Nine Months of Parker

It has been a whirlwind of a month for Parker and his parents. We are so thankful for such a happy and content little man. We love watching him grow and change.

Some things about Parker:

• He is now a big brother to Jonathan. Parker is interested in him and stares at him, touches his head, and pulls up on Jonathan's bouncy and swing to get a better look.
• He has adjusted well to his new room and crib- not sure he even noticed he moved rooms!
• He has 6 teeth: 2 on the bottom and four on the top.
• He loves to eat vegetables but not a fan of fruit. We are getting better but it is still a battle.
• He is crawling all over the place, sitting up straight and tall, and can pull up to his knees. (Notice the gate in the background of his picture to help keep him contained to certain parts of the house.)
• He still loves to jump in his Jumparoo and pull and tug on the dogs.
• He takes two naps a day usually an hour and half to two hours.
  

Coming Home

We came home on a Saturday with mixed emotions- ready to get out of the hospital but nervous about how things would go with 2 babies 8 months apart and a new mom recovering from a c section. We tried to get some pictures are soon as we got home of our new family but by the end of our attempt mom and both boys were crying :)

Dressed and ready to go.


Parker loves to look at Jonathan and touch his head.

Let the crying begin...

A Big Boy Now

The weekend before Jonathan was born brought many changes for us and Parker. We moved him into the bigger car seat so we can have the infant seat for Jonathan. Parker also started crawling. It was a reminder of just how big he is getting and how much bigger he will seem to us with the arrival of his baby brother. It made me very sentimental that at eight months old he is no longer the baby of the family!

Pappy Pants & A Pappy Hat

My sweet grandfather who we referred to as Pappy passed away a couple of years ago. I have thought of him often as I know he would have loved Parker and I am sure Parker would have had lots of smiles for him as well. The other day Parker wore some new shorts that were a little too big for him so we had to keep pulling them up. This reminded me of Pappy and the way he wore his pants-sitting really high up over his stomach. Then of course there is the "Pappy hat". He was bald and used to wear this style of hats a lot to keep his head warm. I bought this hat for Parker with Pappy in mind. We miss him dearly!

Family of Four

My sweet friend Charla took care of Parker while I was in labor. She brought him up to the hospital as soon as we got settled into a room. Arlene, my "paparazzi", as we call her was on hand to take the first pics of our new family.

Checkin' out the newest member.

Proud Dad with his boys.

He's Here

Jonathan Mark Spence was born on September 1st at 3:59. He weighed 8lbs 10oz and measured 21 inches long.

The Rooms

When we found out we were pregnant Mark and I went back and forth about what do to as far as rooms- should we keep the boys separate or move both into the bigger room and just add a crib? We decided since Parker was already settled into a good sleep pattern it would be best to keep them apart for now with the intent of putting them in the same room later down the road. So, since Parker was the oldest we felt he should get the biggest room and ended up doing a new room for him and putting Jonathan in Parker's "old" room. (What 8 month old already gets a new room and new furniture?) Here are some pics of both.

Jonathan's Room

We went with a storybook theme since at the time we were going through the adoption process, we had no idea if we would be matched with a boy or girl.
The crib is the same crib my niece and nephew used.

I used my old books and character from teaching school to decorate.

Parker's Room

We chose more of an older looking sports themed room so in the future we can move the crib out and put in bunk beds! This made Mark happy.

The bedding was the same bedding used in my nephew's room.


Growth chart for the future.

Gettin things ready

Since we were a little slow on catching on to the fact we were pregnant, we spent the 2 months we had quickly getting things ready for Jonathan's arrival. We are used to this since we only had 2 months to prepare for Parker as well. We are not into waiting around in the Spence family! Our dear friends Charla and Tony came over and helped us assemble the double stroller or "the bus" as I like to call it. We are so grateful for all they do for us.


Charla hard at work.

Here is what the boys were doing while the girls were assembling the stroller. We found it to be a little ironic :) That is all the details I am allowed to give!

God's Sovereignty in Joseph's Life and in My Life

This is the article that I wrote for my church's (North Richland Hills Baptist Church) magazine, "The Journey."

Although Joseph was Jacob's 11th son, it was clear that Jacob favored him. His brothers become jealous due to this favoritism as well as by two of Joseph’s dreams in which his brothers bow down to him. Murderous thoughts give way to capitalism, and his brothers decide to sell Joseph into slavery. Joseph is in turn sold to the captain of Pharaoh's guards, and God's presence in Joseph's life is revealed as he is promoted to be Potipher's right hand man. Joseph's character is revealed as Joseph spurns Potipher's wife's advances. Joseph is thrown into jail when Potipher's wife accuses him of seduction. The scripture speaks to God's presence and blessing as Joseph is promoted to top prisoner. Two of Pharaoh's officials are also thrown in jail, only to have dreams that Joseph interprets. Both interpretations come true and one official is restored to his position. When Pharaoh has a pair of dreams, the official remembers Joseph. Joseph reveals that God is sending a warning in which 7 years of abundance will be followed by 7 years of famine. Pharaoh sets Joseph in charge as the second in command of all Egypt to ensuring that enough abundance is saved to last through the famine. Later in the story, Joseph's brothers, driven to Egypt because of the famine, kneel before a brother they do not recognize in order to purchase grain.

Janet and I were married at NRHBC in 2001. After 5 years of marriage we decided to start our family. Our 6th anniversary came and went without a pregnancy. As our 7th anniversary approached we were emotionally worn out. Few ever expect to have trouble getting pregnant. We love Jesus and try to live every aspect of our life to his glory. God is sovereign, we could be pregnant if he wanted us to be...

After exploring our options and devoting them to prayer, we decided to adopt. Our paperwork was done quickly and by the end of June, 2008 we were approved by Generations Adoption Agency. A birthmom picked us and to our delight Parker was born December 26, 2008. To any who has met him, clearly God has blessed us.

But that is not the end of the story. At the beginning of June, we discovered that Janet was 6 months pregnant. Don't ask how we missed the signs, you don't want the details. Our second son, Jonathan, is due August 31.

God took Joseph through a tremendously difficult career path to deliver him to the position he had promised. God also led Janet and I through a very difficult time in our lives, our marriage and our spiritual life. However, God held off pregnancy because he wanted us to be Parker's parents.

If Joseph remained in Jacob's household, his brothers would never have bowed to him. If Janet and I were pregnant 2 years ago, we would not have adopted Parker. The time of infertility was difficult, but now we would have it no other way. God’s plan is always perfect.