Video of Faith's Big day!!!

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Check out the post below for the details from this exciting moment!!!

Steps of Faith...

Less than a week shy of turning 15 months old, Faith took her first steps. Now, I must confess that I have been breaking the #1 “mommy rule”. Don't compare your child to others. I ignored this piece of wisdom and have been comparing her to other kids (her age and younger) and began to worry because she wasn’t walking yet and all of them were. I kept reminding myself about the development norms and that there is an age RANGE that kids acquire certain skills. However, most of these kiddos were WAY younger than Faith (in baby development that is, I know in a few years 6 months seems like nothing but right now those little 10 month olds seem light years younger than Faith). Anyway, the Dr. had said she was fine, she passed her check-up and I was told to give her 3-4 more months before being concerned. The worry did ease up but I couldn’t help wondering if she was ever going to walk. She seemed TOTALLY happy scooting and had NO INTEREST in walking (except while cruising around a table or with a push-toy). Murray and I had tried to “help” her learn but she was NOT interested in taking Walking 101 with Mommy and Daddy!!!

Well.....out of the blue......

Yesterday, Faith and I spent the day with our friend, Ramona and her 2 children, Gillian and George. (Ramona is on bed rest for about 6-8 weeks so we went to offer our help in any way we could.) Her son, George, is exactly 6 months older than Faith. She and George were playing together like 2 peas in a pod. It seriously was the cutest thing EVER!! (That’s another blog post). Ramona and I kept saying how cute they were, how surprised we were by the way they were interacting, etc. It really was so fun to watch. After about an hour of playing, I got up to wash some dishes. Ramona’s kitchen has a cut out in the wall where you can look into the next room while standing at the kitchen sink. I wasn’t paying much attention to the kids as they were playing nicely. Ramona and I were talking (she was on the couch in the same room as the kids). All of the sudden, I noticed Faith’s little arms moving around as if to help her keep her balance and I saw her move several steps from where she was….I couldn’t see her feet, just her body from the waist up…but it was obvious she wasn’t scooting over to George. I screamed….”I think she just started walking!!!” Ramona said, “I think you’re right!” I ran in and hugged her and tried to recreate the moment so I could see her whole body take those amazing steps, but Faith wasn’t that interested. A few minutes later, Faith was sitting in a little rocking chair; she stood straight up, raised her arms above her head and took about 5 steps forward. It was THE CUTEST thing EVER!!! I was so delighted and excited. What a joy to watch this unfold. I really was in disbelief for I convinced myself it wasn’t going to happen (without some major work from Murray and me “teaching” her how to do this).

Murray happened to call a few minutes later and I told him the GREAT NEWS!! He was SO EXCITED…he decided to come over to Ramona’s and see this for himself (I’m SO GLAD he did!!). After Murray arrived, Faith was ready to show off her stuff again. This time she walked about 6-7 steps. (This is what the video shows). It was such a special moment! We both were BEAMING…to put it mildly!!!

Later that evening, I was retelling this story to someone and they said, “Just wait, you’ll regret that she’s walking as soon as she starts getting into everything now.” I quickly answered with full confidence, “I don’t think so. We’ve waited such a long time to see this happen that I truly am excited to follow her around and watch her walk. I can’t wait for her to walk even more!” I honestly believe that. This is such a gift to us….why would I resent this incredible ability?!?!?! I’m finding that the more you wait for things, the easier it is to appreciate them. OK—enough of the “life lessons” I just wanted to share our great news (and warn you NOT to tell me I’ll soon regret this phase of Faith’s development J ). I’m happy as a lark to have a little toddling girl to follow around!!

P.S. These steps couldn't have come at a better time. Now that the weather is getting warmer, we've been spending a lot of time outside. Here is a picture of what Faith's jeans and onesie looked like after playing today.... the scooting sure does a number on her clothes. Looks like she's gonna be a "leftie!!"

This is only the second time she's worn these jeans!!

I couldn't resist this picture either... Faith's first time to sit at a "big girl" table and eat lunch off of a plate. She's asking for "more". This is her buddy, George, who I think inspired those first steps!! Doesn't she look like such a big girl????

And He or She shall be named.....

Thanks so much for all your suggestions. It was SO FUN to read them. Several of them had us close to reconsidering our original choices....but maybe we'll save those for future Sanderson children. That is, if the Lord chooses to bless us with more kiddos in the future :)

Without further ado, here are the names we've picked out for Baby Sanderson #2...

Lincoln Burkhalter Sanderson

Elizabeth Mae Sanderson

Names carry A LOT of significance and importance in life, thus, we feel like our children's names should reflect significant meaning so allow us to explain how we came to select these names....

Lincoln, "Linc": Murray proposed to me just after midnight on November 15, 2003 at the Lincoln Memorial. We also admire the character and faith of President Lincoln.

Burkhalter: Family is extremely important to us. Murray's mom's maiden name is Burkhalter. Granddad Burkhalter died when Murray was just a year old, but his legacy of faith was passed on through actions such as the founding of a health clinic for the poor (he was a pediatrician), helping to plant a church(White Station Church of Christ in Memphis), and starting a Christian school (Memphis Harding Academy). His Grandmother Burkhalter played a significant role in his childhood and beyond through her Christian example, generosity and zest for life.

Elizabeth "Ellie": We LOVE the Bible. Elizabeth was a woman of great faith and also the aunt of Jesus. We admire her character greatly and especially love the verse found in Luke 1:5, "Zachariah's wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth. Together they lived honorably before God, careful in keeping to the ways of the commandments and enjoying a clear conscience before God."

Mae: Murray's mother, a woman who seeks after God with great endurance, and his Great-Grandmother have Mae as a middle name. We'd love to pass it along to our sweet baby girl.

So there you have it. Now you can put a name with the prayers you offer on behalf of this little one!!

Just for Fun....

Before we reveal the names we've selected for Baby Sanderson #2, we were inspired by 2 of our friends (both are named Kelly) to try a little experiment...

Our friend Kelli B. LOVES naming babies (I do too!) she's so fun to talk to about baby names so this post is especially for her (and all the other people who LOVE to talk baby names just for fun!). Our other friend, Kelly V., actually gave us the idea. She and her family live in Benin, West Africa where it is customary for new parents to select someone to name their baby for them. The chosen person(s) waits until a special ceremony (I think it's held a month after the baby is born) to reveal the name of the baby to the parents. Now, I wouldn't be brave enough to do this for real....or really want to, because coming up with a name is one of my favorite parts of having a baby!!

But FOR FUN, we thought it'd be interesting to let our blogging friends share the names that they think would fit our new little babe best. We'll reveal the names we've already selected in a few days. The only "rule" is that you can only select 1 girl name and 1 boy name....please don't list a bazillion options. Narrow it down to the one you would absolutely choose if we selected you to be in charge of naming our baby boy or girl!! You can do first and middle name or just first.....

Can't wait to hear what you come up with!

Nana's coming!!!

Sorry for the hiatus...there hasn't been much "blogworthy" news to share (I should get my friend, Ramona to make us another yummy meal :)

Faith has added some new "skills" that are too adorable for words! She can:

1) Climb DOWN the stairs now...all by herself. It's so cute to see her scoot to the edge and then flip over and go down on her tummy.

2) She signs "more" with great accuracy.

3) She can point to her nose (she's about 60% with actually hitting her nose but she always points somewhere on her face which is just adorable.

4) She gives Mommy and Daddy a hug now...when all we say is "Mommy (or Daddy) needs a BIG hug", she'll do it. It melts our hearts every time!

5) She blows kisses. She started this on her own yesterday in the checkout line at the grocery store. The cashier was being so sweet to her and she just started blowing kisses at her.

She is the cutest thing ever....how will we ever be able to love another baby as much as we love her?!?!? Everyone assures us that it'll happen so naturally and I am COMPLETELY CONFIDENT it will but it's just hard to imagine loving another little one too! My heart is bursting with so much love already!!! Can't wait to experience this times 2!!!

In other "news"....Nana is coming!!! We pick her up at the airport TODAY!! She'll be here with us all week. To say she delights in Faith is an complete understatement. We can hardly wait to watch Faith show off her new skills and see Nana's reaction as her sweet, precious (and only) granddaughter melts her heart!!

Can you believe it's March already!! Enjoy the new month....and Happy Birthday, Jenni T. and Nora C.!!!