Luke 18:16

On Sunday, November 29, Henry was given the sacrament of baptism and welcomed into the Kingdom of God and the United Methodist Church.

I was raised in the Southern Baptist Church, which does not practice infant baptism...so when I was exploring the possibility of joining the UMC, this is one of the things about which I was most interested. I was intrigued by the idea of infant baptism, but I wanted to be certain that I was in agreement, doctrinally, with the concept before I agreed it was the right thing for me and my family. Without going into any theological detail, my research assured me that infant baptism, as the Methodists practice it, is something I could absolutely embrace. It is a wonderful celebration of God's prevenient grace, and I was so excited for Henry--and for Barry and me--to go through this process.

We were especially thankful to have many of our friends and family join us for baptism day. It was one of the most special days of my life...one of those days that I am certain will still be etched in my memory when I am old and gray.

For those of you who weren't able to be there, please know that we were thinking of you and praying that you will be a blessing in Henry's spiritual life as he grows in faith.

But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Luke 18:16

Many, many thanks to the amazing Kate Crafton, who has captured so many special memories for our family, including those you see here. If you like her photography, please check out more of her work here.

3 Months Old!

Dear Henry,

You are three months old (+ one week...Mom is a tad behind)!

It seems like just yesterday we brought you home from the hospital, and now we are starting to pack away clothes you've outgrown!

Here are some of things we want to remember about you at this age:

• You are sleeping through the night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By the technical definition, anyway. Ever since we unswaddled you and moved you into your crib (from the bassinet) you have been sleeping so much better. Most nights you go down to bed at about 9:30pm--some nights you sleep through until 6:30am, but mostly you get up sometime between 1:30am and 4:30am to eat, then sleep until about 7:30am.
  
• The latest, most exciting development is that you've given us your first belly laugh!! It happened for the first time while Granny Margaret was playing with you while she was here visiting for Thanksgiving. What a cutie you are when you laugh!
  
• You have also started to play with toys. You love your Winkle the most right now, because it's easy for you to grab onto, and you can get it into your mouth. You've also discovered the toys that hang down from your activity mat--you especially love the whale and you get frustrated when you can't get it into your mouth. Which brings us to the next point...
  
• You put EVERYTHING into your mouth. All of a sudden, you love to chew! We thought this meant that teeth might not be far behind, but both of your Grannies tell us it could be a while.
  
• You have started to notice Miss Lucy and you watch her a lot.
  
• Your love for television has grown...you could probably be entertained by it for hours if we let you.
  
• You have started to pull Mom's hair.
  
• You are holding your head up so steadily now and you can sit upright assisted very well. You like to sit next to Dad on the couch and watch TV.

You are growing and changing at an amazing rate these days...we love all the new changes, and although we're sad to see you "growing up," it's very exciting for us to watch you learn new things and develop.

We can't wait to see what the next month brings!

All our love,
Mom & Dad

In God's House

In the six years that Barry and I have been together, our church has become a very special place to us.

Four years ago this weekend, we were married there.

Today, we took our son there for the first time.

The next big milestone we will celebrate at this church will be Henry's baptism, which is planned for Nov 29, my 37th birthday. We are looking forward to dedicating his life to God and are especially looking forward to sharing the day with our friends and family.

**Wedding photos copyright (the fabulous) Mary Claire Crow.**

Our Little Sweet Pea is 2 Months Old!

Dear Henry,

You are two months old! Where has the time gone? Your personality is really showing now and you are so much fun!

Here are some of the things your Dad and I want to remember about you at two months of age:

• 
  
  You are sleeping better at night, but not consistently. Some nights you give us up to five hours of uninterrupted sleep! Some nights you don't. :(


• 
  
  These days you still nap mostly while one of us is holding you and sometimes in your swing or bouncy seat. The carseat is no longer a favorite place.


• 
  
  You are not only smiling at us, but also laughing and "talking." Your excited baby screeches make us laugh, especially when we get them in the middle of the night while your diaper is being changed. I'm not sure what is so funny about that, but you find it highly amusing. Maybe you're laughing at the fact that you're making us get up in the middle of the night to clean up your poo.


• 
  
  Your crib is still one of your favorite places to hang out.


• 
  
  You still hate tummy time, but we have to do it a little each day. You are pushing up on your hands now and can roll from your belly to your back on your own, which really impressed Dr. Rauth when you did it right on her exam table!


• 
  
  You are tracking sounds very well and can follow the sound of our voices when we're in the room with you.


• 
  
  You now love your swing, which was not a favorite at all until about 2 wks ago.


• 
  
  We are starting to get out a bit more, and one of your first "public appearances" was a visit to Dad's office for the annual HealthScream Halloween party. You were a huge hit!


• 
  
  We celebrated your first Halloween, and I think it was a bit much for you. Too much noise and commotion when you are used to a pretty quiet house at night. Next year you'll be ready for it!

We have a lot of exciting milestones coming up for your as the holidays approach. We are so grateful to have you as part of our family for them this year and can't wait to see what the next couple of months bring!

All our love,
Mom & Dad

Little Pumpkin

Hope everyone has a safe and HAPPY Halloween!

A Friendly Reminder

You can always view more photos of our family here. The password is Lucy.

Growing, Growing, Growing!

Last Friday Henry had his two-month pedi appointment (and his first shots--TRAUMATIC!), at which he weighed in at 12 lbs, 12 oz! Healthy eater, that one.

The sleeping...well, we just won't talk about that right now. Let's just say that Momma is learning to exist on little.

We are so grateful that Henry is, so far, a very healthy and happy little boy!

We're looking forward to Halloween--I said I wouldn't put him in a costume because those things look so hot and uncomfortable. But I walked by the infant costume section in Target on my way to buy fog juice (that's another story...my husband is not only the Clark Griswold of our neighborhood at Christmas, but at Halloween as well), and that was all she wrote! I could NOT walk away from the pea pod costume. There will be pictures.

One Month!

Dear Henry,

Today you are one month old! We are so blessed to have you in our lives and can't believe you've been with us for a month already. Everyone has told us that this newborn stage flies by--it's hard to believe when you are in the midst of it, but it's true. Time is passing too quickly already and you are growing too fast!

Here are some of the things your Dad and I want to remember about you at one month of age:

• You haven't learned to sleep much at night! You are up at least every two hours to eat, which makes for a very tired Mommy. Some nights you won't sleep in your bassinet and sleep on Mommy's chest instead.


• You are a good napper, but you won't nap in your crib or in your pack-n-play--only on Mom's chest or in your bouncy seat. You nap very well in your carseat, but that makes Mom nervous, so we don't do it often.


• Speaking of carseats, you LOVE your carseat and the car. Rides in the car put you right to sleep, as do any trips out on errands--you will sleep for hours.


• You love walks in your stroller. You try to stay awake to take in all the sights, but that doesn't usually last long before sleep takes over. We have been taking lots of walks as a family, including The Luce.


• You love your playmat, any kind of music (which makes you dance), your Dad's voice, lights, your pacifier, nursing, lying in your crib (although not sleeping there) and being outside.


• You have not had many visitors because your Mom is paranoid about illness. Mostly your family so far, but hopefully that will change soon because we can't wait to introduce you to everyone! You haven't been to church yet because your doctor said to wait a while for that, but not much longer.


• You have been out with us on a few errands and your first visit to a restaurant was dinner at Cheeseburger Charlie's!

We are so grateful to have you in our lives, Henry, and we are so looking forward to watching you grow and seeing how you change as the months go by!

All our love,
Mom & Dad

Playtime

Hanging out on the playmat Uncle Scot bought for us!

Thanks, Uncle Scot!

Henry and Mom survived our first night alone, while Barry has on a business trip last night. Henry is NOT a good sleeper, so I was worried, but it was our best night yet, thanks to the help of our trusty carseat. It's his favorite place to sleep!

We are both feeling much better this morning!

Welcome to the world, Henry!

We welcomed Henry Lloyd to our family on August 30. He was born at 9:41pm, weighing 8 lbs, 4 1/2 oz and was 22 inches long. Tall and skinny!

We've made it through the first three weeks, albeit a little sleep deprived. At his 2-week appointment on Friday he weighed in at a healthy 8 lbs, 14 oz--growing like a weed already!

More info and more pictures coming soon when Momma wakes up!

Vacation and the Aftermath

We had a FANTASTIC time in Florida. We spent a few precious days with my Mom, which is something we just don't get the opportunity to do often. It was so great just to spend time doing a whole lotta nothing--we played games, went on a picnic, read for hours...all very relaxing.

Then we headed to Seaside to meet up with friends for the weekend.



We spent a lot of time lying on the beach...



....hanging out with friends...



...enjoying time together...



...and Barry even got in a little practice, with one of our favorite little guys, Calvin...




It was a really great time, and we were all sad when it was time to leave.

Now we're home, and things are CRAZY! I was home about 48 hrs when I realized that we only have about 14 weeks until baby comes (or LESS!), which put me into a panic. Now I'm in full-on nesting mode and getting things ready for Henry's arrival. Walls are being painted, carpet is being replaced, bathrooms are being renovated (hopefully! if we can find a contractor), closets are being cleaned out...it is sheer chaos around Chez Lancaster. But things are really starting to come together, and I love it!

We are beginning to realize just how much life is going to change once the baby is here, and it's scary and exciting all at once. And while we're smart enough to know there's not much we can do to REALLY prepare for all that change, we are trying to get as much settled here at home as we can before it happens.

Stay tuned for a little glimpse of what's happening in our home. Hopefully starting with a nursery!

Going Home

Tomorrow we start a much-needed vacation--nine days in Florida, some with family, some with friends. It's going to be great! This is the first time Barry and I have taken a week off at the same time since our honeymoon, and we are really looking forward to it.

When we get home we'll start the countdown to baby Henry!

IT'S A BOY!

Baby Henry (middle name TBD) is scheduled to arrive sometime around the end of August!

Memphis, Baby!

Barry and I are not traditional Valentine's Day people. The first V-Day we were together he made dinner reservations which turned out to be a disaster which involved us standing in the cold for a while and then getting takeout from Cooker (RIP), of all places.

Since then we've kept it low-key. Usually dinner at home, nothing fantabulous.

This year we decided we'd take the opportunity to do something fun, so this afternoon we're heading the Memphis! That's right, we're going to spend Valentine's Day visiting Graceland and eating BBQ. It's just an excuse to get out of town, really, but it should be fun.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

A Brave New World

Today is my first day as a work-at-home-wife! Last Thursday I finished up my last official day with the ALS Association and I'm now working solely as a freelancer. I'm currently working on a contract that keeps me busy about 15-20 hrs a week, and I may be looking to pick up other projects here and there.

It's exciting, and a little scary. I don't do well without a set schedule, so it's going to be a challenge to establish one that's productive for me. I'm excited, though, about having more free time. Especially for the past couple of months things have been a bit hectic, since I've been trying to juggle two separate jobs.

Now I'm looking forward to charting my own path and focusing on some other "life" things that I've let go by the wayside recently.

Here's to more freedom! Wish me luck.

Highlands

I know it's been FOREVER since I posted, and I just realized this week that I never downloaded the photos from our recent trip to Highlands, NC--so I figured this was as good a reason as any for an update.

This was our second trip to Highlands together--I had been before with my family as a child. But this has become a special getaway place for Barry and me. It's such a peaceful place.

Last time we stayed at The Lodge at Old Edwards Inn, but this time we ended up in a suite at in the Inn itself, since The Lodge was closed for the winter. I will say a love the rustic Lodge, but who can argue with this suite?

We had a great time doing virtually nothing but laying by the fire. This is not place you go to see the sights--there are no sights. This is a place to relax, and that's exactly what we did, including spending a day at the Inn's fabulous world-class spa. It was heaven.


Our only outing of the weekend, other than for dinner and shopping, was to see the town's Christmas parade, where we saw Mr. and Mrs. Claus....




...and CAMELS!!!





The camels were very cool, but did not smell good at all.

We had a great time and are already looking forward to our visit!