
Jump (For My Love) by The Pointer Sisters (yes, that song from Love Actually)
Jump by Kris Kross (Jonah should be cultured in the 90's)
Jump Around by House of Pain (I think this is the single most appropriate song for jumping)
Jump by Flo Rida [feat. Nelly Furtado] (I stumbled across this by accident and it seems to fit, thanks Spotify)
Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice (...just because)

So what's Jonah's favorite? I think the video speaks for itself.



But seriously, he really doesn't need to know about farm animals yet. Yes, someday when he asks where his bacon comes from, I will tell him- heaven. I mean, pigs. Bacon comes from pigs. From three little piggies twirling around and OH GOD MAKE IT STOP!!!

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Mamas Don't Get Sick Days

Filed under: , , by: David and Stephanie

I started feeling a little under the weather on Sunday afternoon. Nothing major, just a slight tickle in my throat. But years of near-constant sore throats {and threats of having my tonsils removed} have taught me to be on guard when it comes to "slight tickles."

I went to bed fairly early, hoping a good night's rest would help.

Monday, the tickle had turned into a more substantial annoyance. I downed cup after cup of tea hoping and praying I would start to feel better. But as the day wore on, it became obvious that I wasn't getting out of this so easily.

Today, I am definitely sick. The sore throat has teamed up with fatigue and a headache. My eyes are tired, my head is foggy, my limbs feel like they weigh a ton, and my hair hurts {I know. what the heck, right?}. It's been a rough day as my body battles off the plague.

As I whine and grumble soldier bravely on, I'm reminded of what several of my wise mommy friends have mentioned over the years:

"Mamas don't get sick days."

My tired body wants nothing more than to curl up on the couch and watch a few movies and nap; But instead, I'm forcing myself to get up and play with my baby. And honestly, he's been wonderfully sweet today.

{Our day today has been characterized by floor time}

{Teething, perhaps?}


Though I don't get a sick day today, I am really really grateful for a sweet baby who chose today to be extremely low-maintenance and accommodating.

{sweet, fuzzy-headed boy}

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Jonah's Six Month Post

Filed under: , , , by: David and Stephanie

Jonah. I cannot believe you are half a year old.


Unbelievable.

This first year is zooming by so quickly and I'm trying to hold on to every moment.


It truly feels like just yesterday we were bringing you home from the birth center, totally in awe of the precious life we held in our hands. Six months later, we are still overwhelmed that God would bless us in such a mighty way.

This was such a fun month, buddy. You had your first taste of real food {sweet potato} and loved it. You've started "learning" sign language. You had your first Christmas and it was wonderful. We took a few trips and spent time with friends and family. You're quite the social butterfly.


You are growing so fast. You've been wearing mostly 6 month clothes this month {Although they tend to be a little big}. You can roll from your back to belly and are starting to army crawl during tummy time. You are so very close to sitting unassisted. Just the other day, I watched you lean over to grab a toy, start to fall, and push yourself back up. You can hold yourself upright for a quite awhile, but tend to get a little wobbly when you get excited.


You are so talkative as well! You've been cooing and babbling so much lately. Sometimes it even sounds like you're saying "Mama!" It brings such a smile to my face and I know it will melt my heart the first time you truly call out to me.

Your motor skills are much improved, as well. You can pass toys from one hand to the other and often pull your pacifier out to gum the edges. You are a pro at intentionally grabbing toys and we have to watch you to make sure you are only grabbing toys. Because everything is going in your mouth these days. If you can grab it, it goes straight to your mouth.

You still sleep swaddled and are sleeping more consistently through the night. Typically, you only wake up once or twice and occasionally we can count on eight or nine hours a night without any wake-ups {Thanks for that, by the way}. You also moved from our room to your nursery this month. It was a tough transition for me, but you handled it like a champ. I love going in your room in the mornings and seeing your face light up when I come to get you. It's the best way to start the day.


Things Jonah Loves at Six Months:
Chuck Norris
The 'How I Met Your Mother' intro
{Seriously, if either of these are on, Jonah's entire face lights up. Hilarious}
Giving hugs
Being tickled
The baby in the mirror
{I know we've said he love it before, but now this kid definitely loves hamming it up for that adorable mirror-baby}
Playing on the floor with Beesly
{Especially trying to steal her frisbee}
Watching Mama in the kitchen while you play in your highchair
Blowing raspberries
Reading time with Mama or Daddy
Your jumper
Sophie
{You've played with her before, but this month you LOVE her. And gnawing on her face}



Sweet Jonah. I know I say it every month, but we are so incredibly lucky to have you. You bring us such joy every single day. You are such a happy, easy-going baby boy and I pray that your good-natured personality serves you well throughout your life. This month has been so much fun. I love getting to know you better each day and learning new things about your sweet personality. You are an absolute gift and we could not be more honored to be your parents.

We love you, Little Man.

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Transitions

Filed under: , , by: David and Stephanie

A few days after Thanksgiving, we found out that David's office would be closing it's doors at the end of the year.

In one moment, things that seemed so certain became completely uncertain.

And yet, through it all, David and I were at peace about everything. God calmed our hearts and spirits and neither of us felt anxiety related to the job-loss or the decisions surrounding it. We vaguely alluded to this announcement a few weeks ago, but wanted to have some concrete news before we discussed it on the blog. I know that I say this often {and risk the word losing any real meaning} but we are so blessed.

So many friends and family members offered support immediately after hearing the news. We were {and continue to be} humbled and encouraged by their love.

David has {mostly} enjoyed working with the company. He admits to it being tough at times but also acknowledges being sanctified because of it. And even though he is looking forward to starting a new job, I know there is a part of him that will miss it.

As for me, Youth Villages was an answer to a prayer over two years ago. I still remember how excited we both were when he received the call telling him he got the job in D.C. This job has taken us across the country and brought us back home again. And, of course, I will always have a special place in my heart for the company that afforded us the opportunity to have our first child.

Today David started working at Tarrant County MHMR. Just days after finding out about losing his job at YV, he applied for, interviewed, and was offered a position working for their crisis unit. He's so excited to be working closer to home and having a fixed schedule that allows him to be at home more consistently.

I am so excited about this new journey we're beginning. I'm happy that David is going to be working for an organization that encourages self-care and protects the time of their employees. I'm excited to see what it feels like to have a real schedule in our home: one that begins with David leaving the same time every day and always being home for dinner. I'm so looking forward to family time together in the evenings.

{David's first day of work at MHMR}

So now, we start a new adventure. And we know we will see God's faithfulness just as clearly as we always have.


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