One Week Away

In just one week, Isaac and I will be leaving for Pennsylvania. We're going for five days to see my dad's side of the family. This will be the first time that I've seen any of them since I got married seven years ago. I'm really looking forward to the trip.

I'll be staying with friends for a couple nights, and then staying with family the rest of the time. On Saturday, July 4th, Uncle Steve is going to host a big party at his house. What makes this trip even more special is that all of my dad's brothers and sisters will be there. My aunts from New York will be coming, and even Aunt Marlene (who lives in Kansas) is flying in for this. A few of my cousins will be there too. Basically, it's going to be a family reunion.

I'll also get to introduce Isaac to New York. My parents, sister, and I will take the train to New York on Friday and stay most of the day. I think we're going to have a great time, but I can't wait to take Isaac back to New York when he's old enough to appreciate and remember it. I plan to show him most of the things that I show my eighth graders every spring.

Meanwhile, I've really been enjoying my time at home this summer. I've taken Isaac to the Jacksonville Zoo, Tybee, and Jekyll Island. We've visited all of his grandparents, and different friends. On Thursday, he'll get to experience Splash in the Boro for the first time. And one of these days, I'll get around to taking him to Guido Gardens. Most of all, I just enjoy being around the house and going through our same routine every day. People frequently tell me that "they don't stay little for long," and that's so true. I'm cherishing every minute.

First Haircut

Yesterday, Isaac got his hair cut for the first time. He stayed with Linda so I could go to my doctor's appointment in Savannah and run some errands. One of the things I did in the afternoon was get my hair cut. Before I left, I told Sandy (my hairdresser) that I needed to make an appointment for Isaac. Things were slow, so she told me to just come by after I picked him up from Linda's house.



I called my mom on the way there just to chat, and I mentioned that I was taking him to get his hair cut. She said, "Ooh, can I come watch?" (She isn't a proud Grandma or anything... ;) ) Isaac had time to get acquainted with Sandy, and my mom pulled up about five minutes later.



Friends told me that the first haircut was more traumatic for them than their kids, but it wasn't an emotional thing for me. It was exciting to watch him move on to a new stage. With just a few snips of the scissors, he went from looking like my sweet baby boy to a little man.


This is what Isaac looked like before the haircut. You can't see the curls very well, because he, of course, didn't want to be still for very long.




I was amazed that he actually sat still long enough for Sandy to cut his hair.

Here's a picture of us after Isaac's haircut.



And here's a better shot of what his hair looks like now.

Mommy's Little Helper

Isaac has become quite the helper lately. I read in one of my books that whatever your child sees you doing around the house, he'll want to do that too. That has definitely been true for Isaac.

Last week, he started pulling out the broom and dustpan so he could "sweep" in the kitchen and living room. He also learned how to help me put clothes in the dryer. He always likes to be right up next to me when I'm doing that, so I gave him a few clothes and said, "Here, Isaac. Will you put these clothes in the dryer for Mommy?" He was very happy to oblige.

He also has different "jobs" around the house. He helps me close the car door when we get home. Then I let him push the button to close the garage door before we come in the house. At bathtime, I sing, "Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up!" and he helps me put away his toys. When it's time for bed, it's Isaac's job to turn off the light.

Whenever I can, I look for opportunities to let him do things around the house. I think it's important for him to feel like he's making a contribution. It teaches good habits, work ethic, and responsibility. Of course at 15 months old, he doesn't fully comprehend all of that. But one day he will.

I can't wait to teach Isaac how to cook. A former coworker of Wes's told him, "Whatever you do, don't let Jennifer get him to bake cookies." I said, "If he likes to eat, then he needs to know how to cook." Grandma Jandovitz was that way with my dad. She taught him how to do everything - cook, clean, laundry, sew, etc. - because she wanted him to be able to take care of himself.

And that's my goal with Isaac. I want to "work myself out a job," so that Isaac can be fully independent one day. In my home growing up, there was no "woman's work" or "men's work." There was just work, and everyone pitched in to get it done. That's how I plan to train Isaac...and my future daughter-in-law will love me for it.

"More."

Lately, I've started doing a family worship time with Isaac. Of course I've been reading him the Bible and singing Christian songs since before he was born, but I've started to make it a little more structured lately. My goal is to instill in him the importance of a daily quiet time. Too many Christians are lacking in this area. As my friend Jada likes to put it, "Good becomes the enemy of best," as they basically miss the forest for the trees. They get caught up doing so many "good" things that they forget about the best, or most important, things. On the flip side of the coin, many people mistakenly think that the only time they should worship God is on Sunday morning. They expect to get all of their spiritual nourishment in life during one hour - or maybe two, if they go to Sunday School. So my other goal is for Isaac to understand that what happens on Sunday morning is just a supplement to what's already taking place in the home.

This week, I've started using my I-Worship DVDs with Isaac. I have the same ones we use at church (because I bought the ones we use for church), and Isaac really enjoys that time. Last night, we got started a little late, because Isaac played outside with Wes and his parents. So my intention was to just play one song so I could then start the bedtime routine. When the song was over, Isaac clapped his hands and said, "More."

This melted my heart, and of course I played another song. After the second song, he clapped again and said, "More." This continued, and I ended up playing four songs. That moment was so precious to me, and I didn't mind letting him go to sleep a little later for that.

Then tonight, I decided to play my guitar instead. The same scenario played out as the night before. Isaac would clap and say, "More." Then I would play another song. Tonight, I lost track of how many songs I played for him. Finally, I did have to stop so I could give him a bath.

I can't wait until Isaac's old enough for me to show him what it means to be giving and serve others in love. These are definitely the best days of my life...

Proud Mama Moment

I'm proud of Isaac all the time, but there is one time in particular that happened recently that I want to share. This week, I picked him up from Linda's one afternoon, and she said to him, "Who are you?" He said, "I-aac" (Isaac). Then she said, "Who am I?" He said, "Inda" (Linda). So that night at VBS, I walked around with him to several people and said, "Isaac, who are you? What's your name?" Each time, he said, "I-aac," pointed at himself, and smiled so big. Everyone laughed, and you could tell that he was really proud of himself. I was too. :)