Hustle and Bustle

At Kendall's parents' house, Eden has a toy music table. If you press a button on that table, you'll hear a fun little ditty that goes, "Busy, busy, busy, busy; there's so much to do." I think that could be our theme song.

Eden is now into everything. If she can reach it, she grabs it. If she can open it, it's open. If she can pull it out, off, or down, then we just hope it isn't breakable or dangerous. She's even starting to become fairly adept at climbing - Lord help us.

I know it's been longer than normal since our last post, but we've been ... well, busy.

After Halloween, Kendall, Eden and I geared up for the next holiday adventure. This year for Thanksgiving, we were blessed to be able to go on an eight-day cruise with Kendall's mom, dad and grandpa. We all packed into our Tahoe and headed to Ft. Lauderdale, where we boarded the Carnival Freedom and set off for Cozumel, Mexico; Limon, Costa Rica; and Colon, Panama.

We had a wonderful time the entire trip. OK, almost the entire trip. If you ever have a choice between getting off a cruise ship at Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale and sticking a burning needle in your eye, suck it up and go for the needle. Leaving that port was the most chaotic, uncivil, blood-pressure-raising thing I think I have ever experienced. Just trust me, it's awful.

Thankfully, that was the only negative thing that happened on our cruise. We all had a lot of fun together, ate some great food, and laughed at how unfunny the comedians on the boat were. In Cozumel, we pretty much just hit the shops in port, tried on funny hats and ate at a good Mexican restaurant called Pancho's.

In Costa Rica we took a tour of a banana plantation and went on boat tour through the rainforest. However, I personally thought that our stop in Panama on Thanksgiving Day was the highlight of the trip. After a bus ride from the Atlantic side of the country over to Panama City on the Pacific, we took a boat tour through the Panama Canal. After going through the first set of locks, Tom, Grandpa and I marked the occasion with a commemorative Panama beer.

I was a little sad that we weren't able to be with my mom on her birthday this year or celebrate Thanksgiving with everyone on my side, but the trip was a wonderful once-in-a-lifetime experience. As my mom would say, "You have to grab those memories when you can."

After we got back from the cruise, we were barely unpacked before it was time to turn around and drive up to North Carolina with my mom and dad for my cousin Travis's wedding. Travis, who is eight months older than me, is stationed at Ft. Bragg. My cousin Cody is a chaplain in the Army, so he officiated the ceremony. The service was beautiful and we had a lot of fun at the reception. It was great to have a chance to catch up with aunts, uncles and cousins while we were there, and Travis and his bride, Shannon, looked like they couldn't be happier. Congratulations to you both!

Through all these travels, Eden did remarkably well. She hardly fussed at all during the four-hour drives to and from Ft. Lauderdale or the nine-hour drives up and back from Fayetteville. Of course, she had grandparents sitting back there to giggle with on both trips, so she made the most of her opportunities to ham it up. Henry also went with us on our trip to North Carolina, and he was a good boy too.

Speaking of going to North Carolina, I've also gotten a job since our last blog post. In August of next year, I will start as an assistant professor of journalism at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Kendall and I feel very blessed. Of the dozen or so schools that I applied to this year, UNCW was on the top of our list. I think the job will be a good fit, and we are really excited about living on the coast. Everyone I've spoken with who has been to Wilmington loves it, and many have commented that it is a great place to raise a family. God truly does know the plans he has for us.

Kendall continues to plug along at work despite equipment failures and personnel shortages. She also continues to be a stellar wife and mother. Don't ask me how, but somehow she manages to juggle it all.

From all of us at the Neely home, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

A 'Hoppy' Halloween

Eden's 1st Halloween!

Family photo

Getting ready to trick-or-treat!

Do you have any peanut butter cups?

Eden's 'Scary face!'

Pumpkin butt

A happy bunny!

Patience and pitter-patter

Not long ago, a friend and mentor shared a wonderfully witty modification of a common adage. She said, "Patience is a virtue. It's just not one of mine." I can relate.

I don't know where I fall on the spectrum, but I have to be improving. At least, I hope I'm improving and not just retrodding over the same well-worn ruts of worry and anxiousness. Some days are better than others, I suppose.

The last couple of months I have had a lot of "learning opportunities" as I wait on word from prospective employers. Kendall and I both continue to learn how to embrace uncertainty as I make my way through the job hunt. There's been some progress and some prospects, but still we wait.

Taken 10/28/10

Meanwhile, the thought of waiting seems to be the last thing on Eden's mind. She is walking all over the place and can't seem to get where she wants to go fast enough. Her technique is simple but effective - lead with her head and pitter-patter her feet as fast as possible to stay upright. Sometimes she flops forward and falls on her hands, other times she gets a little too much weight in the back end and plops on her bottom. But for the most part, she's staying on her feet and on the go, go, go!

This weekend we'll be heading back down to Tampa to visit family, and Eden will be dressing up as a bunny for her first Halloween. We will post pictures, I promise. Kendall and I did a little dress rehearsal the other day and couldn't stop smiling and chuckling at how cute she was!

Eden has also been doing a few other things that have been keeping us in stitches. One of them is when she makes flubberdub noises (is there a technical term here?) with her mouth while she's crying. Check out the video below to see what I mean. She did this after dinner the other night. Maybe this is the new signal for, "I'm full. Please get me the heck out of this chair."



Kendall continues to plug away at work. She gets to an all-expense-paid daytrip to Alabama next week, so I'll get to take care of the baby on my own that evening. I'm just hoping I can keep her distracted from the fact that Mommy isn't there because if she figures out what's going on, she will not be happy. She is a BIG fan of Mommy.

Anyway, that's the news for now. We'll keep you posted.

Little Travels

So, I just celebrated my 33rd birthday. Spring has long passed for this chicken. But life has definitely been good to me so far. I have a beautiful wife and daughter, loving parents and family to enjoy, I'm nearing that point when I can slap that bumper sticker on the car that says "Ph.inally D.one," and I know God has great plans in store for us. What those plans are, I have no idea. But I'm looking forward to see what He does.

In the midst of life's busyness, Kendall and I managed to be able to get out of town for a few days to Key West to celebrate our fourth anniversary. It was our first time down there and we had a great time. We did the Hemingway House, Truman's Little White House, sunset at Mallory Square, a trolley tour around the island, breakfast at Blue Heaven, a nice steak dinner at Michael's, key lime pie, saw mile marker zero for U.S. 1, and got our token photo at the southernmost point of the continental U.S.

It was also the first time that we left Eden with the grandparents for the weekend. It was a little odd being without her for those few days, but when we got back both Kendall's parents and mine said everything went fine. I think they enjoyed having her and it was nice for us to have a little time for just the two of us.

This past weekend we went down to Tampa for Eden's baby dedication at church. For anyone unfamiliar with this tradition, it is basically where parents stand in front of the church with their children and commit to raising them according to Christian principles, pray for them, and try to point them toward Christ. In turn, the congregation commits to support the parents and partner with them to help the children find God's plan for their own lives.

We dedicated Eden at The Crossing church in Tampa where Kendall and I met and where her parents still attend. So, it was a little unusual for us because we don't feel as connected there as we did when we lived down there. However, we also haven't been able to really get connected to a church here in Gainesville. We go regularly to First Assembly of Gainesville when we're in town, but I can't really say that it's our church home.

However, because we wanted to make a public declaration of our commitment to raise Eden according to God's will, we decided The Crossing was the best place to do it. They were very kind and accommodating to let us participate in the dedication service even though we're not regular attenders anymore. It was a nice service and I definitely felt like we were doing what we needed to do as we stood there before the members of the church.

We were also very blessed in that our family members were able to be there and support us in the event. My mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, and niece, as well as Kendall's mom, dad, and grandpa all made it to the service. After the dedication, Kendall's parents hosted a nice brunch at their home, which everyone was able to attend. My parents also had everyone over the day before, so we were able to spend a lot of good time with family this weekend.

Eden continues to grow like a weed. She is crawling around faster than greased lightning. She's laughing a lot, playing peek-a-boo, giving high fives, waving, and clapping. And-- drumroll--this Sunday she took her first steps! Eden is still a ways from walking, but she's well on her way. Now, if we can just get some of this stuff on video.

That's the news for now. We'll keep you posted.

Seasons

Have you ever had that feeling when you walked outside one morning, or perhaps on your way to the office, that it was the first day you could smell the new season? Am I the only one? It's that slight change in the air that hits your olfactory receptors and says, "Fall is just around the corner."

I think I caught a whiff of it the other day. I know, I know, all my fellow Floridians are at this moment insisting that I have certifiably lost my mind. Let me clarify. It's not that we aren't still consumed in a stagnant, oppressive, tangible sauna of heat, but I think maybe, just maybe, I smelled that smell that tells you things are changing. A new season is on its way.

Then again, maybe it was all just in my mind because school started back this week for the fall semester and with that comes the whole back-to-school buzz about campus.

Whatever the case, in the more metaphorical sense, I think I've been able to sense that same pending change in the life of the Neely family most recently. There's a lot on the horizon that remains uncertain, and we've been managing that uncertainty for a while now, but something seems different.

Changes are happening fast for our family. Kendall and I talk daily about life plans, job prospects, relocation preferences, etc. Through it all, we know that God has a plan and He is control. And while it is a daily challenge to put that head knowledge into heart knowledge, there is something very exciting about knowing that a new season is around the corner.

Still, the place I can see beauty of a new season the most is in the life of our daughter. She has really started expressing her personality. It's as if she opened a door and found a new piece of who she is.

Even in the last few days, I have seen how much she is starting to enjoy life. A couple of days ago she started to clap her hands, she has discovered the glorious fun of rolling about on the floor, she's babbling and laughing a lot (especially when she gets excited to go after a toy, the dog, or the laptop), and she continues to let us know in no uncertain terms when she disapproves of the dinner menu.

When I drop Eden off at daycare, sometimes I linger as I leave to watch her through the window in the door. There is something very rewarding about seeing her crawling around, playing with her little baby friends and finding her toys of preference.

Jesus said to come to Him we must be as little children. I believe when we look at kids we see the reflection of Him, and as we love and care for our children we express love toward Him. There is something pure, something essential about a child.

And so, as I look at our daughter and the changes she is going through, I am reminded that just as we delight in her growing into each new stage, God delights in bringing us through each season in our life and the growth that comes with it.

That's the news for now. We'll keep you posted.

Sugar, Spice, and Spunk!

Today Eden turned 7 months old. Seven months... I can't believe it. I know this feeling will only get more pronounced as she gets older, but I just feel like it was just yesterday when we brought her home from the hospital.

Now, she's pulling up on everything in sight, crawling anywhere she wants to go, eating all sorts of foods, making it clear which ones she likes and which ones she doesn't, and working on four teeth coming in!

She's also really started to express her personality-- and she is spunky. I believe she's going to be a climber. She seems to be a pretty tough little girl too. She doesn't seem too fazed by the bumps, bangs, and bonks that accompany a crawler exploring her world. And speaking of banging, she beats on everything she gets her hands on-- and hard! I mean, she really gives her toys and our table tops the what for!

But when she's sleepy, she wants her Mommy, or sometimes she'll agree to snuggle with Daddy while she sucks her fingers. Actually, last night at the dinner table all it took was a good filling of cereal and fruit mix and she fell asleep right in her high chair.

Things are otherwise plugging along in the Neely household. That's the news for now. We'll keep you posted.

Pretty as a Picture

Here are some pictures from Eden's first professional photo shoot at six months old. She did pretty well considering three wardrobe changes!

Leaps & Bounds

It has been a week of milestones and setbacks. This past weekend we traveled to Tampa to visit family for the Fourth of July. While we were there, Eden decided she would show off and pull herself up to standing for the very first time. And this after just last week when she decided to sit up and start crawling. I'm telling you, this little girl is ready to go, go, go!

When we got home, we noticed that her first tooth is also starting to come in. T-bone steaks, here we come! For the time being, I've posted a short video clip below of Eden getting her first taste of bananas. Kendall fed them to her while we were down this weekend.

Ok, so that's the good news. The bad news is that the amoxicillin that Eden was taking to fight off the ear infections in both ears gave her a delayed allergic reaction. When I went to pick her up from daycare yesterday, our fair-skinned little girl had turned into a red bumpy baby covered head to toe with a rash.

I took her to the pediatrician this morning and they said it is not a terribly uncommon reaction to the amoxicillin. Since her ear infections haven't cleared up yet, they put her on Cefprozil, another antibiotic that is another variation of a penicillin derivative. They also gave her some probiotics to clear up some of the other less mentionable digestive side effects of the antibiotics.

All in all, things are good in the Neely household. I've been trying to beef up my Web presence in preparation for the job search this year. I updated some stuff on LinkedIn and Twitter (ufjeff) and am trying to generally get a little more e-socially connected.

In that vein, I thought I'd also shamelessly self-promote my Web page in case any of you want to check it out. It's www.jeffreyneely.com. It's still in progress. I need to update and change a few things, but it's off to a decent start.

Kendall is doing well. She also continues to fight off the lingering crud of back-to-back colds. She seems to be on the mend now, so that's good.

That's the news for now. We'll keep you posted.