Hair!

She has some!

A cowlick

Yay hair!

Spell Check

My new iPod (which functions much like a PDA) automatically corrects spelling errors as I type into it. Unfortunately, it knows neither Ava's first name, nor her last. Thus, Ava Popp becomes Aha Poop.

I love our last name.

Back by Popular Demand...

...the Ava Cam! Since you all seemed to enjoy the previous videos so much, I am putting up another for your amusement. It includes her first attempts at moving forward (which is difficult on a tile floor when Mom insists on leaving you in socks), some interactions with the cat, and plenty of giggles. Oh, and Mom being a little goofy. It's in the job description.

Don't you miss her?

Bank Error In Your Favor

A free credit report to the first person who can explain this to me:


Yes, that is our credit card, but not my name or Jill's. It arrived in the mail the same day as new cards for both Jill and myself. I'm sure that Jennifer would have preferred that they mail the card directly to her...

Texas

I know I've taken forever to post these, but I figured you all might still want to see some pictures from our trip to Texas to see the family. We were so thankful we got to come. Ava was glad for all the attention. Enjoy!

Prayer

You know what is a little scary about being a parent? Beginning to see yourself in your child. I'm not talking about the "oh, look she has your eyes and your little toe" bit (she does). I'm talking about her behavior, and well, maturity level.

Parenting gives you a small glimpse of what it must be like for God as he looks down at us. I know what's best for her (or at least I do better than she does). I know she needs a nap. She asks for something different. Asks and asks and asks. Loudly. But try as she might, she cannot make herself be awake and alert for 16 hours. She would love this, but her little body just won't do it. So I help her sleep. She doesn't get what she wants because I know it's not good for her.

It makes me think about my prayer life lately. I've said a lot of prayers like this: "Lord, please help her go to sleep. QUICKLY. Please help her stay asleep. A LONG TIME." Then she pokes herself in the face and starts to cry. And I get frustrated and angry. I start to ask questions of God, "You told me to ask right? Pray without ceasing? Forget the giving thanks in all circumstances part. Am I asking for something too petty, too insignificant that you don't respond? Am I not asking in faith? Are you trying to teach me a lesson here? I really think that I would be more teachable if I had a full night's sleep."

That last statement is most definitely not true. I'm not very good at being teachable, especially when I can go throughout my day pretending to operate on my own strength. I'm not very good at relying on him when things are just normal. It takes some stretching. Someone told me once that if you find yourself not praying very much it's probably because you are too self-reliant. That's very true of me.

Becoming a parent makes your realize how helpless you are. And I think that's part of what God is doing here. I don't think it's wrong to ask--after all, he tells us to. I am just beginning to think that asking is part of the point. I believe that God is teaching me that I need to endure, to have faith, and to depend on him, even when I don't get my way. He reminds us that he knows our needs before we ask. And like a parent, he knows our needs better than we do.

So like the widow in the parable, I keep asking. But along with those "Please let her go to sleep" prayers, I am asking for more important things, like patience, joy, peace, humility, endurance, faith, and dependence on Him. He knows I need all of those things. His will be done to get me there (as scary as that is).

Tinkering

I love the look of Dustin and Corrie's blog. It both challenges me and makes me jealous. (By the way, if you aren't a reader of their blog, you should be. It is always thought-provoking and honest and frequently hilarious. I'm sure they would add you as a reader if you wished, right Corrie?). Anyway, I'll probably be tinkering over the next few days in an effort to personalize it a little more. Let me know what you think.

Smitten

Have I mentioned how much I love my daughter? In spite of what we've been going through of late, I think she's great.

Awe Factor

Recently, I watched a video called The Awe Factor of God. In it, Francis Chan shows a series of images, starting at the earth, eventually zooming out to 100,000,000 light years way from us. I wasn't amazed so much at the images as the size of our universe. And we haven't even found its bounds. I don't believe we ever will. It put me in a reflective mood. My thoughts echoed this verse:

When I look at your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?

~Psalm 8:3-4

I cannot even begin to comprehend what a speck I am in that whole universe. I can't help but wonder at my insignificance. This universe he created is just a taste of how great he is. He gave us this piece of creation which to us seems unbounded to make us ask: How much more? How much greater is God than even this? He fills the universe and is beyond it. If I cannot fathom the creation, how can I fathom my Creator? And how many galaxies are there that God created solely for his own pleasure?

The amazing thing is that he is mindful of us. We are created in his image--the Psalm later says that he "crowned [man] with glory and honor" and "put everything under his feet." He loves us, and in another Psalm, he uses the greatness of the universe to remind us of how great his love is to us:

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love for those who fear Him.

~Psalm 103:11

How amazing that we serve a God who is not only boundless, but also has boundless love for his people.

A Little Break

Ava and I have been homebodies the past week and a half because we have been working so hard on getting her to take naps. We had a pretty good day, so I thought we would go to the park down the street and get some fresh air. Cuteness ensued:

"Hello, camera"

"Whee!"

"I wasn't just trying to put dirt in my mouth. Honest."