Windows 7

Today, I begin my Windows 7 journey. During the summer at Reinhardt, we will update the computers in the labs to Windows 7. Therefore, I need to learn the ins and outs of this new OS. At this moment, I know nothing about Windows 7, so I have an adventure ahead of me and hopefully, as Microsoft has advertised, Windows 7 is "Your PC, simplified."

Smiling Happy Baby

Lydia has started smiling more and more. Her faces are just adorable and sometimes we find ourselves just staring at her! For these pictures I just kept snapping away (as fast as our digital camera would let us) and she just got cuter and cuter. If you notice, in one of the pictures she is giving a thumbs up!


She was apparently still excited from the weekend she had spent with Daddy. I left Friday afternoon for our church's women's retreat. After storing up milk, writing a 4-page instruction manual (although Brian already knows all that I wrote down) and shedding a few tears I was off... sans baby! The weekend was a great retreat, although I missed my family for those 36 hours. We had a great speaker who gave some insights on being "strong women with soft hearts." The greatest part, though, was a new stronger bond between my husband and daughter. Brian has become more attentive to her needs and personality. She seems to be soothed by him much quicker and lights up when he comes home (or fusses to see him if she is up in her crib). It is a joy to watch them both connect.

Sweet Studying

For the past two months, if I am not sleeping, then more than likely, I am studying for my 'license to preach' examination. The examination tests my knowledge of the Bible, theology, and church government. In preparing for this test and particularly the Bible section, I have been advised by many to know an outline of each book of the Bible and the key events which take place in them.

This past week, my wonderful wife surprised me with a sweet treat and study tool in my lunch bag: 38 individual ROLO labeled with each Old Testament book and 1 Special BabyRuth for the book of Ruth! My first task was to arrange them all in canonical order. Then, I am allowed to eat them one-by-one when I learn the outline for that book. As you may noticed, Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus have been eaten.

Thanks sweetie for my sweet study treat!

2010 Census

We have received and filled out our 2010 U.S. Census. Thank you for the SuperBowl commercial. It wasn't as cool as I thought (how can a census be cool? I don't know.), but we did our American duty as American citizens. I am thankful that you didn't have to put your pets down as to think they are human beings. I wished you could have put how many TVs, computers or Ipods in your house because that is really how we define an American household.

As for the record, our house has three real people, no pets, one television, two computers, and zero Ipods.

Lydia: Two Months

Today we went to the doctor again for our two-month check-up. Brian, Lydia and I were enjoying our last visit in the "newborn waiting room" when a week-old little girl and her mom came in. I looked at the baby thinking there is no way Lydia was ever that small! Turns out this baby weighed about the same as our little girl just 7 weeks ago. She has grown so much!

Here are some updates...
Weight: 9 pounds, 8 ounces (which ironically is about how much I weighed AT BIRTH...sorry mom)
Height (that is, Length): 22 and 3/4 inches
New "skills": getting pretty good at holding her head up, cooing and smiling more and more, and "scooting" in her crib.
Because we Americans love comparing our babies, I'll let you know that Lydia is in the 19th percentile for weight and the 67th for height. Basically she is long and skinny...but still has cute fat cheeks. She is healthy all around and seemed to enjoy seeing the doctor today...until the end of the appointment.

That's right, today Lydia had her dreaded first round of shots. She received 3 shots and one oral vaccine. She let out a cry I have never heard before! Of course, then I also started to cry and Brian had to hug and comfort both of us. I know it is crucial to get shots and they are good for her, but wow...something inside of me hurt for her more than I thought it would. So, in light of that trama, I told Lydia she could have whatever she wanted today. So far she has requested (and received) a nap ON me, undisturbed meals every 2 hours, tylenol every 4 hours, a relaxing bath with no hair-washing (her least favorite part of any bath), and lots of holding and rocking.

Humor at the Stock Household

Yes, we do like a good laugh at the Stocks. Laughter is good for the soul, I am learning. When Mandy and I are laughing, we know things are going well between us. Why? Well, if Mandy is laughing at my "attempted" jokes, something has got to be going right. Some people have described my humor as dry as a saltine cracker. Furthermore, if I ever begin a "joke" with "I recently heard this joke..." and then proceed to tell it, this will not turn out well for the listening audience. I just can't tell a joke, period. Not even a "Chicken Crossed The Road" joke. Thankfully, my desire is not be a stand-up comedian, but a preacher of the Gospel. AND thankfully, there are other people named "Brian" that can tell a joke. Here is one of them. I laugh every time I watch it.

Grandmas Are Amazing

What an eventful weekend for Lydia! She had a visit from her Nana (Mandy's mom) and her Great-Grandma Pat from Tampa. Here is a picture of four generations: Patricia Anne, Barbara Anne, Amanda Anne, and Lydia Anne.

They arrived Saturday just in time for Mommy and Daddy to go out for their first time. No, it wasn't anything romantic. We had a church banquet...and we had to drive separate cars so Brian could go set up early. Regardless, Nana and Great-Grandma had a great time baby-sitting for the evening! Even though these two have decades of child-rearing experience between them and Great-Grandma was a pediatric nurse practitioner...Mommy was still a bit nervous. It's difficult leaving the baby for the first time longer than an hour!

On Sunday evening, Brian's parents stopped by for dinner. We had 3 grandmas under one roof! Lydia got the best diaper change of her life (and no, they did not pose for this picture...they really are all changing her diaper together!). Lydia was showered with love and kisses as she graced us with a few smiles and coos (well worth it in our opinions). I think she now is convinced, as her parents are, that Grandmas are certainly amazing!

Braving Snow and Ice...Just to Hold the Baby!

Lydia had some visitors from North of the Mason-Dixon Line this past week. Her grandpa Wayne (Mandy's dad) and his fiance, Vickie braved snowy and icy roads to come see little Lydia. She welcomed them with joy! This picture shows how Lydia snuggled up almost immediately with her grandpa. A few seconds after this was taken, she "baptized" him with spit-up and sent him for a spare shirt in his luggage! Vickie enjoyed holding her and helping Mommy give this little "wiggle-worm" a bath.

They also came bearing gifts. Lydia has her first Harley-Davidson outfits (grandpa and Vickie are Harley owners) and our favorite addition to our daughter's toy collection...the "dinner-saver". This is what we have named this light/sound/movement distraction. Lydia can spend 10 minutes staring at it and cooing (which in our world is just enough time to have a peaceful dinner).

We are certainly glad Grandpa and Vickie made it through wintery conditions to meet our daughter and share in our joy. It was a great visit and we look forward to sharing Lydia even more with her family and friends!

God's Self-Originating Love

While studying spiritual gifts today, I was reading D. A. Carson's book, Showing the Spirit: A Theological Exposition of 1 Corinthians 12-14. I came across this Gospel quotation and my heart leaped in joy and thanked God for His self-originating love:

"If I must say in few words what is distinctive about God's love for us, it is that it is self-originating. When a young man reveals his heart with a passionate declaration, "I love you!" at least in part he means that he finds the woman he loves lovely. At least some of his love is elicited by the object of that love. But God loves what is unlovely. If, as John 3:16 tells us, God loves the world, it is not because the world is so lovely God cannot help himself: judging by John's use of the term world, God loves the world only because of what he is."