Sacked Out

Will has turned into a killer napper.

Our Easter

We went away over Easter weekend to visit with the majority of our families. It was wonderful to celebrate the resurrection together!

Sunday afternoon we had wonderful weather in Hagerstown and were able to update our family pictures!

Omi and Pap Pap with Emma and Will.

Emma, Grandma, and Will

Oma with her great grandchildren!

Great Uncle Bill and Great Aunt Chris!

Book Review: Then Sings My Soul: Special Edition

My latest free book from BookSneeze and Thomas Nelson was Then Sings My Soul Special Edition. This book is a compilation of 150 great hymns of the Christian faith. Each song is paired with a short story about the author, the specific hymn, and the influence that each piece has had throughout the years. The Special Edition features Christmas and Easter hymns specifically, coupled with "all-time favorites".

I really enjoyed this book! I think many times we are too quick to move on to what is new and exciting. There is something special about singing songs that Christians have sung for hundreds of years. And while I was familiar with most of the hymns in this book, there were several that I had never heard before.

Many of the songwriters in this book are heroes of our faith, and while we remember their songs, we know very little about their lives. Now went I sing What a Savior! I know that it was one of the last that Philip Bliss wrote before he died. And Silent Night was written for guitar accompaniment because the organ in Oberndorf, Germany was broken on Christmas Eve, 1818. And Holy, Holy, Holy was found in a trunk after the death of its author, Reginald Heber.

Of course, the story behind the song is not always spectacular, and some hymns I really enjoy ended up a little disappointing. But I think even that reinforces the humanity of the people that God uses to spread the Gospel. 

Four out of 5 stars.

First Softball Game

The Middletown high school softball field is very close to our house, but we had never been to a game until yesterday. I took Emma and Will in the stroller to see the girls play.

Emma was born for softball it appears! As soon as we pulled up she kept saying "I want to play, I want to play!" She watched intently the whole time we were there. She even wanted to stand and watch like a lot of the other fans.

After every pitch she would ask "where's the ball" so I'd tell her, "the pitcher has the ball"

We got a lot of foul balls right near us...Emma liked saying "heads up!"

And she's been asking to go back ever since we left the field.

Yeah, I think we'll do that, munchkin!

Remembering

The Hartman clan, c. 1985

Dad, Pap, and Great Pap-Pap (holding me)

My Pap would have been 80 today. So thankful for great pictures like these to help us remember and even more thankful for 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18!

Will's Six Month Stats

Will's six month check-up today proved to be unfortunately eventful - he is back on the nebulizer. Apparently Will didn't completely escape our bout with illness last week because he was wheezing at the office today. We have been keeping such close tabs on him that it seems it must have just gotten like this. He does have a cruddy nose today, which is also a new development. Good news is ears are clear and he is still as happy as ever!

He weighed in at 14 pounds, 14.6 ounces (10th percentile) and is 2 feet, 2 inches tall (25th percentile). And then there's his head (above 50th percentile). His weight looks good and he shot up in height since his last visit.

That's our adorable little man!

Six Months Old

Today Will turns six months old! Its been a wild ride for Will so far, with reflux, being sick, etc, but things seem to be settling down a bit now.

He is a super happy kid, and we are so thankful for Prevacid! His reflux rarely bothers him now, and even the spitting up is less. He is really gaining weight now, and we find out how much he weighs Friday at his check-up.

About 2 weeks ago this showed up:

A tooth! (Yes, just one!) He looks so adorable with his one little tooth, and it feels like #2 isn't too much further behind.

Will has a great laugh. If you haven't heard it, you probably haven't seen us recently because he is always laughing and smiling these days. He throws his head back and laughs, and loves to be tickled.

Will is already a big O's fan, as you know. Emma is teaching him to say "Go Orioles! Boo Yankees!"

He still has an abundance of toe fuzz. Not the cut-your-circulation off variety anymore, but the blue variety.

Will enjoys checking out whatever Emma is doing, so the trains are a blast. His new favorite way to hold himself on his belly is literally on his belly. He flails all four limbs and rocks on his tummy. He tries to crawl by getting his knees up under but doesn't go anywhere. On his back its a different story...he can scoot across the room, or pull a 360.

And those toes are the best built-in toys. He loves his feet and pulling socks off. He managed to pull his pants off once too!

Over the last week, Will has gotten much more stable sitting up! He still throws himself back from time to time, but the balancing is much, much better.

And this kid can talk! He babbles non-stop, probably trying to keep up with Emma (who often provides translations for us). He also loves music, and tries to sing along!

Will is an eating machine! He has solid food twice a day and eats two servings of food at dinner. He has mostly had rice cereal and oatmeal, but recently started sweet potatoes. He has his mouth open as soon as the spoon leaves the bowl, so its likely that he doesn't even taste the food!

He is a sweet cuddle bug! He loves to snuggle up in our arms, and of course, loves when Emma smothers him.

He also gives lots of kisses! Will loves Mommy's hair and Emma's hair too. He grabs hold of our heads to give kisses and loves when Emma gets her face up in his so that he can hold her hair too.

(Another look at that tooth)

Happy 6 month birthday, Will! We love you so much and are excited for the changes that come in the next 6 months too!

Feelin' Stronger Every Day

We are so ready to be done with being sick around here! This week we all have been feeling like poo, but like the song goes, we are feelin' stronger every day.

Here's a few pictures from yesterday of our little goobers being so stinkin cute!

Emma loves to give Will full body hugs. He doesn't seem to mind either.

Family

This is a cute one...

But really, I like this one way better!

(Just a little closer to reality, right?)