A Growing Little Boy

Yesterday, I took Jacob for his 18 month check-up. The doctor was very pleased, as he said Jacob is doing very well physically and developmentally. He appears to be a very healthy child, and he is right on track with his development. He says 15-20 words, which is above the average for his age group, and he is beginning to put certain words together. He weighs 22.0 pounds and is 32 1/2 inches tall. His height is right at the 50th percentile. His weight is a little low, but no one is concerned with that as he does continuously put on weight. As we like to say, "he's just a skinny little boy", plus I think he's inherited his daddy's high metabolism.

This week, Jacob has been enjoying playing with his aunt, uncles, and cousin who are in from out of town. He's had a very busy week, with few naps in between, but he's loving all the extra attention and play time. I'm planning to download some new pictures here soon, so stay tuned...

Allow me to expose you...

to the mind of my husband. Yes, that's right. Franklin Choate, taking advantage of this relaxing Saturday afternoon, decided to create his own blog. For those of you who know my husband well, I am sure you will be looking forward to his posts and getting insight into his unique mind. To quote Ryan from NBC's The Office "Even for the internet...it's pretty shocking". See for yourself... http://franklinchoate.blogspot.com/
Peace to you all this Easter weekend.

Congrats to Frank!

This afternoon, my husband was offered a promotion at work into a management position! As of April 1, he will be the Billing Manager at Atrium OBGYN. I'm so proud of him for all of his hard work to get to this point. He has come a long way since we met less than 6 short years ago. We have been waiting several weeks (well months actually) to find out if this would happen and now we have our answer, so we are thanking God for his caring for us and rewarding Frank for his efforts. He is facing some challenges ahead with this job, including additional schooling/training that may take him away from us periodically for business travels, but he is very excited and motivated to get started. Congratulations Baby! I love you!

Encouragement

Last night, at our Life Group, we did an "activity" where we each shared something we appreciate about every other person in our Group. There are only 6 of us in our Life Group, so it was nice to have this done in a small group atmosphere. I also have to say that it was very encouraging. I've felt very uplifted since we left last night, and it is so interesting to hear the good things that others perceive about you. For me, I heard others share qualities that I don't always consider myself to be, so to hear it from others who have gotten to know me was very refreshing. I don't know why we often feel silly saying uplifting things to each other, because it always makes you and the person you are uplifting feel good. It is definitely something I would recommend for any close knit group to do. Thanks for all the encouragement, guys!

Once Upon a Blizzard

I've enjoyed reading the several posts today about our record breaking blizzard we had all weekend. I was so glad we had gone to Sam's Club a couple days before and bought everything under the sun in bulk. We were stocked up pretty good as far as food and supplies. On Friday, I was at home anyway working, so as normal, I didn't leave the house. It took Frank about 1 1/2 hours to get home from work (from North Canton) on Friday, so once he was in, we shut ourselves away. We also received a much appreciated phone call Saturday morning at 6:30 a.m. that Frank did not have to go in to work that day. We enjoyed a couple of movies, did some much needed cleaning and organizing on Saturday and basically sat around and played with Jacob. All I kept reading on Facebook and Blogger is how Catalyst was going to be open on Sunday and how "real men come to church in the snow". Much to our surprise, our gracious pastor decided to cancel once a travel ban was issued in Summit County. on Saturday afternoon, Frank decided to tackle the shoveling, all on his own, of course, and made it about 90 minutes before needing a break. Just in time, two high school kids came to our door with a snow blower. So we shoved out the cash, made them some hot chocolate, and watched them work on our driveway and sidewalks for about 30 minutes. I have to say, they did a pretty good job, and it was well worth the money spent :-) By Sunday, we were very excited to do something, so we hung out at my parents in the evening, had pizza and played games. I have to say, even though it put a wrench in our plans this weekend, I am very thankful for being "stuck" inside and forced to have a relaxing couple of days. It was much needed, and now I am not feeling so tired on this Monday.

Decisions, Decisions

Frank and I are facing some big decisions in the next several months concerning our future, jobs, finances and schooling. This is one of those big ones that you mull over and get stomach aches about and put off until you have no time left to waste. I have a hard time with these, not putting my emotions ahead of logic, and thinking about what is in our best interest for all of us...all 4 of us now, and I admit, I'm a horrible worrier. I feel like praying about it makes me feel better and less worried; however, at the end of the day, I know God gave me a brain and he expects me to use it. I just wonder how much of my personal desires should play into those decisions. Sometimes, I think perhaps I rely too much on the advice of others, especially certain people in my life whose approval I seek moreso than others. It is also interesting to think back on decisions I've made, and even though in hind sight it seems like it wasn't the best choice, God has always taken care of me. He is amazing that way, so why does it still seem so hard to trust him when we get placed in these decision making situations over and over again? Sorry for such a heavy post, and I know I'm kind of rambling, but if anyone has any advice on making these huge, sometimes life changing decisions, I'd appreciate it.

Just wanted to post some pictures of Jacob for those out of towners who have been asking about them...sorry it has taken so long.

The Baby Belly

Lately, we've been trying to communicate to Jacob that there is another baby on the way that will be adding to our family. You always wonder at this age how much they understand. He really surprises me sometimes when I ask him to do something and he does exactly what I say, even though he couldn't repeat it to me. I've shown him my belly, and eluded that there is a baby in that belly. He sometimes now likes to help himself to see the baby belly, lifts up my shirt and says "hi". I then tell him to talk to the baby in my mommy's belly and he usually puts his face on my belly (as if he is kissing the baby). Then, he will cover my belly back up with my shirt and say "bye bye". I'm still not sure if he really gets it, but it is so fun to watch his reactions when we talk about it. I look forward to the day the brothers can meet face to face.