A little catching up to do

Well hello!  Where to begin with this post...  

WE HAD A BABY!!!  

Pretty good place to start right?  

June 18, 2011 will forever be a special day in the Poladian household.  Cooper John made his entrance into the world and quickly filled up space in our hearts. We are taken with him and continue to give thanks to God for the miracle of his life.  He is a true joy and has made me run the gamut of emotion in just 2 weeks of life.  I have felt confident, completely overwhelmed, totally inadequate, elated, sad and overcome with love at various points.  It is during these times that I am so thankful for prayer and the ability to retreat into conversation with my heavenly Father to ease my anxiety or share in my joy. I am also thankful for friends, family and pediatricians who are available to answer my questions and give helpful advice.  

So what have we done in the last two weeks?  

A whole lot of staring at fingers, toes, lips and cheeks. Feeding. Getting as much sleep as we can. Visiting. Enjoying meals brought by wonderfully caring people. Relishing in our full days together as a family while Matt is off work. Feeding. Oh, and more feeding.

Matt has put together this great website for Cooper.  Click HERE to check it out to see what the latest is and to keep up on Cooper's growth.

And of course, some photos of our sweet boy.

Prayer Journal

So, the Women's Ministry at Compass put out these great prayer journals last September when women's bible study started.  Matt mentioned..back in September..that he would enjoying having something like it.  Well, I am a little embarrassed to say how long it took me to make him one, so we'll just say it took me as long as it takes for a baby to cook! It is nothing fancy or anything, but it gets the job done.  If you are a woman and you go to Compass... go buy the one in the bookstore...much better than mine!  This was one of Matthew's 30 days of 30 gifts, so without further adieu - the Prayer Journal!

Step 1: I typed up a template for each day of the week with different people, groups, categories, etc to pray for.  Email me if you want it and I'll send it right over. I then cut it to fit the already purchased blank page moleskine.  These come in a pack of three and can be used for so many things.  

Side note: I have a little obsession with moleskine.  I use their 18month planner and would be completely lost without it!  Go here to see all their products.  I usually pick mine up at Barnes and Noble.

This was my companion while I worked.  I think he is pretty cute!

Step 2: I made labels for each day of the week, one for the cover page and one for answered prayer.  Again I have the template and will send it over if you want it.  I backed it with some colorful paper..because I think that always makes a huge difference.  

Step 3: I glued the daily outlines into the journal

... and I might have enjoyed some chocolate while making this gift

Step 4: I left some blank pages after each day outline for him to add personal requests and requests for others.  The idea was given to me to use post-it notes so that you will never run out of pages and you can simply move the post it to the "answered prayer" section at the back of the journal when the Lord has answered a prayer...because He always does in some way or another!

And there you have it!  

Psalm 54:2 "O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth."