william is 4!!!

Still can't believe William is 4...  Although he will always be my baby, it really makes my heart ache to see how quickly William is growing.  On the one hand, I love seeing how the Lord is revealing more and more of his personality and giftings, but on the other hand, I wish I could stop time and just breathe him in a little more... to really take in all that he is at this stage in his life, especially since he'll be starting preschool next fall... PRESCHOOL!!!!!  SCHOOL!!!!!  Goodness... I know I'll cry like a big baby on his first day... and then cry some more after I leave him at school (assuming we don't homeschool... would love your prayers for that).  Ok, maybe we'll just homeschool.  Anyway, enough about me.

I think one of the things I love most about William is his teachable heart.  It really doesn't take much for him to learn and take in what we say to him.  Ok, well most of the time.  Getting along and learning to play/share with Josiah probably has been his hardest challenge this year.  But he has grown in leaps and bounds and is slowly learning to enjoy, play with, and be a big brother to Josiah.  Sometimes he likes to just hold Josiah's hand, ask Josiah to play with him, or chase him around the house.  They definitely do have their days when they just fight, especially since Josiah is such a little instigator.  But it warms my heart when I hear the both of them laughing and enjoying each other's company.  Those times were rare, but are slowly becoming more frequent.

William continues to be my big helper.  He still likes to help me cook, so I'm trying to start letting him be a part of the process when I can (i.e. putting food in the pot, stirring, taste-testing, etc.).  He tells me often that he can't wait until he can wash the dishes.  I can't wait either.  =)  William also helps us keep an eye on his rascal-ly little brother.  He often will tell us when Josiah is doing something he's not supposed to be doing... not to get him in trouble, but to protect him and keep him from getting hurt.  William is VERY protective of Josiah, especially when he thinks Josiah may be in danger (i.e. from random neighborhood pets).  A side story:  When we were looking for places to rent during the bankruptcy, there was a cat on the sidewalk outside one of the homes.  Josiah was standing near it and William screamed, very upset, "Josiah's going to get the cat!  Josiah's going to get the cat!!"  I was confused because I was wondering what the big deal was if he did, but William was totally flipping out (in front of the realtor).  After calming him down and asking a few questions, he finally said he was afraid the cat was going to hurt Josiah.  We think what he meant to say was that the cat was going to get Josiah.  William has done that a few times since then and will just scream, "Momma, can you get Josiah please?!"

William also loves greeting people, especially when they come over.  He will take the initiative on his own to go to the door and say hi.  I love how welcoming and hospitable he likes to be.  And we are just blown away that he just does this on his own without any prompting from us.

William loves to pray.  He may not always understand what is being prayed for, and in those cases, we give him the words to say.  But if people are sick or there's something to thank God for, he very willingly will pray.  This is something I want to learn to take better advantage of, for both of us to be in the habit of praying continually.

Our big boy is potty-trained for the most part now.  He only wears his pull-ups during naps and bedtime.  And he's sleeping in a regular bed.  We have a body pillow which acts as a guard, but he is doing well since the transition a few months ago.

William has also been learning to dress himself.  He can put on his underwear, pull-ups, socks, and sweatpants on all on his own!  And he has even learned to button buttons!  Still working on the zippers, but he will soon not need my help anymore to get dressed.  =(

Some of William's favorite foods are pretzels, any kind of chips he can eat, soy ice cream, corn, grape tomatoes (which I can't believe), french fries, pepper chicken (as he likes to call it), and oreos.

William, we can't believe how fast you are growing, but we are doing our best to treasure every moment with you because every moment is indeed such a gift from the Lord.  You have been such a joy to raise and have taught us so much about gospel love.  We love you more than you will ever know, and you are more than we deserve.  So, so, so grateful for you!

William wanted to spend his birthday at Mema's house, so we headed over there for the afternoon:

We brought some of William's leftover birthday cake for another go at Mema's, and Mema topped it off with a dairy-free ice cream sandwich.

Silly monkey...

(You can really notice Josiah's tilt here.)

Happy 4th birthday, my sweet boy!

william's 4th birthday celebration...

Can you believe our big boy is F-O-U-R?!?!  Yes, 4!  I will save my sentimentalities for his actual birthday post, but we actually were able to have a real party for him this year.  It was a full house and William loved having so many kids there to play with.  This was the first year I took some time to plan some games, but they were a total flop. =(  For several reasons, the kids just weren't really getting into them and were having much more fun just playing.  So after a game or two, we just nicked it and let them play on their own.  William absolutely loved knowing that everyone was there for him.  He was glowing when everyone sang happy birthday to him.  =)  It was wonderful being surrounded by so many friends and family who were there to celebrate the gift that he has been.  =)

William's first time getting to taste the batter.  I remember my mom letting us do this and was a little sad that William wouldn't be able to since most cake mixes have dairy in them.  But God was gracious and allowed me to find a dairy-free chocolate cake recipe.  Yummy!!!  So William was able to have chocolate cake for the first time, too!

A serious pose from Miss Sofia for the camera...  =)

Ah, there's her adorable smile!

The older cousins doing their own thing...

Playing musical chairs... It was fun maybe for 3 seconds.  =P

William was so THRILLED when everyone sang happy birthday to him.

William's new thing is Handy Manny, and he loved getting all the Handy Manny toys.  (Someone else seems interested, as well.)  =)

Mmmm hmmmm...  ;)

Someone in the background is still spying out the Handy Manny toys William got...  =)  (She is totally cracking me up!  So caught on camera!)

Josiah was very taken with a birthday card William got that played the Little Einsteins theme song when you opened it.  He opened it over and over again for the next hour.

And here's our birthday boy in his new apron set and brand spankin' new kitchen.  (A ton of thanks to Aunt Lori and Mema!  And thanks Dada for relenting and letting our son have his own kitchen.  He has been wanting one for over a year.)  =)

A HUGE thank you for everyone who came to make our special boy's special day special.  He savored every moment of it!

happy birthday, boo!

My Boo turned the big 3-5.  =)  Hard to believe!!  Although we are both feeling our age, I wanted to take some time to affirm, encourage, and thank him for how he has led our family through our financial trials.  I know I am blessed beyond measure to have a man work with such integrity to provide for our family.  The last year and a half have not been easy, as he has born the brunt of the burden to work off debt from Brainbox.  We had gone through all our savings and gotten through hard times through the financial help of family, friends, and a few anonymous givers.  Bill had worked tirelessly all day and late into the night.  Paying off the debt that Brainbox owed was always very important to Bill.  And I am grateful for a husband who desired to walk with integrity and faithfulness in his work.

With an impending lawsuit against his company this past summer, we finally made the painful decision to declare bankruptcy.  (We would have otherwise spent the rest of our lives paying back the business debt that was owed.)  But God was so faithful with all the timing.  Bill's health was beginning to fail due to all the stress that had accumulated from the past year and a half.  Making the decision to file was the most difficult for him, but as soon as the decision was made, God just blessed us more than we could have ever imagined.  In the span of 3 months, He graciously provided another place for us to live (with more space than our old townhouse and a yard for the boys to play in) in a safe, quiet neighborhood, along with the first year of rent paid for.  Such a blessing as this will allow us to begin saving some money again since losing all our savings over the last year or so.  Once we filed, Bill said it literally felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.  We finally felt like we had room to breathe again, as the bankruptcy actually became an extraordinary blessing.  We were able to surrender our old townhouse and not have to deal with the hassle of selling.  We would have had to pour thousands more dollars into upgrading it even as it continued to be a negative investment since it's underwater.  It was money we didn't have.  And now with the bankruptcy filed, our debt has been forgiven and Bill can now work under more "normal" circumstances.  Before, Bill was able to work from home, but he was not home with us.  But now He has more regular working hours, time to play with the boys, and just time at home with us.  We love being able to have our time with him again.

Anyway, all this to say it has been an amazing year with you, Boo.  The Lord has stretched you and humbled you, but oh, how He has blessed you.  Though it was difficult, it has been amazing to walk through these trials with you and see God's kind and gracious provision.  I can't stop marveling at how merciful God has been.  And through it all, He has used this to increase your faith.  As the Lord worked mightily to deliver the Israelites from the hands of the Egyptians, so He has worked mightily to deliver us.  A commentary I read says, "... where the Israelites saw only an unwanted disaster [when they were trapped between the Red Sea and Pharoah's army], the Lord had a purpose that would minister to his glory, give them assurance of faith and secure the future from the menaces of their past.  For on That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore (Ex. 14:30).  At this demonstration of the great power of the LORD... the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him (14:31).  In the same way, the Lord had a purpose in this trial and bankruptcy that would minister to his glory, give us assurance of faith, and secure the future from the menaces of our past (our financial debt).  God has grown us in this season for this purpose:  to witness and attest to the great power of the LORD, so that we may fear him and put our trust in Him.  I love you, Boo... and am eager to see all that the Lord will do with our "new" start.

happy birthday to a dear friend...

It is my dear friend Kelly's birthday, and I'd like to take some time to express my gratitude for her. We first met in a newlywed care group in 2005. (Wow! I can't believe it's already been that long ago!) We managed to stay together in the same care group, as Bill and I eventually stepped up to lead the group. And not long after that, Kelly and her husband left us to lead their own care group. I miss Kelly dearly!

Over the last 3 or 4 years, the Lord has been kind to build our friendship, mostly through Kelly's pursuing of me. I can be a loner at times and prefer to keep to myself, but I can't express how grateful I am that she pursued me (and still does!) to build a friendship with me. And that has meant so much. And the biggest thing is that I don't know why!! I still don't know why, but I often thank God for providing me with such a faithful friend, who is always available and willing to care for my soul. Kelly indeed helps remind me that there is a world outside of myself. =P Thank you, friend! I always appreciate your phone calls to check up on me or ask for counsel... and so cherish our evenings of grabbing some coffee.

Kelly has been such a source of wisdom and encouragement to me. And this wisdom is the fruit of walking through many difficult and heart-wrenching trials. Kelly has walked through some hard things with her girls, and as she has wrestled through these things, the Lord has been so faithful in using these hardships to grow her faith and dependence on Him. The transformation in her has been absolutely amazing to see. And now I see such a different woman from the one I had met a few years ago... Proverbs 31:26 describes her well, "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." Kelly is filled with such wisdom that is always tempered with kindness, which always provokes and reminds me to be more kind with my boys... and I love that her wisdom comes from personal experience from things that she has walked through before. I always know she is speaking to me as someone still trying to figure things out, rather than someone who already knows it all. (Kelly helps me feel normal... not sinless, but normal.) ;)

And now, I see Kelly frequently using what God has walked her through (or is still walking her through) to minister to others. It has been inspiring to see 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 come to life in her own life: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God" (emphases mine). As she has walked through affliction, she has gained much comfort and insight from the Lord. And now she is able to use the comfort she has gained to comfort those who are in any affliction... with the same comfort that she received from the Lord. I love how God uses the difficult things we walk through to encourage others who are later walking through a difficult trial. God brings His comfort through others who have already walked an arduous path. And I have often been the beneficiary of that comfort from Kelly, as I know others have as well.

Kelly is also a wonderful example to me of what being a godly wife and mother means. I see how she strives to submit, respect, and care for her husband. And I see how she loves and cherishes her girls... always being faithful to point them to the gospel. There is incredible fruit in the lives of her girls as she regularly instructs, trains, and disciplines her children in God's love and tenderness... things that never fail to provoke me. She very much has a heart for her children to know Jesus, and it shows through in their understanding of who they are (sinners in need of a...) in light of who He is (Savior). I love hearing about what she is doing with her girls so I can glean from some of her great ideas!

And last, but not least, I love how Kelly is my ghetto fabulous friend. I gotta give her some mad props. She is an amazing woman who loves the Lord and loves her family. She can rock it out with the best of them from the 90's. And she knows how to keep it real. There's no lunchin' with her. She is all that and a bag of chips! Love you, fly girl! You da bomb!

happy 1st b-day, josiah!!

Boy, what a year! The Lord has certainly brought our Smiles a long way since he was first born. From being IUGR, along with having low amniotic fluid and minimal blood flow through the umbilical cord while in the womb, Josiah was born a preemie, having to stay in the NICU until he was 5 lbs so we could take him home. A few weeks later, he had a choking episode that sent him back to the NICU, only to return home w/an apnea monitor, which was very much the thorn in my side... (This was all in the first 3 months, mind you.)

newborn 1 month 2 months

From 3-6 months, we noticed Josiah’s plagiocephaly, but decided to wait a little to see whether his head would round out on its own. He also began taking zantac for his reflux.

3 months 4 months 5 months

At 6 months, we discovered our monkey had torticollis and a severe case of plagiocephaly. Josiah quickly began physical therapy to begin correcting the torticollis. We also began to take more serious measures to keep him off his back as much as possible to keep his head from getting more flat.

6 months 7 months

At 8 months, Josiah had his band on. He began crawling while in the band. At 10 months, we began to see some specialists to see whether Josiah’s torticollis was caused by something other than his neck muscles.

8 months 9 months 10 months

At 11 months, Josiah was out of the band and all the specialists we saw said that he was doing great. He has full range of motion in his neck. It’s just his tilt that we’re working on getting rid of, which is the the most difficult to overcome.

11 months

And now here we are, at one year, still continuing with physical therapy and some reflux issues, but so thankful to the Lord for sustaining Josiah’s health and well-being. Looking back on this year, we are so incredibly grateful to God that nothing he had to walk through was really of a serious nature. He still has asymmetry in his face and head, but there is much grace in how it has improved from before he had the band.

1 year!!

And just some quick things to note from over this past month: Josiah loves to wrestle w/pillows. He’ll just throw them on the floor and pounce on them and roll around w/them. He stops to listen to planes flying by. He can point now. And it’s cute when he holds something up for you to take… it’s usually something he knows he shouldn’t have or something he found on the floor.
We’ve also been trying to get Smiles started on table foods, but the only foods he can eat w/o gagging, choking, or throwing up are bananas, yogurt, and cheerios (which he can totally eat on his own. I’ve been giving them to him one by one. I’m afraid he’ll choke if I put too many on his tray b/c I’m sure he’ll try to eat them all at once.). We’ve tried w/other foods, but he almost always will throw up at least the first time he tries something new. He threw up with the bananas and cheerios at first. Yogurt is the only thing he’s been able to keep down, but I don’t think he likes it very much b/c of the tart-taste and it’s cold. And I have no recollection about what or how we started William on table foods. He didn’t have the stomach issues that Josiah has though. Smiles gags, chokes, and will throw up w/anything new. It’s just a question of whether it’s something we should keep trying to give him. =P Maybe we should try fruit…
Josiah’s naps have also significantly improved. We had our Smiles cry it out when he was 6 months, but I had gotten into the habit of bouncing him to sleep anyway b/c he is so easy to put down. Just a few minutes of singing and he is out! I loved watching him fall asleep, especially since I could never do that with William. And Josiah is such a sweet baby… It’s the only time he’s calm and content to be in my arms. Now that he’s older, it takes him a little longer to get to sleep, and Bill talked with me about the importance of him being able to get to sleep on his own, so we put him down awake now. And usually w/only a few minutes (if that) of crying, he’ll settle down on his own and go to sleep. Yay, Josiah! He is still taking a nap in the morning, which is usually just shy of an hour. And he’ll take another nap in the mid-afternoon that’s usually just over an hour. So we are very grateful that his napping has gotten so much better. Good riddance to those half-hour catnaps!!!
And that’s a wrap of our Josiah Qian-Yi Davidson’s first year of life. It’s been crazy at times, but always a joy. We absolutely adore this little one!
Happy birthday, Smiles!!! Can’t tell you how much we love and are grateful for you!! What a gift from the Lord you are to us.

happy 11-months, wild thing!

It is hard to believe that our Smiles is almost a year old, but he still looks like a little baby. So grateful for that. Don't like seeing him grow up so fast. ;)
The big and WONDERFUL news is NO MORE BAND!!!!! We were going to go to Cranial Tech for an exit appointment, but with the blizzard, we re-scheduled for next week. (Believe it or not, we got hit w/a blizzard a few days after snowmageddon.) So we'll have to hold off on any official celebrating until some of the snow clears out. But they said we could just take the band off today. Can't tell you how excited we were! His hair is another story... Half of it is flattened b/c of the band and the other half sticks straight up, so we cut his hair to give him a fresh, new start.
Josiah has been very busy over the last month. He has learned to wave good-bye and hello. He can cruise and walk using a walker. He can climb all the way up the stairs by himself. He is starting to eat Cheerios and Puffs. He loves dropping things on the floor and seeing where they go. (This drove me nuts when William was in this phase... and it still does!) And our dear baby boy can lift the lid of the toilet and put his hands inside. (I was horrified the first time I found him doing this. Fortunately, he hasn't been able to reach the water. Yuck!!)
We have been honing in on correcting, especially with him touching things he's not supposed to, play-hitting (not intentionally to hurt). And it is really amazing to watch him process this training and learning to obey, albeit not always with a joyful heart.
Josiah also continues to amaze us with with his physical strength. He resists a lot when he wants to keep something we try to take away... usually something he shouldn't be playing with or touching. I usually have to use both my hands to pry open his little ones to get it out. He's our little brute. His physical strength matches his personality... extremely strong-willed. He does not mind letting us know when he's upset about something we've done.
Smiles' naps also continued to be way frustrating up until a few weeks ago. He used to take only 30 or 45 minute naps... usually only 30 minutes though. But over the last couple of weeks, he has been slowly extending his naps. He takes 2 naps during the day now and will usually sleep a little over an hour for at least one of them. And usually, he'll sleep close to an hour for the other. Can't tell you how grateful I am that Josiah is FINALLY learning to sleep more during the day. Even if it's just for an hour. I feel better knowing that he's better rested AND that I can get some other things done while he's sleeping. William is not a good sleeper either. It is a good day in the Davidson home if either of my boys would sleep at least an hour during their naps. I always daydream about what it's like to have a child that takes 2-3 hour naps. That is so unheard of here! =)
The last thing to report is that we tried taking Josiah off his zantac to see if his reflux had resolved itself. But sadly it hasn't. I think within a week he was spitting up a lot more often and sometimes even vomiting. So we decided it was best to put him back on. At least he's doing well on a low dosage!
So that's our Smiles!! He'll be one-year old next month! It blows my mind. Wish so much I could slow down time. Just trying to cherish these days w/him! =)

And here’s Smiles w/his fresh new cut, playing w/Dada’s ethernet cable, of course. He’s about to put that thing in his mouth. And there it goes… =)

A Big Happy Birthday for my Little 'A'

Just wanted to take a quick moment to honor my beautiful wife for her birthday. I can't believe just 5 years ago we were celebrating her first birthday together as a couple (engaged couple that is)... Seems like forever ago, yet also almost like yesterday. Like that day, today it snowed. We got a LOT more this time around. On her 30th, we just got a nice, brief gift from heaven (for me at least... LOVE snow) as we stood outside the Rusty Scupper in Baltimore.

We had a great time that night. Amy says that was one of her favorite memories of us together (or at least during our courtship). While I loved her then, almost 5 years of marriage has brought so much more to my heart for this woman. We've had a rough year this past year starting with the difficult pregnancy -- or the last month at least, and a rough couple of months with our little man, in and out of the NICU and back in again, and then out again. :) Glad he stayed out that time. Through all the challenges of Josiah's plagiocephaly, torticolis, and the related burden of helmet washing and seemingly endless physical therapy... and this really extended period of financial stress and uncertainty.

But as with the story of Joseph and his brothers and time in Egypt, what seemed like just a period of difficult circumstances, God was using it for good. I think he has strengthened our faith, increased our perseverance and humbled us into more dependence on Him. All the while rooting out sin in our hearts and growing us in Christ-likeness.

For Amy, this has been manifested itself in her attack on her personal battles with anger, growing love for her boys by seeking to care for them and model the gospel by consistently seeking forgiveness and going to God to receive grace and her increased selfless sacrifice as she serves me the little guys in our house. While I believe that Amy is the most beautiful woman in the world, THIS is true beauty.

Amy -- Love ya. Hope you have a great 35th. Hope this long ramble blesses you. (I write like I think unfortunately... a little all over the place)

And thank you, Lord, for not only giving me this wonderful woman, but also giving me a little present too with this snow! Even though it's not my birthday... sweet.

-B

happy 10-months, little crazy!

10 MONTHS OLD!!! Can't believe that Josiah is nearing the 1 year mark! He can crawl, pull himself up into a standing position (we had to move crib mattress down), and climb stairs. Let me tell you, he is one active baby. Always on the go.

Josiah prefers meats (by far), most fruits, and sweet potato (the only veggie).

Smiles had been sick a lot in December. A month and a half to be exact, with a few healthy days in between before getting sick again. =) Josiah took a while to recover each time he got sick... poor baby. I think he was just wondering what was going on with his body. Smiles is a very light sleeper when he's sick... (moreso than he usually is.) The house has to be TOTALLY quiet for him to sleep about an hour.

Our little one can also be a demanding one... Smiles LOVES being held, but will turn and squirm to get down when he wants you to continue holding him up while he walks around to explore. Our monkey LOVES walking around to explore. And he has no problems directing you where he wants to go. He can actually walk pretty fast when being held up.

Like all babies, Josiah can be clingy at times, but mostly when he’s tired or has been left alone for a while by himself. When he’s not tired, he can actually play by himself for a while, especially if there are lots of toys on the floor. He’ll spend some time on one toy and then move on to another toy after losing interest. But if most of the toys are put away, he gets into trouble and starts looking for cables, wanting to climb the stairs, opening cabinets, or taking stuff off our coffee table, shaking it up a bit, and then throwing it on the floor.

One cool thing is that he can turn the pages in a book now (when it’s lifted a little)! It was so neat to see him begin to do that.

And here are some shots of our little Crazy being a handful…

Pulling all the laundry out of the basket… Trying to pull the advent calendar down to look at… Climbing the stairs… Getting into stuff in our coat closet…

Didn’t get any pics of him pulling the skirt out from under christmas tree or destroying William's legos. =)

As his Mema would say, Josiah is a very busy boy, but we can't tell you how much we love our little Crazy!!!! We wouldn't have him any other way. =)