Meet Ira. 
Isn't he the sweetest?
He is our 3 month old pure delight of a little person. We are completely smitten with him and I think he quite likes us as well. I don’t really know where to start to tell you about him because there is so much to say but even though it has only been a few quick months we could not imagine our lives without him filling every moment.
He was born on January 23rd. It was a Saturday and I knew he was going to come that weekend. It was the day after our due date. I’ll save all the labour details for another post but it went just perfectly and wonderfully as far as giving birth to a baby is concerned and I’d do it again just for him and that feeling of him finally placed on my chest after so much hard work. Completely worth it. He was 6lbs 6ozs, 52.5cm long, with a head circumference of 34.5cm, in case you were wondering.
One thing you will learn about Ira if you spend any time with him is that he loves his milk. Loves it. Which means he is growing like crazy and was back at his birth weight only 5 days after he was born. By the time we left Canada he was 11lbs 14ozs and now at three months he is well above that. My arms are getting strong and everyone here in South Africa is always shocked at how big he is. I think my smallness probably makes him look bigger and often they say I have super milk haha which I like to think I do. It is amazing how a baby can be measurably bigger overnight after having a growth spurt. It always seems like his clothes fit him one day and then the day after they don’t fit at all. I can’t imagine what it must feel like for your body to grow so quickly. I love it. At first i was sad about how fast he grew because I love love love the feeling of holding a mini little newborn but now the more rolls he gets the more I love love love it and the chubbier his cheeks get the more kissable they seem. Needless to say he gets lots of kisses and he just soaks them right up. I hope he knows even a tiny bit of how loved he is.
This past week he had a wonder week (Look them up. Week 12=Ira this week) which means he had a big leap in development. All of a sudden he is opening and closing his hands and grabbing things way more than before and I feel like he is constantly saying, “Look mama I can intertwine my fingers together and shove them in my mouth!” He is also making much longer sounds when he talks to us and laughing enough to give himself the hiccups when Jason jumps around ridiculously. You think you can’t possibly love him anymore and he laughs a little harder than he did the day before and your heart explodes and you say. “Oh King Jesus, thank you for this incredible gift!”
As far as settling back in South Africa goes it was a bit of an adjustment. I don't necessarily recommend moving half way across the world with a two month old although it really went quite smoothly for us. Thankfully Ira is fairly content and relaxed and even though I think he did find all the change hard he settled quickly and seems normal now. Adjusting to the heat was a challenge for him as he is always warm and cosy so there have been quite a few times where it seems most people are bundled up and we have him stripped down to his nappie and he is still too hot. Soon it will be winter though and then all that baby fat and exposure to Canadian winter will be helpful. He has lots of nice fleecy clothes and cute hats to wear. We started back at work about a week and half after we arrived and Ira seems to enjoy our team meetings and ministry times. I love taking him with me and having him on my hip while praying and worshipping.
I could go on and on about him and his blue/grey eyes and how he always seemed to smile for more than just gas and how cute his chubby little toes are but he is waking up now and wants some of his beloved milk so I'll end here. I am going to try and start posting more considering that I stopped for so long. In the haze of travelling and preparing for/having a newborn I set blogging aside but I think its time to pick it back up again and keep all of you beautiful readers and supporters updated.
Happy Sunday!
