Friday, December 23, 2011

Early Bird

Dear God -
I'm sitting awake this morning in the (relative) quiet of my family room, waiting for Caroline to wake up. I've been awake about an hour now, and enjoying how still the mornings can be. Thank you for mornings. Right now, Caroline wakes up so happy - she usually chats for a while and when I go to get her, she's just full of energy and has a big smile on her face. Somewhere in life, that morning joy usually disappears. I pray today that you make that stick with Caroline - let her always wake happy, ready for the morning, ready for the day. 

Thank you God for Caroline.
Amen.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Courage

"May my children always be strong and courageous in their character and in their actions." (Deut. 31:6)


Dear God, 
Today I pray that Caroline be strong and courageous in her character and in her actions. Being self-aware is a complicated thing, it's not easy to come by - but I pray that Caroline grows up with a sense of the importance of both her character and her actions. It's so easy to shy away from fear or challenge, it's easy to lack courage. Please let Caroline have a courageous spirit that gives her confidence, and also is an indication to those around her that You have given her this gift of strength.

Amen.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Excitement

Dear God -
It's just about a week and a half before Christmas, and this time of year is marked with joy, peace and excitement for the coming holiday. God thank you for the birth of your son Jesus, and for what his birth means in our lives. Today I ask that you give Caroline Christmas Excitement year-round. That she has a little piece of anticipation and child-like joy in her life regardless of what's going on around her. God bless Caroline with a spirit to know that no matter what she's handed in life - what you've handed her is far greater. And that gift, that free gift you've given her, is worthy of anticipation and joy.

God please let us be role models for staying excited and joyful about You, Your Son Jesus, his birth, his death, and the promise You've made to us.

Amen.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Money

Dear God - it'll be many years before Caroline is responsible for her own money, but today my prayer is about money. Please let us teach Caroline responsibility when it comes to money, that she's not wasteful and that she learns to live responsibly. Please give us the ability to model good money management so that we're good examples for her.

Amen

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Fingernails

Dear God -
It's amazing how quickly a baby's fingernails grow! Today, I pray for Caroline's fingernails. Give her strong beautiful nails please. That seems like a silly prayer, but nails are certainly one of the things that can make a woman feel pretty, and I'd like her to know that feeling as much as she can. So please, give her nice nails.

Amen.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Beauty

Dear God -
There's so much beauty in the month of December. In Florida, beautiful weather arrives, beautiful decorations are put up, beautiful food is put out on the table, beautiful music fills our homes and churches. Today my prayer for Caroline is that there's always beauty in her life - not just in Decembers, but something in each day.

Thank you for the beauty of your Son's birth and the beauty of our daughter's birth. Both fill our lives with joy and peace.

Amen.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Drew

Dear God, thank you for our sweet children, for Drew and for Caroline. Thank you for the time you've given us to have them together, getting to know one another. Today I pray that you help them build a relationship over the miles between them, so that they grow up knowing one another and feeling a cousin-connection! God our family is small, but our love for them is big. Please let Drew and Caroline grow into friends who can count on each other, laugh with each other and make memories with each other.

God thank you for our family. Please keep us all close in your spirit.

Amen.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Courtesy

Today we flew to North Carolina to spend Thanksgiving with family. Airports and planes are a great opportunity for courtesy, and after our experiences today, I've decided to make that my prayer for Caroline.

Dear God,
Every day you give us so many choices. Choices in how we behave, and how we treat others. I pray today that you give Caroline a strong sense of courtesy, and that it drives the way she acts and the way she treats people. Please let her desire to be polite and well mannered - and give Dan and me enough of it to show her the way!

Amen.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Memory

Dear God,
Today I ask you to give Caroline a great memory! Give her the ability to easily recall fond memories throughout her life. Please let her always be able to look back and see the good in the things that have happened to her. Guide me and Dan in ways that we'll be able to make good memories with Caroline, so that we too remember each of these days so early in her life. God please teach Caroline how to not take her days for granted, and do the same for us.

Amen.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Talent

Dear God,
Thank you for our sweet girl and for all of the little pieces of her personality that are so unique! Today I pray that you develop talents in Caroline. Dan and I were thinking today about what sports she might like to play, what instruments she may be interested in. We ask you to develop her interests in all sorts of things so she can have great experiences and lots of fun as a child. Please guide us to keep her interested and show us how to encourage her to develop her talents that you give her.

Thank you Lord for today. Please help us not take for granted that it's a gift.
Amen.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Caroline's Friends

Dear God -
Thank you for the friends that you've given us, and for the babies who have been born to our friends. They're all so unique and precious.

Today I pray for these babies, for Caroline's friends. God please keep and bring people into our lives who will be good influences on Caroline, who will be good friends to her. Please let her grow into friendships that make her happy, make her feel fulfilled and are blessings to her life. Please help us teach her how to be a good friend to them as well.

Thank you Lord for our friends, and for all those little children out there who will grow into CJ's friends too!

Amen.

Friday, October 28, 2011

The Gift of Hospitality

Yesterday we were at a Halloween party in the neighborhood. Our friend who hosted (and her sweet baby!) were such gracious hostesses, and clearly have the gift of hospitality. Their spirit yesterday inspires today's prayer.

Dear God,
Thank you for our friends, and for the fun things they do and include us in! God you've clearly given them the gift of hospitality, and they make it so comfortable for us to be in their homes. Today I ask that you give Caroline the gift of hospitality as well. Help her learn to make her home (and our home!) a place where people feel valued and cared for. Give her the ability to meet new people and help them feel welcomed. In giving her this gift, I know she'll learn to make environments where good relationships can grow and where people feel at ease.

God thank you for our baby.
Amen.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Determination

Yesterday Dan competed in a 1/2 ironman distance triathlon. It was incredible to see him biking and running (we missed the swim) and to watch him cross the finish line. His extraordinary effort inspires today's prayer.

Dear God,
Thank you for taking good care of Dan during his race, and allowing him to finish with nothing more than some sore muscles. God today I pray that you give Caroline a dose of the same determination that you've clearly given to Dan. Please give her the mental strength to set her mind to big goals and to achieve them. Let her have the confidence to believe that no matter what she wants to do, it's possible if she works hard and believes she can do it. God give our little girl strength like her daddy.

Amen.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Wild Streak

Today at our music class we were talking about the crazy-cute British girl who was on Ellen and was obsessed with Nicki Minaj Super Bass. That convo, and that sweet child inspire todays prayer.

Dear God -
Thank you for the creativity and energy you put into children. Teach us to let it live there in peace - and not to try to train that out of them. I ask you tonight to paint a quick wild streak inside Caroline. Give her curiosity, courage, energy, humor, confidence and personality. Let her grow up as a child who reminds us how fun life can be if we quit caring about what others think or what we're 'supposed' to be doing. God let Caroline be fun, and have fun, and keep my mouth shut long enough to let her accomplish both.

Amen.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Music

Last week Caroline got an exersaucer from her grandparents - she LOVES it, and is particularly excited about the places where she can make music. She has a drum she spins that makes rattles, and several buttons that sing songs. Her new toy inspires todays prayer.

Dear God -
You gave us the gift of music to praise you, to express ourselves, to use to fellowship together. Caroline is discovering music - in her toys, in our class, at night with our lullabies and in the car when we listen. Please  give Caroline an appreciation for music, and maybe even give her a gift. Perhaps you'll give her a gift for singing, or maybe for playing an instrument. Please let music come naturally to her so it'll be easy for her to share that gift with others. God thank you for our sweet girl, and for all the gifts you've given her and are growing in her.

Amen.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Faith

Dear God,
There's so much about Caroline that is changing. She's growing so quickly and everyday there's something new and exciting about her. Today I pray that her faith is growing like the rest of her body is growing. Please plant seeds of faith in her now, so that she grows up knowing you, and able to feel your presence. Please give her a strong faith in you, strong enough to weather anything that comes in her path. God be present to each of us, and present in the places where we need to see your hand at work.

Amen.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

If she knows nothing else...

Dear God,
We never know how long we'll have on this Earth. You've given us eternal life, and there's a promise that we'll be reunited with our loved ones, but we don't know how many days we'll have here. I ask for thousands and thousands of days with Caroline - for me, for her father, for all of her family members. However, what I pray for today is that no matter what happens in her life, please let Caroline know how deep of a love that we have for her, and how deep Your love is for her. If she knows nothing else Lord, let her know love.

Amen.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Ears

Dear God,
Today I pray for Caroline's tiny little ears. Please bless Caroline with good hearing. Allow her to enjoy all sorts of wonderful sounds and never struggle to hear. When it comes time for her to get earrings, please don't let that hurt her much, and keep her piercings from getting infected. As Caroline grows, please help her to avoid ear infections, and please keep her ears healthy enough to avoid having to get tubes in her ear drums.

God thank you for all the hundreds of tiny parts that make up our sweet baby, and thank you for her ears.

Amen.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Roots and Wings

This is a prayer I've heard my mom talk about praying for me and my sister. Seems appropriate to pray for Caroline since we just got back from a great trip home.

Dear God,
Thank you for our roots - for the depth of love and connection that we feel when we take time to go "home". God please allow Caroline to grow up with deep roots. Please help her to feel connected to friends and family, to places that mean something to her, and please fill her with a sense of belonging to those roots. Let the roots she grows keep her grounded in her faith, in our family values, and true to herself. At the same time God, I pray that you give Caroline wings. Wings to explore, to grow, to change, and to go where she dreams. Please let those wings allow her all sorts of opportunities in her life, and don't ever let her forget how to use them. And God, while I pray that she dreams big, I also pray that no matter how far she flies, that she always follows her roots back home.

God thank you for the roots and wings you've given us, and please teach us how to do the same for our sweet Caroline.

Amen.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Tiny Moments

Dear God,
Thank you for the tiny blessed moments that you give to me and Caroline. As I just sat in her room rocking her and singing, I could feel you in the room with us. Thank you for the time we get to read books together, snuggle when she first wakes up, pat her dry after a bath. I know that these moments are running away from us, and while they'll be replaced by new ones, it feels so important to take each one and cherish it as it's happening. God thank you for giving us the ability to cry, for tears that come when joy and peace just fill us up. It's such a tender moment to have joyful tears with a baby. Please let the wonderful flood of emotion I feel during our tiny moments be felt by Caroline too - and please let us hold onto those feelings when we need them most.

God thank you. Thank you.

Amen.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Us

Dear God,
Thank you for my family. Thank you for the gift of this sweet baby and for the special relationship and bond we have. Tonight God I pray for my relationship with Caroline. Please let us grow close, and stay close. Please let us get along well, learn from one another and enjoy each other. Please let me be able to pass on the best of myself to her, and please let the best parts of CJ rub off on me too.

Thank you for mothers and daughters God, especially for mine.

Amen.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Ephesians 6:18

Dear God,
We're told to come to you with all kinds of requests, and that no prayer is too small for you to hear. So, tonight I'd like to pray about Caroline spitting up. God please settle Caroline's tummy, and keep her from spitting after she eats. Please help her to enjoy her food and to not over eat, and to keep down all of her milk. God when we start solids, please make her good at eating solids, and help her keep that down too.

Thank you Lord for everything about Caroline - we rejoice in having her, and praise you for each piece of her, even her spit.

Amen.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Time

Last week I celebrated my 30th birthday. It got me thinking about Caroline and her 30th birthday - there's so much time between now and then, and I don't intend to rush one moment of it. However, thinking about that span of time inspired today's prayer.

Dear God,
Thank you for the time you've already given me with my precious daughter Caroline. Today I pray for more - lots more. I pray that you give our family health and many years together. I pray that the time you give us is filled with love and happiness, with excitement and success. Please grant us time together to grow into the family you made us to be. God please also help us to be grateful for all the time -- from tiny wonderful moments to long years -- that you're giving us.

Amen.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Volunteering

Today Caroline went to her first Junior League meeting. That inspires today's prayer.

Dear God,
Thank you for the opportunity I have with the Junior League to volunteer in our community. Thank you for the opportunity to expose Caroline to the wonderful women in the group and the work that we do. I pray today that you give Caroline a heart to want to help others and a volunteering spirit. I pray that she grows into a woman who can be counted on to help, and is known for her generosity. Please make me and Dan into good role models for her, so that these traits become part of her life early on.

Amen.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Strength

Yesterday Caroline had her four month appointment with the Dr. It went well, and our doctor commented on her physical strength. She said she was very strong and was proud of her for all of her muscle control. That inspires today's prayer.

Dear God,
Thank you for the good report from the doctor yesterday. Thank you for Carolines growth. It's amazing how much she has changed in four short months. I truly see your work in her each day. God today I pray for strength in Carolines life. I pray that she always has the strength to deal with the things that come her way. Please give her that kind of strength. Also, please give her the knowledge that she has inner strength to overcome self doubt and fear.

Thank you for our strong little baby, and for the strength you give us every day.
Amen.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Our friends

Dear God,
Thank you for our friends who are so kind and helpful with Caroline. Thank you that they dont judge her for her rough patches and love her regardless of her mood. Thank you for their tolerance with her spitting, for the way they want to hold her and keep her, not just when she's happy. Thank you that we have people in our life who think of her like family and treat her that way. God please keep family friends like these in our lives, and let us grow closer with them each day as we watch Caroline grow as well.

Amen

Thursday, September 1, 2011

The people who care for Caroline

Last night was the first night I went back to teaching since having Caroline. We are so blessed that I'm able to be at home with her during the day, and I'm truly enjoying raising her this way. Because I have to leave the house before Dan is able to be home from work, we've hired a sitting to come on Wednesday's for about an hour until Dan arrives. Last night was the firs time i left Caroline with a sitter who wasn't a good friend or family member. That inspires today's prayer.

Dear God,
Thank you for our sitter, Kristyn. Thank you for our friends who introduced us to good, reliable sitters for Carolline. Please let Caroline grow to love Kristyn and feel comfortable in her care. Through Carolines young life I know there will be many people who we trust with Carolines care and i pray that we are alway able to find good, loving, trustworthy people for that very important task. Plase give us wisdom in hiring sitters, and please send us people who will care for and love our baby the way we do.

Amen.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Her tiny voice

Dear God,
Thank you so much for Carolines tiny little voice. Thank you for her sweet chit chat that she keeps up all day, and for all of the wonderful things that must be going on inside her brain inspiring her to try to talk. Please let her voice, and her words, stay sweet as she grows. Please give her compassion and goodness so that she learns to use her words and her voice to build people up rather than tear them down. Also, please give me and Dan self control over the things we say around her - so that we are good role models for her.

Lord thank you for her tiny little voice that we hear in her coughs, sneezes, shouts, chats and coos. We love her endlessly and are so grateful that you've given her to us.

Amen.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Generosity

We had a last minute cancellation with our babysitter, and a good friend is willing to keep Caroline for us while I go to my first night back at Valencia. Our friends generosity in keeping Caroline inspires today's prayer.

Dear God,
Thank you for giving us friends who are so willing to help when we're in a bind. Thank you for their generosity that helps relieve stress in my life. God today I ask you to grow generosity in Caroline. Please give her a generous nature and make her want to help others. Please show her how it's through giving that she'll be able to receive. Please also give Caroline the foresight to see where she's needed and where she can help.

Thank you God for your gifts, for our friends, and for our sweet baby.

Amen.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

CJC

We have a couple good friends who do beautiful monogramming, and have done several things for Caroline that are just precious. Just yesterday we got a shipment of new monogrammed bibs from one of our friends, and they are perfect! Caroline wore one today, and it made me think of this prayer.

Dear God,
Thank you for our friends and the gifts of creativity and creation that you've given them. When I look at Caroline in her monogrammed things it makes me think that others can look at her, and know who she is. I ask you today to always make Caroline sure of who she is. Please let her grow deep roots into her loving family and friends, and let those roots give her courage to explore but depth to know herself through the trials of this life. Please always remind Caroline that she was created in your image, a beautiful girl (and one day, woman) who is loved and cherished.

Thank you for making Caroline unique and giving her all of the things that make her our CJC!

Amen.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Happiness

God,
Today I want to thank you for the happy spirit you've given to Caroline. She spends so much of her day with smiles and laughter, and I can see you in her joy. Thank you for making her this way. Please bless her with happiness each day of her life. Please let her be joy in our life and in the lives of her friends and other family as well. Thank you for our baby, for the gift of laughter and joy and for Carolines happiness thats making life so worth living.

Amen.

Friday, August 19, 2011

All their bags are packed....

My grandparents, Caroline's great-grandparents, have been in town for 2 weeks, and are leaving tomorrow. All their bags are packed, and in just 15 hours they'll be gone. That's the inspirsation for today's prayer.

Dear God,
Tomorrow morning we have to say goodbye to GG and Tom. Thank you so much for our time together, thank you for their love, their friendship, their helpfulness and their wisdom. God so many times goodbyes are hard, and its hard for us that our family lives out of town. Please protect our hearts tomorrow as we say goodbye, and protect Caroline through her life from painful goodbyes. Please make us grateful for the time we have and not sorrowful for the time we don't. God lead Caroline toward hope and gratitude.

Amen.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Swimming

Dear God,
Thank you for the community where we live, and for the opportunities we have to be together on the trail and in the pool. It's been so much fun to introduce swimming to Caroline, and I'm thankful for the time you're giving us with her. God please allow Caroline to enjoy swimming and being in the water. Please let her be a child who likes to swim and isn't afraid of swimming. Let her enjoy the ocean, lakes and swimming pools. Please keep her safe as she swims. God let Caroline be grateful to you for the glory of nature, for the beauty of the water you've put here on Earth. Please let swimming in the pool in our neighborhood be a joy for our family, and let it continue to be a way we can unplug and enjoy spending time outside together.

Thank you for the gift of nature, and for the gift of our little water baby!
Amen.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Garden

Today my grandmother and I worked in the garden with Caroline. She sat in her bumbo and watched.

Dear God,
Thank you for grandma being here to visit. Thank you for all the things she's teaching Caroline, and for the time we are spending together. Please give Caroline the gift of a green thumb. Give her the ability to grow beautiful things in her garden so that she's surrounded with beauty through her life. Let gardening be an activity that Caroline and I can enjoy together, and work on together as she grows. Please God let Caroline grow beautifully as well, into the child that you've created her to be.

Amen.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Daddy

This weekend Caroline and her dad have spent a lot of good time together. It's so sweet to watch them enjoy one another, and it inspired today's prayer.

Dear God,
Thank you for my family, for Dan and Caroline who make up so much of who i am. Thank you for their special bond with one another, a bond that I've so enjoyed watching grow over the last three months. God please bind Caroline to Dan and Dan to Caroline for their entire lives. Please give them the special closeness that you reserve only for daddies and their daughters. Please let Caroline learn from Dan all of the things he loves like the outdoors, tools and building and bike riding.

God please protect these two, please help us grow each day into a stronger family.
Amen.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Gratitude

Dear God,
It was just about a year ago that Dan and I found out that You were blessing us with a baby, that it was Your plan for us to be parents. Now that we have Caroline here with us we couldn't be more grateful that You've chosen to give her to us. Thank you God. God today I pray that Caroline grows up with a sense of gratitude to You - for her life, her family, and all the gifts that she's sure to have. I pray that she gives thanks to You daily, and doesn't take for granted all of the wonderful things you've provided for her. Please give Caroline the words to thank You. Please give her a spirit of gratitude towards others, so that she is able to appreciate those around her.

Thank you God for this miracle, our angel baby.
Amen.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Kindness

Dear God,
Thank you for our sweet Caroline, thank you for her noises, for her gentle touches, and for the sweet angel face she makes when she's sleeping. Today I ask for you to give Caroline another of the fruits of Your spirit, Kindness. I ask that you wrap her with Your love and kindness, and that it seeps through to her own spirit. I pray that she grows as a child who is kind - to herself and to others. I pray that she has tenderness, compassion and concern for others, and a charitable disposition. Please guide me and Dan to raise Caroline with kindness so that we're good role models for this virtue.

Thank you for Your kindness, for Your love, and for the spiritual gifts You've given us.
Amen.

Friday, July 29, 2011

You are the architect of your own life

We had Chinese for dinner tonight, and the fortune in my cookout was "you are the architect of your own life". Made me think about how much Caroline has in front of her, and all of the opportunity she has available to her.

Dear God,
Thank you for the gift of time. Thank you for free will, and for giving us the ability to chart our own courses on this Earth. Tonight I pray for Carolines path. I pray that you leade her to build an exciting life, full of love and joy. I pray that Caroline always has a sense of Your presence in her life, and that Your presence gives her the confidence to build any life she wants to. I pray that she dreams big and follows her dreams. I pray that she gets all out of her life that she looks for. I pray that as she builds her life, she remembers to give to others, to be true to herself and to thank You along the way.

Thank you for our little architect, and please guide her as she dreams of her plans.
Amen.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Peace

Dear God,
Today I ask you to give Caroline one of the fruits of Your spirit; peace. I ask that even at her early age you give her a sense of Your peace. I ask that as she grows she's a peaceful child who is at peace with herself and with her life. Please use this peace to strengthen her relationship with You, and to guide her in the way she lives her life and treats others. God give her peace even when it doesn't seem like a natural response, give her peace when she has to make hard decisions, please bind her heart with Your peace today, and forever.

God thank you for the gifts you make available for us, please guide us all toward the fruits of Your spirit. Thank you for our sweet Caroline, and for hearing my prayers.

Amen.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Reading

Today we met some mommy and baby friends at the library for their baby story time. The man who led the group was really great, and did a wonderful job of engaging Csroline, I was surprised at how much she's capable of paying attention, even at this age. Our experience there today inspires todays prayer.

Dear God,
Thank you for the library and for the people who work there. Thank you for the gift of reading, and the wonderful places reading can take us. Today I ask you to allow reading to come easily to Caroline, and to let it be something she enjoys in her life. Please help us make reading part of our routine with Caroline so that reading becomes part of her everyday life.

Thank you God for the gift of today.
Amen.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Peaches

Tonight i made a peach barbecue sauce to go on grilled tilapia, it was delicious! Caroline sat in her bumbo while I worked, and it made me think of how fun it will be to teach her to cook and bake, and it inspires today's prayer.

Dear God,
Thank you for our sweet Caroline and thank you for all of the wonderful food you've given us on this earth. Thank you for peaches that get ripe and juicy in the hot summer sun, and that made our dinner tonight so yummy. Tonight I pray for Carolines relationship with food. I ask you to give her a taste for lots of different food, for her not to be a picky eater, and for her to have the will to try new things. I also pray that she have my love of working in the kitchen, and that it something we can bond over and share. I pray that she not have any food allergies, and that she's always able to choose food that's healthy for her body.

Thank you Lord for your love, for hearing our prayers, for answering our prayers and for all the gifts you've given us. We have a beautiful world God, full of wonderful food - that's creative genius on your part!

AMEN.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Travel

This week, Caroline will take her first vacation. We are going to Vermont for a family get together, so she'll fly on an airplane, visit New York and Vermont, and also ride on a ferry! I started packing for her, and it made me think about all the places she'll travel in her life.

Dear God,
Thank you for our upcoming trip to Vermont. Please keep us safe as we travel, and keep me calm on my first trip on a plane with a baby. Please let things go well and easily. God, today my prayer is for Carolines travels in her life. I pray she has lots of opportunities to travel in her life, and see many wonderful things in our world. I pray that she has the courage to travel and explore, and an interest in other countries, other people, and other cultures. Through her travels I hope she meets friends she can keep through her life. I hope she learns to appreciate her home and country, and I pray that through travel she sees You, and Your majesty in Your creation. I pray that she appreciates history, and sees herself in perspective of the world, all those who have come before her, and all those who will come after.

God please set an adventurous path for my sweet Caroline, and take her to glorious places far from home. God, though, please root her path in our home, and let her always find her way back.

Amen.
P.S. God, help me not overpack.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

CPR Class

Today we took an infant and child CPR class. I'm glad we took it, because now if something happens I'll know what to do. But it was scary to think about Caroline choking or being unresponsive, and certainly I'd prefer that I never have to use these skills on her. So today I'm praying that we don't ever have to.

Dear God,
Thank you for Linda teaching us today. Thank you for all the skills we have to help each other when we're in need. Thank you for the friends we've made that were able to take the course with us. God today I ask you that Caroline never needs CPR. I pray that you protect her heart, and protect her from choking. Please keep her safe, and keep her from physical distress. Please give us the ability to protect her from harm, and the wisdom to teach her to keep herself out of trouble. God I also ask that you strengthen us, and give us the power equal to all our tasks in life.

Pease protect our sweet girl.
Amen

Friday, July 15, 2011

The blessing of grandmothers

This week my husbands mom is in town for a visit. We've had a great time together and Caroline has had a lot of good grandma snuggle time. Caroline is blessed to have two sets of grandparents who love her so much. The grandmas, specifically, inspire today's post.

Dear God,
Thank you for Sharon and Donna, or Grandma and Dee Dee, as Caroline knows them. Thank you for their love for Caroline, and for the time that they've been able to spend with her since her birth. Thank you for the gift of grandmothers, for the wisdom they pass down, for the guidance and strength they give our families. Please give Caroline many more years with her grandmothers, so that she can grow into adulthood knowing them, their love, and their lives. Please let her learn from her grandmothers the way I've been able to learn from mine. I pray that Caroline is able to spend vacations at her grandmothers house, and that she forms great memories of those long summer days. I also pray that she knows through her life how proud of her they are, just for being their granddaughter.

God, when its time in her life, I pray that you give Caroline a family of her own, and that she becomes a grandmother. I pray that she has a wonderful relationship with her grandchildren and she passes down all the wisdom and love that she's been given.

Thank you God for our family, and for all of the grandmothers.
Amen.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Pain

Today was the first day of Carolines life that I saw her in pain. We had her two month shots, and after five needles in her thighs I definitely saw pain in her eyes. That inspires today's post.

Dear God,
Thank you for the wonderful nurse and doctor who took care of Caroline todsy. Thank you for the vaccinations that she got, and please help them protect her from disease and illness. I pray that you keep Caroline from pain in her life. I know a certain amount of pain is inevitable, but I pray that you keep her from pain when possible. I also pray that you guide us to raise her to keep her from pain and suffering. When she does have pain, please make it fleeting. God strengthen her to deal with whatever comes her way.

Amen.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Teeth

Today was our cats birthday. He had his annual exam today and part of his exam was teeth cleaning. That inspired todays post - for Carolines teeth!

Dear God,
Thank you for our sweet Caroline, and for all of her tiny pieces and parts. Thank you for her teeth, which we have yet to see! I pray that when her teeth come in, they don't hurt her, they come in strong and healthy and without problem. I pray that when her baby teeth come out, she looks forward to the Tooth Fairy, and that her permanent teeth come in easily and well. I pray for her teeth to be straight, strong, bright white, and healthy. I pray that she has good habits with brushing her teeth, and that she doesn't need braces or a retainer. Please give her a healthy beautiful smile!

Thank you Lord.
Amen

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Our Country

Dear God,
Tonight I offer up a prayer for the country where Caroline will grow up. Yesterday, we sent the last space shuttle into space, it was certainly an important day in US history. As I watched the launch, I felt pride in our country, in the people who live here. I pray that our country remains a safe place for Caroline, that we work toward common good, that we hold on to our morals ands values that seem to so easily slip away. I pray that Caroline explores our world and travels to wonderful places, but that she always finds her home familiar, safe, and comfortable. I pray for our leaders, for our businesses, for our people. Please bless us, lead us toward peace, guide us toward mercy and compassion, and make us to be centered on you. Please carve out a space in this world for our sweet girl.

Amen

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

A Prayer for Prayer

Dear God,
Today my prayer for Caroline is also a prayer for myself. I'm praying today for Caroline's prayer life. I ask that you give me the words to begin teaching her how to talk with you, and that you strengthen me in my prayer life, so that she grows up with a good role model for prayer. I pray that she makes a habit of talking with you throughout her life. That she remembers to reach out to you to express gratitude, to ask for requests, to connect with you, and to center herself. I pray that when she's down and having problems, she thinks first to reach for you. Please show me how to teach her to pray, and when she does pray, please hear her small voice, and reassure her of your presence in her life.

Amen.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Abundance

Dear God,
Today I pray for abundance in Caroline's life - abundant love, abundant opportunity, abundant joy, abundant peace. I ask that you give her more than she needs of all of your blessings and gifts. I pray that in this abundance she learns humility, gratitude, and giving back. Please bless her with many gifts and talents, and grow in her a desire to use these gifts toward your work. I pray specifically for abundant joy in her life. Life is so short and precious, and I pray that you guide her to joy always, and away from fear. I pray that she is so full of joy that she's able to inspire joy in others.

I also pray that Caroline has abundant faith. I know that it's only through faith in You that she'll come by love, opportunity, joy and peace. Please reach out to Caroline now and bind her heart to you, so that from even this very early, precious age, she's aware of You, and your presence in her life, aware of your ability to guide her to a life of abundance.

Thank you for hearing our prayers, thank you for being a God who puts no limits on the blessings we can have in our life. Please bless Caroline abundantly, and in doing so, bless all those around her.

Amen.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Daddy

Dear God,
Thank you for our baby Caroline. She is a special gift from you for me and her dad. Today I pray for her relationship with her father. I pray they continue to bond and enjoy each other, and I pray that through her life they share a special relationship. I pray that they spend time together just the two of them - making special memories and traditions that they share together. I pray that she learns from her dad about the things he loves - riding bikes, spending time outside, building and fixing things around the house. Let Caroline develop parts of her personality that reflect her father - his easy-going nature, his love of nature and travel. Please guide Dan to be a role model to Caroline, so she may know the right way a man should live and treat his family and others.

Thank you for the gifts of marriage and parenthood, and please give a special bond to Caroline and Dan today, and for the rest of their lives.

Amen.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Bueller, anyone? Bueller?

Today we spent some time with one of my friends and her sweet 1-year-old. My friend is a teacher and told a story about managing a difficult student in one of her classes. She spoke of patience, kindness and understanding. I'm so used to teachers complaining about students that it was refreshing and surprising to hear her talk about this challenging child with such hope for her future. I hope Caroline has teachers like that.

Dear God,
Thank you for teachers who spend so much of their time with our children. Thank you for the dedication they show, even when being paid so little for such important jobs. Today I pray for the people who will be Caroline's teachers. I pray that they accept her, and can always see her potential. Let them be people she'll be safe with, and people who inspire her. Let school be a positive experience for Caroline, and I pray that she'll be engaged with her school work and look forward to going to school. I pray that you guide me and Dan in making decisions about where she should go to school, and choosing the people that will lead so much of her development. I pray that she fits in at school and finds friends along the way.

Thank you God for Caroline and for all of the wonderful things you have planned for her life.
Amen.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Do you see what I see?

Today on my run (yes, I started running again, and no, it isn't pretty!) my iPod served up "Be Thou My Vision". It's a beautiful song, and the version I have is instrumental and lovely. That song inspires my prayer for Caroline today.


Dear God,
Thank you for the gift of music and for the way it moves us and inspires us. Today I pray for Caroline's vision - I pray that her sweet eyes continue to develop and focus, and I pray that they stay the beautiful blue they are today. I pray that she has good vision and doesn't have to wear glasses or contacts in her life. I pray that she's able to see herself the way I do today - as a gift from You, a precious, beautiful girl full of grace and love, and capable of anything she sets her mind to.

I also pray for her spiritual vision. I pray she's able to see you clearly. I pray particularly that she can see you during the times in her life when she's not looking for you, when she's not looking toward you. I pray you always give her vision to find you, even in the darkest of her nights. Please give Caroline the ability to see need in others, and to see how she can fill those needs. Please give her the ability to see justice, to see love and to see hope in this world.

Thank you God for vision, but thank you especially for sight.

Amen.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance.

Tina Fey has a prayer, called A Mother's Prayer for Her Child - the title of today's post is a line from her prayer. I loved the line the first time I heard it, and it's stuck in my head. Today I'm praying for Caroline's brain and her career.


Dear God,
Today I pray for Caroline's intellect. I pray that you help her develop into a curious child who loves to learn and explore your Earth. I pray that she become intelligent and bright, and that she's always able to find things that interest her. When it comes time for her to choose a course of study and work, more than anything I pray that you give her a passion for something that she can make a living off of. I pray that you give her a spirit to enjoy her work - from kindergarten to retirement. Please bless Caroline with choices in life, so that she can pick the path she follows.

Thank you for Caroline and her sweet personality we're already starting to understand.
Amen

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Health

Yesterday I had my last "pregnancy" OBGYN appointment. It'll be strange to not go to that office every couple weeks! While I was there I was thinking about Caroline's health, and that inspires today's prayer.

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Dear God,
Thank you for our baby Caroline. Thank you for her sweet spirit and her healthy body. Thank you for helping us get through the issue with her heart murmur, and we pray that you continue to close up that tiny hole in her heart, and that it doesn't ever become a problem for her. I also pray for her health through her life. I pray that I'm able to teach her to take good care of her body and mind, so that she learns skills to keep herself healthy. I pray that Caroline doesn't struggle with weight in her life, and that early on I can help her learn how to eat well and incorporate activity into her life to help her maintain an appropriate weight. I pray that she continues to develop in a healthy way, and doesn't struggle with developmental issues.  I pray for her to have a strong immune system, and a strong, healthy body and that she stay as free from illness and disease as possible. Please don't ever let Caroline suffer. 

Thank you for modern medicine and the skilled hands that deliver it. Please keep and protect Caroline, and allow her to grow as a healthy, happy child. 

Amen.


Tuesday, June 7, 2011

She'll get by with a little help from her friends

Today we visited with our friend, Valerie, who was just blessed with a sweet baby boy, Tommy. Caroline went along for the trip, so it was the first time she met her new friend. They may have both slept through their introductions, but I'd say they're new friends nonetheless. Today I pray for Caroline's friends.

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Dear God,
Thank you for Valerie and for Tommy. Thank you for all of the wonderful friends we have in our lives. Please give Caroline good friends in her life, at all stages. Let her friends be creative, fun, supportive and constant. Let her have friends she can trust in and she can lean on. I pray that she has good girlfriends and learns the value of girlfriends early in her life.  I pray that her friends stand by her side in good times and bad, that they celebrate and laugh with her when things are good, and cry with her and console her when they're not. I pray that she has siblings that are her best friends, and that she's close with her cousins as well. I pray especially for her husband today, that he's out there somewhere growing into a good, honest man who will be worthy of her one day - and that they'll be close friends always. 

Thank you God for the gift of friendship, for our friends, and for Caroline's friends who we have yet to meet.

Amen.




Monday, June 6, 2011

Church family

Since moving to Orlando I've been attending First United Methodist Church of Winter Park. I've enjoyed the church, and participated in several small groups and studies along the way, but have not found a close group of people to connect with. Dan's attended with me for several years as well. When we had Caroline, we let the church know and were so surprised and pleased with how much we heard from the church. We had a call from a pastor, a note from the care team, and a note in the Sunday bulletin. Last week, I got a call from a woman from the church who's part of the Hannah Circle - she told me that the women in the circle make meals for new moms, they'd heard about Caroline and were calling to schedule to bring us 5 meals. I was stunned! I've never attended the Hannah Circle and have never met any of these women. Their generosity, love and kindness is a display of God's love and we're blessed to be on the receiving end.

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Dear God,
Thank you for the church family that we've found at FUMCWP. Thank you for the Hannah Circle who want to support us with meals this week. Thank you for their friendliness, their generosity and their willingness to help a stranger. Today I pray that Caroline comes to know the love of church family early, and that she has a good church family through her whole life. I pray that her friends from church will be positive influences on her life, and friends that stick around for a long time. I pray that she enjoys going to church, and participating in music programs and youth groups. I also pray that she becomes a woman who wants to reach out and help others. Give her a spirit for fellowship, for generosity and for love.

Thank you God for this day, for our sweet girl, and for our church family

Amen.








Sunday, June 5, 2011

Sleeping & Baths

There's a running joke in my family about how often I'd fall asleep in strange places as a child. I'd sleep just about anywhere. Still today, I really enjoy sleeping. I also really enjoy bubble baths - they're the perfect way for me to spend some time alone and relax. As a new mom, sleeping and bubble baths arent happening much right now - but in due time they will again, and right now there are other wonderful things happening that are both relaxing and enjoyable. Today my prayer is for Caroline to learn about healthy sleep and to enjoy relaxation.

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Dear God,
You've created us as people who need to sleep to restore our energy and our spirits. We need time to recharge our batteries and unplug from the grind and busy-ness of the day. In today's world there is so much taking our attention and calling at us - technology has made a world that never seems to sleep.Today I pray that Caroline learn how to rest and relax, and how to find small pleasures (like bubble baths!) in her life. I pray that she soon learn to sleep well and deeply, and that you'd bless her with restoration while she sleeps. I pray that when she wakes up she's alert and happy to be awake. I pray that she learns to enjoy her mornings - and maybe in her life she'll use those mornings to talk to you, or to study your word. God make her a woman who lives every waking moment in the best way she knows how, and who spends her sleeping moments in restorative peace.

Thank you for Caroline, thank you for the gift of sleep and relaxation.

Amen.


Saturday, June 4, 2011

Just Like GG

Yesterday my grandma came to meet Caroline for the first time. She and my grandfather live in Louisville, and she turned 80 this year. She's very active and energetic, and was thrilled to get in the car at the airport and meet Caroline - her 4th great grandchild. There are so many wonderful things about my grandmother that I admire, so my prayer today is that Caroline grows into a woman who reflects the wonderful traits of her "GG".
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Dear God,
We're so blessed with family. Thank you for our family, and thank you for the idea to create us into families. We are so lucky and blessed to raise our baby girl with the love and support of so many wonderful Christian people. Today I pray a special prayer of thanks for my grandma, Caroline's GG. Thank you for her being alive to meet Caroline, and to be so emotionally close to us even as we're entering our 30's. You've given grandma many gifts and great traits, and I pray that those are reflected in Caroline as she grows. Specifically, I pray you'll gift Caroline with these things, that are such bright spots in GG's life:
- Friendliness and a spirit to help others
- A wonderful husband who loves her and you endlessly
- The desire to learn new things and take on adventures
- A great ability to cook delicious foods
- Skills for removing stains from ANYTHING
- The desire to read and to enjoy reading
- The gift of gab
- Joy, peace, and generosity.

Thank you Lord for Caroline, and for her GG. Thank you for this week that they'll spend together. 

Amen

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Haircuts

Tonight I have a haircut, the first one since Caroline's been born, and Caroline is coming with me. Right now, Caroline has very little hair, so she'll just be observing. So today, my prayer is for her hair.

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Dear God, 
Thank you for sweet baby Caroline. Thank you for every piece of her that you perfectly formed - for her tiny ears, nose, lips and her (not so tiny) feet and toes. The miracle of life is perfect evidence of your grace and love for us, when I look at Caroline I see you. I see your perfect love in her eyes. God today I pray for her hair. I pray that she grows beautiful hair and eyelashes. I pray that she becomes a confident young woman who can distinguish between superficial beauty and real beauty. I pray for times in her life when I can braid and curl Caroline's hair and we can play beauty shop together. 

Thank you God for our baby, thank you for the miracle of continuing growth, for the growth of her body and her hair. 

Amen.