Many a joy in our home
Perhaps it would be better to not wait so long in between posts...that way when I sit down to write I would know better where to start! With this much time having passed...there is so much to cover!
Bennett turned 8 months yesterday!!! Wow whee! What a BIG boy!
Talking about him is a natural place to begin...since he brings MUCH joy into our lives. (Plus I'm sure many are interested to learn how he's growing!)
We still have a BIG talker/noise maker on our hands. The crying days are pretty well gone...but there is screaming of a different kind! If you walk through the door of our home at most times of the day you will hear such a noise that you might be led to cover your ears! Even though it is sometimes almost TOO loud...we LOVE it because it is JOY and excitement that is prompting him to shout so much! And he wiggles and squirms when he does it....adding to the cuteness of the whole spectacle!
Regarding his yelling, screaming, singing, shouting...whatever you want to call it; this is what I'm convinced of - do you remember what our biggest prayer request was leading up to Bennett's early delivery? That his lungs would be strong and well developed! Well...8 months later God is reminding us daily of His great answer to that prayer! So much so that Bennett's STRONGEST feature is what comes out of his lungs! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!
I really think that Bennett will be an early talker...or at least talkative when he does start! He is already trying out MANY new sounds...and some of them are beginning to sound like actual parts of words. Wonder what will be his first fully formed one?! And in which language it will be?
Other parts of his development are happening at their own good pace related to his prematurity.
He rolls over quite well...but does NOT like being on his stomach still. Though when we do manage to keep him on his stomach for any time at all...he swings his legs bent up high behind him...and looks like he could take off in flight at any moment. It is quite cute.
His head strength is always improving. We took him for a little consultation visit to the orthopedic doctor a week or two ago to check out why he was holding his head to the left so often. The doctor said it was merely a bad habit - and showed us how to hold him to help him break it. He's coming out of it quite well now.
We're working on sitting up. He's still very small for an 8 month old...and doesn't quite have the strength yet - but he's getting there! We wobble through practice every day! I think I'm looking forward to when he makes it to that point...though baby proofing our house surely comes along with that! I guess it is goodbye plant stands. Our house may be a little less "decorative"...but it will surely be more "dynamic" once this guy moves from back, to hind end,...to all fours, and on up to his two feet!
Other interesting facts. We have several nick names for Bennett. We started out frequently calling him Bundle...that morphed into Bunzle, and then to his now most often used nick name...Bunzie. I use Benny Baby on occasion (that is my mom's main nick name for him), and I use Punkin...or punkin pie also. His Macedonian nick names (or rather terms of endearment) are: Srce (heart), Srce malo (Little Heart), Srcence (the diminutive form of heart), bebence malo (little baby)...etc.!
Bennett has also been a good little eater as I began introducing new foods a month and a half or so ago! His first food was CARROTS! Second was AVOCADO! I think the third was sweet potato. We've also done winter squash, apples, pears, pumpkin, and egg yolk. Next on my list is Yogurt. I think we'll move on to bananas soon too...and I want to get something else green in there like peas! I guess before all of this, around month five we started him on rice cereal. That is by far his favorite...and gets so excited when I hold the ready bowl in front of him in the morning! His little cheeks get SOO messy amidst eating as he is quite the squirm-er!
I am still also nursing him, and give him the occasional bottle of formula (which he reaches for and can mostly hold himself!).
I was a little timid in taking the leap into making my own baby foods for him. Now that I got going it hasn't been so hard! I actually enjoy making the new foods...and knowing we're saving money by doing so! I still use the store bought jars occasionally...sometimes they're just time savers!
We started reading books to him around month 4 - and he was very attentive and interested from the get go. He still enjoys the pictures and pays pretty good attention (but maybe not as much as when Grandma reads to him). Though as he gets a little bigger...(and I am pretty sure his gums itch him getting ready for teeth)...he mostly wants to eat (or rather chew on) the books. This goes along with every other toy - or anything he can get his hands on! It all goes straight to his mouth! This included my chin and cheeks. If I am holding him facing me up high enough, he goes straight for my face thrashing his head back and forth as if he's trying to scratch his gums. Sometimes he even chomps down on my entire chin! This is ok up until one of those little white bumps starts poking through! Then mom's chin will NO longer be a teether! It is actually quite funny when he does this...and sometimes does it to Toshe too.
So we have almost cleared Bennett's first "being sick" experience! We were out of town when he started coughing in the night. The following evening we arrived in Skopje and took him straight to the childrens hospital specializing in lung and respiratory care. They actually admitted us right away - gave Bennett an IV to receive some fluids, and started him on an inhalation device! They prepared us for a week long stay, but it turned out only to be one day. They released us with a diagnosis of Bronchitis, and we returned daily for several days so that they could listen to his chest and back. We finished antibiotics a week ago - but he still has a cough. I think the frequency of his coughing is lessening - but it is still a little hard on the parents to hear the little guy suffer...especially when he coughs in his sleep. On top of Bennett being sick, Toshe was down also with the same diagnosis! At least mommy stayed well to take care of them!
I'm glad to have that "first" almost behind us - and that both of my guys are almost back to normal! With the swine flu going around...and the doctors now saying that Toshe likely had it as well; we're really thankful for God's hand of protection over us.
We decorated for Christmas this week...our first Christmas in this house! We rearranged the furniture and it is quite cozy. We're hoping to have guests over on Sunday to enjoy in this holiday atmosphere. I am really delighting in singing lots of Christmas songs to Bennett, and pray that their words will take root in his little heart. I long for him to know the sweet Love of our Savior - and love for him to hear the name of Jesus often. We decorated the tree after he was in bed, and expected him to be very surprised and intrigued waking up the next morning to find a bright, sparkly, flashing, LARGE triangle in the living room! He didn't react as much as we anticipated...I guess he's just a big boy now and his toys are more fascinating than lights! (This summer he would have stared at the ceiling fan and overhead lights for hours if we would have let him).
Toshe and I continue to find parenting to be BEAUTIFUL. We have many wonderful moments as a family. We have our own little routine, and I love Toshe's help and incredible interest in our son when he's home. Bennett loves to laugh with his daddy. And (to my relief) Daddy is the brave one who makes sure Bennett's nose is clean (this ALWAYS makes him cry...). We've decided Bennett doesn't take it personally, and is happy to give daddy a smile soon after the horrid event is over with! We love...hmm, or I think we love...that Bennett wakes up in the mornings ready to entertain himself for awhile! We let his arms loose from his swaddle wrap and he starts clanking (quite loudly) the crib toys against the spindles of the side. So even though we get to lay in bed a little while longer while he plays, I'm not sure how much extra sleep we really squeeze in. It does give us a chance to pray together to start the day - which is something really beneficial to our marriage that we've been making a habit of lately.
I've been reading some things in recent weeks and months that have been very spiritually refreshing. I've been doing the Beth Moore study on the book of Esther. I thought for awhile I had kind of ruined the study by reading a fiction book also based on Esther before I started the Bible study (Haddassah by Tenney..a good read). Whenever there was a question regarding the Biblical text...I kept thinking of the fiction author's interpretation instead of having my own thoughts! Though that has worn off, and I have found it to be a stimulating inductive study. In addition I've been reading a book for training on the life of Hudson Taylor. He lived an EXTREME life of sacrifice in China in the late 1800's. Though sometimes it is hard to relate to his level of sacrifice - (even though it is in some regards motivating) - I have found that his rich recount of his walk with Christ has been very relateable (or easy to relate to :)). In letters to his most trusted ones he is very open about his struggles...and his finding on how to deal with any wandering of his heart from intimacy with the Lord. His solution to such struggle is to simply rest in the Lord - and to remove TRYING from our formula for spiritual and self improvement. He speaks of the truth of our oneness with Jesus in a way that makes MUCH sense.
Here's a quote from a friend of Taylor's which met him at a time where he was in much despair over weakesses leading to unbelief and lack of faith in his life. This quote made all the difference for him, helping to see the ONLY way out.
"But how to get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith, but by resting on the Faithful One."
Taylor then writes of his response to these glad tidings in a letter to his sister: "As I read, I saw it all! If we believe not...he abideth faithful" (2 Tim 2:13 emphasis added) I looked to Jesus and saw (and when I saw, oh, how joy flowed!) that He had said, "I will never leave you" (Heb. 13:5). "Ah, there is REST!" I thought. I have striven in vain to rest in Him. I'll strive no more. For has HE not promised to abide with me - never to leave me, never to fail me? And dearie, He never will!..."
He goes on, "my dear sister, it is a wonderful thing to be really one with a risen savior, to be a member of Christ! Think what it involves."
I have enjoyed doing just that, "thinking of what it involves!" I realize that these words probably wont have the same impact for you as they did for me...without knowing the greater context of the book. But I just wanted to share a little..., hoping you too will find this simple yet complex concept of resting in Christ to be one that you can put your mind around a little more after reading this famous missionary's words. I tend to over-complicate my faith sometimes...laying out certain standards (that are often Jessie-given and not God-given)...thus setting myself up first for a big fat guilt trip, and then for failure or disappointment. The words above are really quite simple...if we just submit and cling to them; I'm sure we'll find resting in Christ to be easier than we may have anticipated (or found it to be in the past) - and on top of that....QUITE REFRESHING! Don't you love that God really does want us to just take him at his word and experience freedom in our relationship with Him because of that! I fight with my flesh every day - but if I just rest in HIM - that that battle with flesh will not be quite so difficult AS there is nothing FLESHLY about Him in whom we are abiding!
As for work related updates, I'm getting ready to write an update about our ministry to students. If you don't receive it and you would like to, just email me at toshejessie@gmail.com to tell me to add you to our mailing list. Last night there were many a new face at the outreach based on the Swiss film "Bridge" that our team organized. The Gospel was communicated in 3 unique ways - and we pray that lives were not left untouched by the content of the evening!
Even though I am not back to work much (I have one more month of extra flexibility to be home with Bennett from our leadership....going along with the Macedonian law giving mothers here 9 months of maternity leave) - my heart is still very aligned with our mission to WIN BUILD AND SEND ....and to see that everyone knows someone who truly follows Jesus. Another quote from Hudson Taylor motivated me anew in that today. "Capacity for usefulness, the power really to serve others, was the privilege he desired most." I long for that to be true in my life, marriage, and partnership with those a part of our mission team! If our hearts are beating in this direction - surely we WILL be used in many great and eternally influential ways!
Thanks for taking part in my thoughts...and the goings on of the Temelkov family.
LOVE,
Jessie
Bennett turned 8 months yesterday!!! Wow whee! What a BIG boy!
Talking about him is a natural place to begin...since he brings MUCH joy into our lives. (Plus I'm sure many are interested to learn how he's growing!)
We still have a BIG talker/noise maker on our hands. The crying days are pretty well gone...but there is screaming of a different kind! If you walk through the door of our home at most times of the day you will hear such a noise that you might be led to cover your ears! Even though it is sometimes almost TOO loud...we LOVE it because it is JOY and excitement that is prompting him to shout so much! And he wiggles and squirms when he does it....adding to the cuteness of the whole spectacle!
Regarding his yelling, screaming, singing, shouting...whatever you want to call it; this is what I'm convinced of - do you remember what our biggest prayer request was leading up to Bennett's early delivery? That his lungs would be strong and well developed! Well...8 months later God is reminding us daily of His great answer to that prayer! So much so that Bennett's STRONGEST feature is what comes out of his lungs! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!
I really think that Bennett will be an early talker...or at least talkative when he does start! He is already trying out MANY new sounds...and some of them are beginning to sound like actual parts of words. Wonder what will be his first fully formed one?! And in which language it will be?
Other parts of his development are happening at their own good pace related to his prematurity.
He rolls over quite well...but does NOT like being on his stomach still. Though when we do manage to keep him on his stomach for any time at all...he swings his legs bent up high behind him...and looks like he could take off in flight at any moment. It is quite cute.
His head strength is always improving. We took him for a little consultation visit to the orthopedic doctor a week or two ago to check out why he was holding his head to the left so often. The doctor said it was merely a bad habit - and showed us how to hold him to help him break it. He's coming out of it quite well now.
We're working on sitting up. He's still very small for an 8 month old...and doesn't quite have the strength yet - but he's getting there! We wobble through practice every day! I think I'm looking forward to when he makes it to that point...though baby proofing our house surely comes along with that! I guess it is goodbye plant stands. Our house may be a little less "decorative"...but it will surely be more "dynamic" once this guy moves from back, to hind end,...to all fours, and on up to his two feet!
Other interesting facts. We have several nick names for Bennett. We started out frequently calling him Bundle...that morphed into Bunzle, and then to his now most often used nick name...Bunzie. I use Benny Baby on occasion (that is my mom's main nick name for him), and I use Punkin...or punkin pie also. His Macedonian nick names (or rather terms of endearment) are: Srce (heart), Srce malo (Little Heart), Srcence (the diminutive form of heart), bebence malo (little baby)...etc.!
Bennett has also been a good little eater as I began introducing new foods a month and a half or so ago! His first food was CARROTS! Second was AVOCADO! I think the third was sweet potato. We've also done winter squash, apples, pears, pumpkin, and egg yolk. Next on my list is Yogurt. I think we'll move on to bananas soon too...and I want to get something else green in there like peas! I guess before all of this, around month five we started him on rice cereal. That is by far his favorite...and gets so excited when I hold the ready bowl in front of him in the morning! His little cheeks get SOO messy amidst eating as he is quite the squirm-er!
I am still also nursing him, and give him the occasional bottle of formula (which he reaches for and can mostly hold himself!).
I was a little timid in taking the leap into making my own baby foods for him. Now that I got going it hasn't been so hard! I actually enjoy making the new foods...and knowing we're saving money by doing so! I still use the store bought jars occasionally...sometimes they're just time savers!
We started reading books to him around month 4 - and he was very attentive and interested from the get go. He still enjoys the pictures and pays pretty good attention (but maybe not as much as when Grandma reads to him). Though as he gets a little bigger...(and I am pretty sure his gums itch him getting ready for teeth)...he mostly wants to eat (or rather chew on) the books. This goes along with every other toy - or anything he can get his hands on! It all goes straight to his mouth! This included my chin and cheeks. If I am holding him facing me up high enough, he goes straight for my face thrashing his head back and forth as if he's trying to scratch his gums. Sometimes he even chomps down on my entire chin! This is ok up until one of those little white bumps starts poking through! Then mom's chin will NO longer be a teether! It is actually quite funny when he does this...and sometimes does it to Toshe too.
So we have almost cleared Bennett's first "being sick" experience! We were out of town when he started coughing in the night. The following evening we arrived in Skopje and took him straight to the childrens hospital specializing in lung and respiratory care. They actually admitted us right away - gave Bennett an IV to receive some fluids, and started him on an inhalation device! They prepared us for a week long stay, but it turned out only to be one day. They released us with a diagnosis of Bronchitis, and we returned daily for several days so that they could listen to his chest and back. We finished antibiotics a week ago - but he still has a cough. I think the frequency of his coughing is lessening - but it is still a little hard on the parents to hear the little guy suffer...especially when he coughs in his sleep. On top of Bennett being sick, Toshe was down also with the same diagnosis! At least mommy stayed well to take care of them!
I'm glad to have that "first" almost behind us - and that both of my guys are almost back to normal! With the swine flu going around...and the doctors now saying that Toshe likely had it as well; we're really thankful for God's hand of protection over us.
We decorated for Christmas this week...our first Christmas in this house! We rearranged the furniture and it is quite cozy. We're hoping to have guests over on Sunday to enjoy in this holiday atmosphere. I am really delighting in singing lots of Christmas songs to Bennett, and pray that their words will take root in his little heart. I long for him to know the sweet Love of our Savior - and love for him to hear the name of Jesus often. We decorated the tree after he was in bed, and expected him to be very surprised and intrigued waking up the next morning to find a bright, sparkly, flashing, LARGE triangle in the living room! He didn't react as much as we anticipated...I guess he's just a big boy now and his toys are more fascinating than lights! (This summer he would have stared at the ceiling fan and overhead lights for hours if we would have let him).
Toshe and I continue to find parenting to be BEAUTIFUL. We have many wonderful moments as a family. We have our own little routine, and I love Toshe's help and incredible interest in our son when he's home. Bennett loves to laugh with his daddy. And (to my relief) Daddy is the brave one who makes sure Bennett's nose is clean (this ALWAYS makes him cry...). We've decided Bennett doesn't take it personally, and is happy to give daddy a smile soon after the horrid event is over with! We love...hmm, or I think we love...that Bennett wakes up in the mornings ready to entertain himself for awhile! We let his arms loose from his swaddle wrap and he starts clanking (quite loudly) the crib toys against the spindles of the side. So even though we get to lay in bed a little while longer while he plays, I'm not sure how much extra sleep we really squeeze in. It does give us a chance to pray together to start the day - which is something really beneficial to our marriage that we've been making a habit of lately.
I've been reading some things in recent weeks and months that have been very spiritually refreshing. I've been doing the Beth Moore study on the book of Esther. I thought for awhile I had kind of ruined the study by reading a fiction book also based on Esther before I started the Bible study (Haddassah by Tenney..a good read). Whenever there was a question regarding the Biblical text...I kept thinking of the fiction author's interpretation instead of having my own thoughts! Though that has worn off, and I have found it to be a stimulating inductive study. In addition I've been reading a book for training on the life of Hudson Taylor. He lived an EXTREME life of sacrifice in China in the late 1800's. Though sometimes it is hard to relate to his level of sacrifice - (even though it is in some regards motivating) - I have found that his rich recount of his walk with Christ has been very relateable (or easy to relate to :)). In letters to his most trusted ones he is very open about his struggles...and his finding on how to deal with any wandering of his heart from intimacy with the Lord. His solution to such struggle is to simply rest in the Lord - and to remove TRYING from our formula for spiritual and self improvement. He speaks of the truth of our oneness with Jesus in a way that makes MUCH sense.
Here's a quote from a friend of Taylor's which met him at a time where he was in much despair over weakesses leading to unbelief and lack of faith in his life. This quote made all the difference for him, helping to see the ONLY way out.
"But how to get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith, but by resting on the Faithful One."
Taylor then writes of his response to these glad tidings in a letter to his sister: "As I read, I saw it all! If we believe not...he abideth faithful" (2 Tim 2:13 emphasis added) I looked to Jesus and saw (and when I saw, oh, how joy flowed!) that He had said, "I will never leave you" (Heb. 13:5). "Ah, there is REST!" I thought. I have striven in vain to rest in Him. I'll strive no more. For has HE not promised to abide with me - never to leave me, never to fail me? And dearie, He never will!..."
He goes on, "my dear sister, it is a wonderful thing to be really one with a risen savior, to be a member of Christ! Think what it involves."
I have enjoyed doing just that, "thinking of what it involves!" I realize that these words probably wont have the same impact for you as they did for me...without knowing the greater context of the book. But I just wanted to share a little..., hoping you too will find this simple yet complex concept of resting in Christ to be one that you can put your mind around a little more after reading this famous missionary's words. I tend to over-complicate my faith sometimes...laying out certain standards (that are often Jessie-given and not God-given)...thus setting myself up first for a big fat guilt trip, and then for failure or disappointment. The words above are really quite simple...if we just submit and cling to them; I'm sure we'll find resting in Christ to be easier than we may have anticipated (or found it to be in the past) - and on top of that....QUITE REFRESHING! Don't you love that God really does want us to just take him at his word and experience freedom in our relationship with Him because of that! I fight with my flesh every day - but if I just rest in HIM - that that battle with flesh will not be quite so difficult AS there is nothing FLESHLY about Him in whom we are abiding!
As for work related updates, I'm getting ready to write an update about our ministry to students. If you don't receive it and you would like to, just email me at toshejessie@gmail.com to tell me to add you to our mailing list. Last night there were many a new face at the outreach based on the Swiss film "Bridge" that our team organized. The Gospel was communicated in 3 unique ways - and we pray that lives were not left untouched by the content of the evening!
Even though I am not back to work much (I have one more month of extra flexibility to be home with Bennett from our leadership....going along with the Macedonian law giving mothers here 9 months of maternity leave) - my heart is still very aligned with our mission to WIN BUILD AND SEND ....and to see that everyone knows someone who truly follows Jesus. Another quote from Hudson Taylor motivated me anew in that today. "Capacity for usefulness, the power really to serve others, was the privilege he desired most." I long for that to be true in my life, marriage, and partnership with those a part of our mission team! If our hearts are beating in this direction - surely we WILL be used in many great and eternally influential ways!
Thanks for taking part in my thoughts...and the goings on of the Temelkov family.
LOVE,
Jessie
posted by Toshe&Jessie | 12:20 PM
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