Are You Stronger than Your Three Month Old??

"raising kids is part joy and part guerilla warfare." -ed asner

being a mother for the last 3 months i am beginning to understand what he meant by this phrase. i have been caught off guard lately by my son. now...i'm not saying that the child has been bitten by radioactive spiders, or turns muscular and green and then busts out of his onesie or anything, but my boy is strong! lately he has enjoyed this ever so pleasant game of wiggling and turning his head back and forth during his feeding. he thinks it's fun for mommy to have to chase his mouth with the bottle from side to side over and over again. he enjoys knocking the bottle out of my hand as well. seriously...you would think i could out muscle my 3 month old son but alas...also, he gets a super death grip on just about everything, including my hair. don't even get me started on having to duck out of the way when the formula or the sweet potatoes decide to make a second appearance!! i feel like i have to pull back my hair, strap on my gear and prepare myself for battle...and he can't even crawl or walk yet. that's going to be an entirely different type of warfare i'm sure...

all jokes aside, this is my favorite time period with my son so far. i love the cooing and the talking that he does. his smile completely melts me and i'm pretty sure i would walk through fire just to see him do it. he has the sweetest personality and i am just trying to soak up every moment i have with him. while i often laugh at myself for the things that i'm doing for my son, even though i call myself and adult, it is totally worth it.

peace and love.

Sneek Peek

check out this website for the sneek peek of our pictures that lori created. be sure to read the comments she made about the photo shoot. it is very touching and truly reveals what a kind and loving person she is.

http://www.shootstarphoto.com/blog/index.php/boy/special-blessing-birmingham-al-baby-photographer/

enjoy!!

peace and love.

Beautiful Boy

our little angel had his first professional photo shoot today. lori gordon of shooting star photography took these amazing pictures. to say that lori did a fantastic job is an understatement. she was able to capture more than just an image. she captured the essence of who we are as a family. not only is she incredibly talented, she is truly a wonderful person and it was a blessing to get to spend time with her and her beautiful family. the pictures below are just a sampling of what is to come. the one of shane and baby m literally brought tears to my eyes.

check out lori's website at www.shootstarphoto.com or find her on facebook!!

peace and love.

Three Months

it is hard to believe that my little boy is already 3 months today. every day has been such a blessing...even during the difficult moments. oh, how i love this child. below are some pictures from his 3 month "birthday" celebration. he has decided he wants to try and sit up so we bought him this little chair that helps him work on sitting up properly. we also decided to celebrate his "birthday" with some sweet potatoes. below are some pictures of the classic event. it was a wonderful day as a family.

praise be to God!!

messy baby

first bite of real food...mmm

umm...i'm not sure about this mom!

happy birthday to me!!

peace, love and sweet potatoes...

It's Official

yesterday the martins became an official family...in the eyes of the state that is. we've been a family since God breathed life into our souls. it is beyond evident to us that this is all a part of God's eternal plan. i have been in awe of how He has weaved and interconnected our lives to bring us to this point, and i'm very excited to see how this little family unit will be used to further His kingdom and His glory.

everything went beautifully with the swearing in, and the signing of the decree of adoption. we could not have been more blessed during this process. praise be to God! thank you Jesus for your powerful grace and love that you so freely pour out upon us.

at last!!

the men who made it possible



signing the decree of adoption


swearing in...


my boys

mem and baby m

grandaddy and baby m...

they share a similar feature...

any guesses as to what it is?

just kidding daddy!!

happy parents!!

a happy martin

peace and love

A Month In Pictures

peace and a lot of love.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

here are the pictures from our st. patty's day celebration. enjoy!!

i hope you are all enjoying this most festive, not to mention very green, holiday. we spent ours in the best way possible...getting to snuggle with baby. we went to the adoption agency for about an hour today and got to spend some time bonding with baby. not only is the he most precious thing in the world, he went to the doctor and got rave reviews! praise God! as of now he is scheduled to come home on monday. please pray all goes smoothly and that we will finally be able to bring him home then.

peace, love and leprechauns (only if they are the nice kind...with a pot of gold...we could use that!)