Juliana plus one

The month of April was probably our busiest all year! Now that life has settled a bit, it is time for an overdue update.

Juliana is now seven months old and FULL of personality! Whenever we take her out anywhere, she acts like she is in a parade and everyone around is there to look and ooh and awe over her. She is definitely a charmer! We have so much fun just watching her, simply because she's a little crazy. She has not yet started to crawl, but she never just sits still. Juliana will try to pull herself up and "wallow" all over you. She is not yet saying "ma-ma" or "da-da," but the kid never shuts up really. Right now she is really into making this growling type of noise, which she alternates with high-pierced shrieks. Quite fun.


Juliana had her six-month check-up last week, even though she is seven months. She is still in the 75% for her height, but her weight dropped from the fiftieth to the tenth percentile (she only weights 14 lbs, 11 oz. which is one pound more than two months ago). I was quite shocked, because I thought she was really starting to chub up. I told the doctor she really does eat A LOT! Oh well, right now she seems to be putting all her growth into her height (that is definitely Carver, not Mondragon!). Oh -- her hair also continues to get lighter and lighter. Definitely not Mondragon hair.

In April we also let the cat out of the bag -- we are expecting the next baby Mondragon! This baby will be born either late Oct. or early Nov., so the two babies will be about thirteen months apart! We are very excited about this, although I am sure we will be quite busy come late fall! Of course, we are divided -- Chad wants a boy and I want another girl! We are so very thankful for this second little miracle!

Pray for the Fosters

This is my cousin Tatum and her husband Dave. Tatum gave birth on Saturday to twins who were born 10 weeks too early. Both boys are stable, but still need prayer. Wyatt was 3 lbs 3 oz and Jacob was 2 lbs 15 oz. They were both 16 inches long. I talked to Tatum last night and she said that she is still really weak from loosing so much blood. She said that the boys stability changes from day to day, so I promised her that we would continue to pray for them. (The picture is from two Christmas' ago...they are holding the quilt that Melody made for their first born, Mia)

more than a seminary degree

Our very good friends, Pat and Patty Burtch are with us this weekend. They flew in from Virginia Beach to visit with us and to see Juliana. We met the Pat and Patty while in seminary. They knew Mel and I before we were married and have been a great inspiration of how a marriage works. We gained more than a master's education while in seminary, we gained forever family.

Our Life

2008 is already keeping the Mondragon household humming! Now that the holidays are over, life is settling back into a routine, busy as it may be. Chad is still working at Starbucks -- he opens (5 am) 4-5 days out of the week. Ironically, this is supposed to be his part-time job! Of course, along with the church work and all the home projects, he is one busy man -- he is actually remodeling the basement as I type! Me -- I rejoice on the days when I manage to take care of Juliana's needs, help her develop physically and cognitively, make sure we have food to eat, make sure Joey has food to eat, make sure we have clothes to wear, and make sure we have a tidy home to enjoy. Some days I am extra industrious and manage to grade papers ahead of time or work on a special project, such as cleaning out Chad's clothes.

We praise God that the church is keeping us busier these days! Next month will be our one-year anniversary ... we cannot believe it! Sunday morning attendance averages anywhere between 40-50 people (unless you ask Chad, then it is 50-60). We also have a community group in our home each Wednesday night. Chad is teaching through Ephesians, and about 15-20 people attend ... we love our group!!!

Juliana is absolutely amazing, of course. I cannot get enough of her (well, most days I can't). Each day she is changing in some way and learning something new. Just this week she has found her thumb!!! She would take a pacifier occasionally, but only when she was going down for sleep. Now, though, if she wakes up early from a nap, I don't have to go in to keep giving her a paci ... she takes care of herself! Today she has been blowing bubbles all day ... pretty cute, but also a little gross. We are actually working on learning to sit-up now -- she thinks she is such a big girl already that she doesn't like to recline for her bath anymore. No, Juliana thinks she needs to be sitting up, which creates more work and more backache for me!

I am trying to be diligent in praying Scripture over Juliana -- I am currently trying to read through and pray through Psalm 119 for her life. I know that if I equip her with the Word, I am giving her something much more valuable than giving her the best clothes, books, toys, etc. I am also painfully aware of my own need to be saturated in the Scriptures. The demands of everyday life reveal my weaknesses more than a major crisis ... it's amazing how I allow my attitude to be tainted when Juliana wakes up early from a nap. I desire that the glorious Gospel of Christ would consume my every action and thought ... consume me more than thoughts of my husband or my daughter, my church or my friends.

A Tree's Life: From Georgia to our Home

Pre-Cutting

Cutting

Finished Product

Any questions?

Trip to Georgia

Because Chad attended a conference in Greenville last week, Juliana and I were able to spend a few days with my family in Georgia. Although the trip was short, it was great because Juliana was finally able to meet the fam from GA. While Chad went to his mecca, I also went to mine. That's right -- Athens, GA, home of the Dawgs. Juliana experienced downtown Athens for the first time, which included a visit to Gyro Wrap (they make the BEST feta cheese dressing for your fries....yum, I can still taste it!) and the infamous UGA Arch, which is a must for all Dawg fans to visit. Of course, her dad wasn't with us, so we took her picture in front of it!
She is getting so big and has such a wonderful personality. I love how smiley she is during her awake time, and she is averaging 6 1/2 to 7 hours of sleep at night!!! And, I am still having a blast playing dress-up with my very own live baby doll! But don't worry, it's not all about fashion around here. Juliana is getting a well-rounded education: lots of theology, pleasure reading, and of course, keeping a clean house!

Dad and Baby

Thank you for praying for my dad. He is encouraged and strengthened, knowing you all have been praying. His stem cell transplant has gone well so far. It statistically takes 7-10 days for the treatment to begin to work, so pray that his body would accept the new stem cells.
Things here have been going well, as we are now finally able to talk about the baby. Melody has had a cold for the past few weeks, but other than that, her morning sickness is almost gone. Now maybe this is debatable, but we have been getting the pressure from our friends to find out the sex of the baby. The answer is still “no.” If you have any comments, feel free to post.

fall is here

Fall has arrived, and around our house that mean a lot of apples. This last week, my parents visited us from Colorado, so Melody and I took them apple picking. Our adventure took place at Boyd’s Orchard where we picked apples and raspberries. This is the second time that Melody has gone apple picking this year. Last time she went we ate: apple pancakes, apple pie, apple cake, fried apple pies, fried apples, and apple sauce. Not that I am complaining, but there are a lot of apples to be eaten.

Things in the church plant are moving right along. Paul and I are currently trying to finalize on a building for the church to meet. Currently, we are waiting on a contractor to tell us whether or not he will be able to do the things necessitated by the fire marshal. Please pray for the Lord’s guidance as we continue to pursuit a public meeting place. Really we are waiting until we sign a lease to begin printing any type of literature, so that the address is current.