Carol and Ashtin

Well, I must say, I feel really bad about how long it has taken me to write about Carol and Ashtin coming to Texas. It is always a big deal when people visit us here in Lubbock. Why? Because we know they are 100% coming to see US! I mean really, what else attracts people to Lubbock. There is prairie dog town and Buddy Holly.... Enough said. Carol and Ashtin drove down with my parents from Ohio. Ashtin has started the AIM program this year. We are all so proud of her and so happy about this decision. I really think AIM is one of the best things young people can be involved in. What other time in your life do you have to devote fully to the Lord? When you are in college, there is studying (for some people, anyway). Once you finish, it is getting started with your career and paying off student loans. Then you have kids and everything that comes with being a responsible parent. Next comes mid-life-crisis's, paying for your kids' college, being grandparents, retirement, etc. There is no better and more convenient time to sacrifice completely to maturing your relationship with God before you get sucked into the world. I really think it gives kids a head start in dealing with the rest of their life (though many think it is a set-back because they don't get started right away with college). Just because AIM is not college doesn't mean it is easy, or a cop-out, or a putting off of a higher education. AIM is probably one of the hardest things I've experienced in my life, but one of the best things. It gave me a foundation to start to put into practice the spiritual foundation my parents instilled in me, and start to make them my own. AIM helped solidify my focus and priorities in life. Okay, I will get off my soap-box and talk about their visit now!
Carol came to drop Ashtin off (so I guess it wasn't just to see us!). We were able to meet Ashtin's roommates, see her new apartment, go to the opening banquet and see all her classmates, and then some.... She's even been back to do laundry and hang out. (That was just because it was the first week and she didn't have a million things to do yet!) We did get to have a very nice visit with Carol. One thing I always look forward to when we are with my mom's family is the games we play! I am a big game person (though I married a non-gamest...I am still trying to convert him); I love all manner of games. So, we played games, shopped and Carol got to hang out with Canaan and see how true the rumors were that we have the MOST WONDERFUL BABY ON THE PLANET! It was great!
Just a note: in the picture, Canaan is giving Ashtin a kiss. He has started to do this recently- on his own terms, of course. They are the wonderful, first, slobbery, wet kisses that toddlers give! You can tell by the foto how much Ashtin is enjoying hers!

My Name is What?!

Canaan's first word was "uh-oh." About a month ago, he started saying "up" whenever he dropped a toy. So, I quickly decided that if he could say "up" for toys, then he could say "up" if he wanted picked up (instead of the complainy whine he was doing). We worked on this for a week and a half before he finally learned that "up" could be used for himself too. Now, if he crawls over to me and cries to get held, I ask him, "What do you say Canaan?" and he usually responds with "Up!"
The other morning, Dougle and I both went into his room when he woke up. We stood over his crib. Dougle said, "Can you say Daddy?" and I said "Can you say Mommy?" Canaan crawled over to me and said, "Up!" I guess mommy and daddy are words for another day. Right now, everyone responds when a cute, ornery, little boy crawls to their feet and says, "Up!"

Knobs! Knobs!

KNOBS! That is Canaan’s new fascination. He will start crawling toward toys and get distracted by knobs! He loves to crawl over to our end table, the coffee table, any drawers or doors in the kitchen and pull on the knobs. On some objects, like the coffee table in the living room, the knobs don’t open anything. They are just there for decoration. Does that stop my little curious Canaan from pulling on them and playing with them? Nope. So far (I am praying this stage lasts a long, long time!), he doesn’t really care about what is behind the door he’s just opened or what is in the drawer that just came out; he just likes opening and shutting the doors by pulling on the knobs. What a silly little boy! It is so funny how he can be so interested in the knob. Now, we are just waiting for the day when he realizes the real prize isn’t the knob itself, but the treasures that lie behind (or inside) whatever the knob is attached to!

Canaan and Grant: Best Buds

Alison, a friend of mine from church, and I both found out we were pregnant around the same time. Then, we were both given the same due date! At the end of our pregnancies, both my doctor and Alison's doctor decided to induce. And the same date was chosen for both Alison and me to be induced! On October 30th, Canaan and Grant were born- about 4 hours apart in rooms right across from each other. So, naturally, they are best friends. Alison and I try to get together as often as we can. We share stories, milestones, woes, and joys with each other. It has been wonderful for me to have another mom who knows just what I am going through, or close to it!

Canaan and Grant are both boys and both bald. The similarities stop there. Canaan was very anxious to enter this world, and started to push his way out before the doctors even tried to get him out! Grant wanted to stay inside for a bit longer. Grant is a live wire. He started rolling his way around the room when he was just a little thing. Canaan was content to just lay there and watch. Grant started crawling everywhere before he was 6 months old; Canaan waited until 9 ½ months! Instead of mobility, Canaan preferred to talk. And, Canaan was the one who showed Grant how to spit and blow raspberries! Grant started eating cereal and foods first; Canaan got teeth first.

With Canaan and Grant being the exact same age, it has helped me not be so anxious about how and when Canaan starts doing different things. I can see things Canaan does, that Grant doesn’t yet do. I also see things Grant can do, that Canaan hasn’t learned yet. They just grow and develop in different areas at different rates. It has been a blessing to see the two boys grow up together so far. God is amazing in his creation. Just seeing how unique Grant and Canaan are, I just can’t fathom His creativity with making over 6 billion people so special in their own way. Wow, what a God we serve!

A Tribute to Maggie

For those of you who don't know, we had a dog named Maggie. We adopted her from the animal shelter about 2 years ago. Dougle and I, knowing very little about dog breeds, thought she was pretty, but also thought she was probably just a mut. After we took her to the vet, we found out she was a German Short-haired Pointer. Cool.
Maggie was a great dog. Her name was actually Veronica, but we changed that. It didn't sound very doggish, and it didn't have many cool nicknames. Maggie, however, had lots. We called her Magdelaina, Maggs, Deli, Maggifer, and Deliana. (I am all about nicknames...except with my son. Cain typically doesn't bring to mind an image of a sweet little boy.) Anyway, Maggie was a wonderful dog. She was house trained from the time we brought her home. At the animal shelter, they told us that she was an escape artist. However, Maggie never tried to run away from our home. In fact, once when the door to our backyard was left open, we came back to find her standing in the driveway, waiting for us to come home.
Maggie was the perfect dog for Dougle and I because she was pretty low maintenance and not very demanding. She loved going on walks and running around the park when we lived in town. Once we moved out in the country, she would spend lots of time chasing rabbits and roaming around the open fields.
Maggie had several friends. Since moving in with my parents, Maggie had an adopted kitty sister, Zoey. Zoey was very un-impressed when Maggie came to live at her house, but they grew close. Maggie loved to chew on Zoey whenever she could; Zoey would lay down and take what she could handle and then stick out her claws to signal when chew-time was over. Maggie and our neighbor's Rhodesian Ridgeback were also friends. They loved to chase each other and rough-house together.
It took Canaan several months until he started noticing Maggie. When he did, he would just watch her as she walked through the room. Maggie wasn't too sure about Canaan when he first came home; she wasn't getting much attention at first, until Dougle and I realized we needed to do better at playing with our puppy too! When Canaan was first born, Maggie would run into his room or stand outside his door and whine when he would cry. She also liked to lick his face, or hands, or bottom. :) Recently, Canaan was very taken with Maggie. Whenever she would walk into the room, his eyes would light up and he would get a big grin on his face. I think 'dog' would have been his next word had she lived longer.
On Friday, August 10th, Maggie was run over. Some guys driving by saw her lying in the road and stopped. They brought her collar to us, saying they didn't know who hit her, but that they found her dead. It looked as if she was hit fairly hard and probably died instantly. Dougle and my dad buried her at the back of my parent's property. We were all pretty depressed over Maggie's death for a few days. Now, over a week later, Dougle and I will catch ourselves wondering where our dog is or making comments about our dog as if she were still around. Maggie was a great dog. We will miss her.

No Bum

This picture is from March- when Canaan was just 4 1/2 months old. I found it on my parent's camera card and just wanted to show you all. We had to buy 6-9 month pants for Canaan so they would fit length wise, but they were huge around his waist. Poor little guy, we just could hardly keep them on him! As they say in New Zealand, he has no 'bum'.

Part Mommy, Part Daddy

As Canaan gets bigger, we see various resemblances in him. Some to a grandparent, aunt or uncle and some to Dougle and I. So I got out some baby pictures of Dougle and I when we were around 9 months old to compare. I thought I'd share them with you all. I am going to do something new and try to put a poll on this blog. You can vote on who you think Canaan most looks like. It will be fun, and if you can't see the results, then I will post something in a few weeks to tell everyone the results of the blog. I just thought it'd be fun, and I hope you do too!

Sleepy Boy

So do all babies curl up to the corner of their beds to sleep like my precious boy? It doesn't matter where in the bed we put him, but he always rolls himself into the corners. He abandons his paci for his fingers in the process, but still loves his little lamb blanket!

It Is Official!

Dougle has been telling Canaan that he didn't have much time left to learn a new trick before his Gran-Dad, Gran-Nan, Auntie Livi, and UD arrived back home from all their travels. I guess Canaan was feeling the pressure......Canaan is now crawling! It is slow and awkward, but he gets where he wants to go...as long as it isn't too far away! Yesterday, when he first crawled, and even today some, he would go a little ways and then look at us and just beam! He was so proud of himself. We were proud of him too! Tonight he crawled over to the electric outlet and tried to pull the sterio cord out of the wall. I think it is time for me to do what Jason Thornton did when his kids became mobile: crawl around the house on my hands and knees and look at the world from their view. (This is what I've been told that Jason did.) So, now the fun begins.

Canaan has also just got the hang of picking up small objects (off the floor, or cheerios) and putting them in his mouth. We were at Vanessa's adoption shower on Sunday and I put Canaan on the floor to play while I helped set up some things. Next time I looked over, he had a big piece of fuzz sticking out of his mouth! I think that this, coupled with the crawling, is going to change how much I can get done in a day! Life is so wonderful with a baby: never boring and always something new! I just love being a mommy!

New Seat for the Big Boy

Well, Canaan outgrew his infant carrier/car seat. Unlike other infants, he did not get too heavy for it, but too long. There is a height limit on them, a thought I never would have come to on my own, if Canaan's pediatrician hadn't forewarned us of that fact. After spending much time searching the internet about car seats, safety, and parental ratings, I chose what looks to be the best for us: the Evenflo Titan. The safety rating people all agree that all the car seats are equally safe if used correctly. That is the key. They say that the safest car seat for your family is the one you will be able to use properly and comfortably. So, this one looked the best for us. I still had some gift cards I'd saved from Canaan's shower (thank you to all those who gave us stuff and gift cards!), so I used those and was able to pay not too much in the end. I am very excited about our new car seat. Canaan wasn't too thrilled about sitting in it while we were inside the house (we were trying to adjust the harnesses), but I think he rode very comfortably and liked sitting up higher. (Don't you love how I presume to read his thoughts??!!) Also in the picture, you can see his new shoes. I am proud of this purchase also, because I found his new shoes at Walmart for just $3.00! What a bargain. Of course, his feet are getting bigger and so are his shoes. Bigger shoes make him look older! Our little baby is growing up so fast!
PS> Can you see his hair in this picture? It is getting longer!

Upper Teeth and Upper Thoughts

If you can get over staring at those beautiful eyes and the charming smile, you will be able to see Canaan's upper teeth. He has three on top that are large enough to see. The one to the left of the middle two is still not fully through. Every time I look at my boy (and pictures of my baby boy), I can't get over how precious and perfect God's creation is. I can't believe God has entrusted us with such a tremendous task of raising a little boy. It seems overwhelming at times, but yet so very wonderful. I know we won't be accountable for Canaan's actions and choices as an adult, but raising him to know God and to come to love God as a child is something Dougle and I take very seriously. We pray every night that we can teach and model God's love to him. Our biggest dream is not that he graduate college or be successful in the world's eyes, but that he becomes a faithful follower of Christ. I don't know how long God has given us Canaan, but I am extremely grateful and thankful for every moment with him, and with my other favorite sweety, Dougle.

Canaan's Latest Stats

August 1, 2007

Canaan Kirt McDougle

• 9 months, 2 days old
• 6 teeth (one we can just barely see)
• 18.0 pounds (25th percentile)
  
• 28 1/2 inches long (50th percentile)
• head circumference: 45 cm (85th percentile)
• cute as a button
• perfect

We took Canaan in for his 9 month check-up yesterday. So, our boy has a big head. I think that means lots of brains. But the doctor said it was at least a pretty round one!

The doctor was impressed with Canaan's vocabulary. He said boys aren't usually so vocal at such a young age! I've always known he was smart! Canaan continues to say "uh-oh" and sometimes "a-boo" for peek-a-boo. He says "up" at times when he drops things that he wants back. He is also saying "ab" for bath every night. He loves his bathes!

Canaan also can clap. He loves the noise he can make with his hands. He also gives kisses. He gives people kisses sometimes, but more willingly will kiss his book with family pictures in it. He opens his mouth wide and leans in! Canaan has also started mimicking us when we laugh. Dougle and I will be talking with each other, laughing about something and Canaan will join in laughing too. It is so adorable.

Canaan still isn't crawling, but is extremely close. He wants to crawl so much; he gets on his hands and knees and tries, but then lands on his belly. He can scoot backward on his belly, but usually this just makes him more frustrated as he gets farther and farther from the toy he so desperately wants. Canaan also wants to walk. He loves holding onto our hands and strolling around. He even thinks he can do it on his own sometimes and lets go of our hands. Good thing Mommy and Daddy have quick reflexes to catch him before he crashes to the floor. He also runs around in his walker, around the kitchen and dining room area. Being mobile is just a crawl or step away....