The Treasure of 11 months

"But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart." Luke 2:19

In the past 11 months this verse has come to my mind many times. "Treasure up".... for the first time in my life I've been able to really understand what this phrase means. To hold dear, to tuck away for future reminiscing. To treasure up. Many times I've thought about coming back to this blog and writing about Jacob. There are a multitude of reasons why I haven't. One being that exhaustion doesn't exactly lend itself to good writing. ;-) Two being that every moment with Jacob is priceless. When I was pregnant one of my friends gave me some wise advice, "Take a year off and enjoy your blessing." She was actually talking about my involvement in church ministries, but since I struggle to say "No" I applied it to all of my life outside of my home. So I've spent the past 11 months focused on my home and the two men in my life. It has been the best 11 months of my life. The freedom that has come from just being home tending to my domain has been exhilarating. The challenges that have come from just being home have definitely stretched me spiritually.

Of course not everything has been all rosy and sublime. Sleepless nights and Jacob's acid reflux and lactose intolerance, and a stuffed doggy randomly belting out the ABC song at 1 in the morning have definitely given me some trying, teary moments. Through it all I've had Jeff there to remind me "This is what we've been waiting for and it is all worth it." So here are some things I've treasured up these past 11 months. 11 months that I once thought I would never have and may never have again:

~ Hearing Jacob just grunt as soon as he was born and calming down as soon as he heard Jeff's voice.
~ His little hand holding mine as I fed him.
~ Taking naps with him curled up against me.
~ Singing together as I put him to sleep.
~ Hearing him hum and talk himself to sleep...sometimes he even talks and then laughs. Like he just told a joke or something.
~ Watching him talk to his animals on his bouncy seat.
~ Seeing his foot/eye coordination develop as he began kicking the toys on his jungle gym.
~ Hearing him say "Dada" for the first time.
~ Watching him crawl up to the bathtub, stand up, pull back the shower curtain and just start squealing and talking to the tub. He LOVES water!
~ Watching him sign "more" for the first time when he wanted more cheerios and seeing the delight in his eyes when he knew that I understood him.
~ Waving "bye-bye" and saying "Dada" when Dada was gone and I told Jacob that we were going to go bye-bye.
~ Watching him take his sock that had fallen off, crawl back into the living room and throw it into the laundry basket (his association and generalization skills are AMAZING!).
~ Having him clap when I walked into the room to get him one morning.
~ Playing our little game of "zurberts" on the cheek.
~ Holding him as his face lies snuggled into my neck.
~ Trying not to trip over him and the Tupperware all over the kitchen floor as I cook.
~ Hearing the "pound, pound, pound" of his little hands across the floor as he follows me from room to room.
~ Hearing him laugh as we play. He has the GREATEST laugh!

These moments and so many more are the treasures of the past 11 months.

"Gratitude consists in a watchful, minute attention to the particulars of our state, and to the multitude of God's gifts, taken one by one....And all our whole life is thereby...filled with a gladness, serenity, and peace which only thankful hearts can know."  H.E. Manning