Tuesday, December 15, 2015

What's in a Name


We have decided to continue on with the tradition of an Old Testament first name and a New Testament middle name with our Sweet Elijah. We put a good bit of thought into Why we chose this name for our Son and here's Why.

Elijah is a great profit in the Old Testament and as you can see in the picture above His name means "The LORD is my God." We first and foremost pray this over our Son. We look forward to the day when he will chose to follow the Lord with all his heart and like the profit speak with boldness, the Lords word. Our hope is that he will be a witness to many of the unequaled greatness of our God.

Another aspect that characterized the life of Elijah the profit is his prayer life. He was in unique communication with God and we hope this for our sweet little man as well.

Elijah's Middle name, like Ruth's, is a family name. Thomas, is his grandfather's first name. (A tradition that goes back for generations in the Reynolds family.) We hope Elijah will be like him in his strong love for family and the Lord. We also pray that like the Thomas of the Bible our Elijah will be a disciple of of Christ. Following him with everything he has until the very end of his life. As tradition tells us Thomas preached the gospel in Greece and Indian until he was eventually martyred for his faith, being killed by a spear.

We look forward to seeing Elijah grow into His name. Please pray with us for him to be a mighty man of God!

Elijah Newborn Pictures


Here are a few of our favorite of Elijah's Newborn Pictures!











Elijah 1 month old!




Wow 1 month has come and gone more quickly than I remember with Ruth. After a hard start in the NICU we have a thriving beautiful son. He is a perfect addition to our family. We are enjoying learning about his very laid back personality and sweet disposition.

Weight- 8.9 lbs (10th %)
Height- 20 inches (14th %)
Head-
Clothes- NB (but quickly outgrowing them!)
Shoes- NB
Diapers- size 1

Likes- being held, snuggling, nursing, getting out a good poo :)

Dislikes- waking up hungry, baths, being buckled in the car seat, getting poked (in the hospital)

Firsts: In the first month of life he was blessed to meet both of his grandmothers, one of his grandfathers, and much of our church family. We have been so grateful for the help we have received from all of them!

We are also glad to say Elijah was able to go home from the hospital this month! After 9 days in the NICU we were so excited to go home!
Schedule- we haven't quite figured out a schedule yet but shoot for feedings every 3 hours in the day and 5 hours at night. Other than a small growth spurt he has been a pretty good sleeper and we are so thankful!


At the Pumpkin Patch

Ole Miss and Southern Miss

Our Sweet Puppy Dog

Welcome Home Elijah!

Meeting Papaw

Meeting Nana

FBC baby Shower Meet and Greet

First Real Bath

One Month Old

Learning to love football with Daddy

Meeting Gammy


Meeting Ruth

First Picture with Mama and Daddy

A very proud big sister!




Elijah 2 months old!



Wow! Another month has flown by. Not sure where it has gone but it sure has been a great one. Elijah is growing in stature and in our hearts. Day by day he shows us more of his laid back personality. He has adapted to our crazy schedule without missing a beat! I'm not sure how we have been so blessed with two great easy going children. I was amazed to see how many of his stats are very close to Ruth when she was his age. If you want to look back to compare click here.

Weight: 10 lbs 1 oz (according to our home scale)
Height: Not sure
Clothes size: Newborn and 0-3M
Shoes: Newborn
Diaper Size: 1

Likes: Milk, Swinging, Being swaddled at night, being held, looking at Ruth, being talked to.

Dislikes: having to take a bottle, the bouncy chair, changing clothes, having his nose sucked out, having to wait for milk while in the car or when Ruth needs attention.

Sleep: An answer to prayer!!! at 7 weeks Elijah made the big jump from 5 hour stretches to 8 hours. After the first few days of being panicked that he had slept too long, we are all enjoying this new found sleep habit! It seems he is taking after his sister as a good sleeper!

Firsts: Elijah has been busy meeting new people over the last month. For thanksgiving his great grandmother, Mama Griffin, came to visit. They were instant friends as she had the grandmothers magic touch. He also meet his Auntie Carlena who came to spend 4 days with us from MS. We all were so grateful for the visit!

Elijah has also mastered the Roll from tummy to back! Not sure when babies are supposed to do this but it seems far to early in our opinion. He is a very strong Guy. He has also gained almost total control over his neck. Hard to believe the Newborn stage is pretty much over!

Schedule: We have not mastered a schedule with Elijah like we did with Ruth. We are so grateful he is a go with the flow kinda guy!

That being said this is what we shoot for:

6:30- Wake up and nurse
7:30- Nap
9:30-wake up and nurse
10:30- nap
1:30- Wake up and nurse
2:30-nap
5:30- wake up and nurse
6:30- nap
8:30-wake up and nurse
9:30- Night Night!!
10:30 Bonus feed if needed and then back down for the night


Cozy by the fire

Where is Waldo?

Starting to smile

First Thanksgiving

I love my Gammy!

Loving on my Mama Griffin

Enjoying the Christmas Lights

Playing with Aunt Carlena

Ready to watch Ruth's Christmas School Program

Daddy snuggles

Taking a bath with Sister for the first time... and tolerating it :)


Monday, November 9, 2015

Ruth 2.5 years old!

It's hard to believe our sweet baby is now 2 and a half years old! Ruth is very independent and loves to do things herself. Just like many two year olds she is learning her boundaries and teaching us so much about parenting. She has a huge heart and loves deeply. She never meets a stranger and amazes us with how grown up she is. It feels like she is 2 going on 20!

Weight- 27 lbs (23%)
Height- 34 inches (24%)
Clothes size- 2t and 3t
Shoe size- 7
Diaper size- 5/pull-ups (potty training)

Likes- frozen, music, candy, pretending, pink and purple, chicken, school, playing with kids, Sunday School, popcorn, helping with chores (other than cleaning up her toys), cooking in her kitchen, drawing, birthdays, Doc McStuffins, Chucky (her imaginary friend based off of Chuck E. Cheese), Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Winter the cat.

Dislikes- Picking up her toys, not being given the food she wants, having her tv show turned off, going shopping when tired.

Big Sister!!!- Ruth found out that she was going to be a big sister this year! She has kept a firm guess that the baby will be a girl for the full nine months! She is very excited to meet this baby and also believes she has a baby in her belly. Daddy on the other hand has a sheep!? (haha!!)

School- This August Ruth started school at Noah's Ark Preschool 2 mornings a week. She is in a 2 and 3 year old class and is thriving. She loves her teachers and her many friends. We have been amazed to watch her grasp new concepts and see her vocabulary explode.

New Mexico Life- Ruth is a huge fan of hot air balloons! We really enjoyed this fall as we could spot many on our drive to school. We even had an exciting morning when one showed up in front of our house for a fund raiser. We are hoping next year she might be brave enough to go in one but for now they are just a little to loud.


Easter 2015 
Wearing her Big Sister dress that we used to break the big news to our families and church
Our little gymnast
Checking out a waterfall with Daddy, Mama, and the Lakeys
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Visiting Nana and Pops in Seattle
At the top of the Space Needle
Back to school brunch at Church
So excited for her first day of school