Toys!

  In the first of what I'm sure will be many attempts to keep Caleb away from any possible harm, we decided to keep Caleb home from daycare today.  A few kids in his class have RSV, which I discovered last night is basically a cold, although it has the rare chance of developing into something a bit more serious, so we figured that we'd just keep him at home today.  I didn't have much to do today, since I don't have to preach on Sunday, so I thought it would be a nice break to have Caleb at home.

  It's tempting to say that I don't accomplish much when Caleb is at home.  By the standards of the working world, perhaps that is true.  But when I stop and consider it, I think what I do on days like today is far more important than anything else I could do--on days like today, I'm doing my part to help Caleb grow up knowing that he is loved, that he is valued, that he has my full support.  On days like today, I'm reveling in God's amazing gift of Caleb, giving thanks for the chance to love a child.  On days like today, I can simply sit in wonder as this boy grows up before my eyes, playing with toys and focusing intently on whatever it is I set before him.  It's tempting to hope he falls asleep so I can be 'productive', but the time I spend with him is far more productive than I may ever know or understand.

  It's been a tough go around the Jones household lately when it comes to Caleb.  We don't know if he's teething, but something in his life has caused him to decide that sleeping through the night, while enjoyable, isn't nearly as cool as getting the chance to see mom or dad in the wee hours of the morning.  When we hear the monitor click on the soft wails come through, we just sigh, wondering what on earth it could be.  It's frustrating and tiring, but we continue to remind ourselves how blessed we are that he has been such a great baby.  We're exhausted, but trying to be grateful.

  And one more thing... if you're driving by our house and hear a repeated thumping sound, those are Caleb's legs flailing against his mattress.  I don't know why, but he pounds his legs up and down on the mattress, even when he's sound asleep.  You can hear it in every part of the house when he really gets going.  It's just strange.  But we love him anyway, and are fairly certain at this point that we're going to keep him!