Haley Is 2 Months Old!

Hi,

Hope you are doing well! 

Guess what! I had another Baby Shower! One of our friends organized a Baby Shower for Haley at our church. Wow! She really knows how to throw a party! : ) When I entered the building, I thought someone is going to have their wedding reception there. It was absolutely beautiful! She took care of everything (food, drinks, games, etc.). 

All I had to do was to show up. : ) I was touched by all the work, energy, and resources she and all the other ladies put into it. Thank you so much for making Haley's arrival so special! We had tons of fun and will never forget how loved we felt. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

On the way to the airport

We said goodbye to my dad a few days ago as he left for Hungary. He had a very interesting trip back. If you would like to know more about it, feel free to ask him.

Both him and mom were great help keeping Amy entertained while Chris and I tried to do the same with Haley. : ) 

Amy liked to pretend that
she is a baby

Dad took Amy outside everyday (except when it was raining) and spent hours and hours at the park, playground, or our yard. She really enjoyed playing with grandpa. She learned many Hungarian nursery rhymes and songs, and started to speak in Hungarian. (Although she understands everything in Hungarian, she wasn't really speaking in Hungarian before.)

So it was great to have my parents here, and we are looking forward seeing them in a few months!

In Amy's new playhouse

As hard as it is to believe, Haley is 2 months old already! (Or as Chris puts it, "It's been 2 months since we slept.") :)

Amy and Haley are really different already. Amy has blue eyes, blonde hair, and fair skin. Haley has dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, and darker skin. Amy started to sleep through the night at 5 weeks, went to sleep by herself in her crib, and never really needed to be held (she preferred to be put down somewhere). Haley is just the opposite. She can't stand to be alone, or feel that she is alone. She needs to feel someone's body to be fine, and even then, she prefers standing to sitting, and prefers walking to standing in one place. Even if we think she is completely out, if we try to put her down, she wakes up and starts to scream. Amy was never bothered by her dirty diaper, and Haley cannot stand to be in her dirty diaper for even a minute.

It is so interesting how two sisters can be so different. But they love each other! Amy still wants to hold Haley all the time (and kiss her, love on her). She even sings to her when she cries, and Haley stopped crying several times when Amy sang to her.

We had to realize that something that worked with Amy, may not work with Haley. For example when Amy was a baby and was fussy in her crib, we just let her cry until she fell asleep. Sometimes it only took a few minutes, other times it took 30-40 minutes. But we didn't pick her up and soon she learned that "crying doesn't work," And we never had a problem with it later. 

So we tried this with Miss Haley, but she cries so hard that she makes her tummy upset and then throws up (which is extremely dangerous since she needs to sleep on her back and can choke). So that doesn't work with Haley.

Raising children is not an easy job, and we need lots of wisdom. We pray for our children daily, and ask for wisdom from God, to parent in a way that is pleasing to Him. The Bible has a lot to say about parenting, and we try to follow the instructions laid out in God's Word. It would be so good to be able to say that both of our girls will grow up to be followers of Christ. But that is not something I or anyone else can guarantee. It is their personal decision. But Chris and I have the responsibility to teach them about God, show Christ's love to them through our deeds and words, and explain to them that they need to make a decision either to trust God and believe in Him (in other words, accept Him as their personal Savior), or deny Him.

We are so thankful for our loving church family and for all those who teach our children how to know God and please Him. Wherever we go, Amy speaks so highly about our church and tells everyone how much she loves to go to church. Hope this never changes! : )

Have a wonderful day!

Sleep? What Is That Again? : )

Hi there, 

Having a newborn is always fun. I believe it shows you how awesomely God created men. I haven't slept more than 4 hours at once (and even that only a couple of times) since Haley was born, and I am still alive. May not be sane any more, but am alive. :D And some would argue I was never sane, so I can't really blame it on little sleep. : ) 

But seriously, I don't know what I would do without Chris! He is a HUGE help! I am so thankful for him.

Haley is not the best sleeper, but she is definitely getting better at it! So instead of 30+ times a day, I only feed her about 20 times a day (these are at least 10-minute long feedings).

Amy LOVES Haley and wants to hold her, kiss her, love on her all the time. She thinks Haley is the cutest thing on planet Earth. She cannot wait for Haley to be able to talk and play with her. : )

Mom left a week ago and dad came a couple of days later. We are so grateful for both of them! They are tremendous help! We are truly blessed with great parents. And not just parents, but a church family as well! I cannot tell you how many of them offered help "if we need anything" (and they truly mean it!). They keep us in their prayers, provided meals for us, brought us presents, came by to make sure we are doing well, and are just so thoughtful, caring, and loving. We even received a huge playhouse and a cozy coupe car from one of the families at church. While we don't deserve the love we get, we are humbled by it and are so grateful for it! It is a wonderful feeling to be shown Christ's love!

Great news! We were able to buy our tickets to Hungary! We are leaving in the middle of March and coming back in the middle of May. So we will be "home" for 8 whole weeks! We are super excited to be able to see friends and family during our visit. 

More pictures:

Share In Our Joy (Part 2)

Haley Amelia James was born (two weeks early)!

Date: August 16, 2014
Time: 4:57 am
Weight: 6 lbs
Length: 19 and a half inches
Cuteness: Off the charts...

She has brown hair and dark eyes. She is absolutely adorable and we cannot get enough of her.
We were discharged from the hospital a little over 48 hours after her birth, since both Haley and I were doing very good.

By God's grace I had the chance to give birth to Haley, so finally I can say that I gave birth! :) (Amy was born with an emergency C-section.)

Here are some pictures of our new bundle of joy:

A few hours after birth

With Amy and mama (day of birth)

With Néni (day of birth)

With daddy

 All the women in the family

With Big Sister

Share In Our Joy (Part 1)

Dear family and friends,

Hope you are doing well!

This month was without a doubt one of the most exciting months we'e ever had! So much has happened. Let us share with you the highlights of these past few weeks. 

Becky and David moved to South Carolina

We really enjoyed living close to Becky, Chris' sister and her husband, David. But the time came for them to start a new chapter in their lives as David started Seminary at Columbia International University. It was hard to say goodbye, but we are also really excited for them. We look forward to see what God has in store for them. 

Paul and Jill Weaver came to visit

I'm afraid we don't have proof in form of a picture, so you just have to believe me. :) 

Paul and Jill are Word of Life missionaries serving in Hungary. They were on furlough (raising support) this summer, and since our church is one of their supporters, they came to visit and "update" us on what's going on in Hungary. You can read more about them and their ministry by clicking here. If you are interested in supporting them, please don't hesitate to contact them.

We were so happy to be able to see them again and to catch up. 

Baby Shower 

I had a surprise Baby Shower! Amy and I were invited to a Pool Party at one of our church member's place, and when we arrived it turned out to be Haley's Baby Shower! Boy, was I surprised! I was always hoping to have one (we don't have Baby Showers in Hungary), but never thought I would. 

(I learned about Baby Showers at Word of Life, and since we had Americans there, they wanted to organize one for me, but since Amy came 4 weeks early, we had to cancel the shower. So I never had one with Amy.)

I loved the shower and felt so loved! It is a very humbling but beautiful feeling!

Indianapolis Children's Museum

Finally we had the chance to visit the world's largest children's museum. I must say, I had higher expectations, but it was very interesting nonetheless. We spent 3 hours there and were able to look at many different things. 

Mom is here!

My mom finally arrived! She's been a tremendous help to us and we are so thankful for her. She celebrated her birthday here in the States for the very first time. We took her mini-golfing and she did great! We had a good time.

And now about the greatest news of all... (check out our next post)

So This Is What a Pregnancy Is Like... :D

Hi there,

This may be my last post before Miss Haley is born! So exciting! Since I prefer not to make her arrival (or my pregnancy) "facebook official," I will ask Chris to keep y'all updated through this blog. So hopefully he will be able to let you know when we are headed to the hospital and when Miss Haley is born. But most likely I will be able to post one more before she arrives. :)

32 weeks pregnant with Amy

I had an appointment with my OB/GYN last week, and according to the ultrasound Haley is over 4 pounds already (more than Amy was when she was born). She is still very active. Chris, Amy, and I cannot wait for her to arrive! I must say, pregnancies are NOT the same. : ) With Amy, I had technically no belly as you can see on this picture. With Haley, I feel like I swallowed a huge watermelon and forgot to chew... I slept on my belly all the way through my pregnancy with Amy, and I can barely sleep (in any position) with Haley. :) I even use a body pillow to help, but I can rarely find a position that would work. With Amy, I never had problem getting up from a chair or the bed, and now it takes minutes to be able to stand up. : ) 

32 weeks pregnant with Haley

I am so thankful I don't have to tie my shoes (and can use flip flops instead), because I am not sure I would be able to bend down anymore. In any case, I am pretty sure this time I experience more of what it really means to be pregnant than I did with Amy. : ) I still love being pregnant, but I have a much better understanding of what pregnant women mean by "not always comfortable." : )

We would like to thank you all, who already bought gifts to Haley (and ultimately us)! We really appreciate your generosity! In case you are interested, here are the links to our baby registries:

our walmart baby registry

our amazon baby registry

Amy with her friend, Christina

Our big girl, Amy, started to read and can write most letters! She got interested in sounding out words about a month ago and since then she tries to read everything and anything she can. Since we walk quite a lot, she has the opportunity to see many signs and words written everywhere. So as I push her in the stroller, I hear her say, "Look mommy, this spells ____." We are really impressed by how fast she is improving! I really hope she will always be this eager to learn new things (she is a lot like her daddy!). We love her more than words can describe! She has such a big heart.

Share in our joy: My parents are coming to visit us! Okay, Haley has something to do with it, too. : ) My mom will arrive in less than a month and will help prepare the house for Haley's arrival. Depending on when she is born, mom will be able to spend a week or two with her before she heads back home. Then it's time for my dad to come. : ) (Because my grandma lives with my parents, they felt it's best if they don't leave her alone in Hungary for a month, so my parents will come at different times.) So mom should be here for the birth, and dad should be here for the month after Haley is born. They are going to be great helps, especially entertaining Amy during this busy period. Really looking forward having them! 

This year's VBS poster

We have VBS (Vacation Bible School) at our church this week and I have the privilege of teaching the kids on Thursday. Please pray that they would all understand that they are sinners (have done things that are bad), and that Jesus, the Son of God, died for their sins and rose from the dead. Pray that they understand that they need a Savior, and that the only One who can save them is Jesus. All they need to do is put their faith in Him as their personal Savior, who died for their sins and rose from the dead and is alive today. This is the most important message they will ever hear. The decision is theirs, but I want to make sure that I present the Gospel clearly.

Have a wonderful week!

Enjoying the Weather

Hi there,

I am in my third (and LAST) trimester! : ) This means I get to visit my OB/GYN every other week now. It is always nice to hear the baby's heartbeat and to know that she is okay. 2 and a half (or less) months to go!

Since I named Amy, it was Chris' turn to choose a name for our baby girl. So we are proud to announce that our little one is going to be Haley (we still need to decide on a middle name) James. Haley is a very active baby; sometimes it is hard to convince me that she is alone in there. :) I am very thankful babies can't "kick" a hole through their mommy's belly, because she is sure trying hard. :) 

Another craft Amy and I did
(You can see the other one in our
previous post)

In case you are interested, here are the links to our baby registries:

our walmart baby registry

our amazon baby registry

Amy and I still walk a lot (22-28 miles a week), and Amy started to really walk with me! (Normally she is in her stroller.) She can walk half a mile without any trouble. I love spending time with her this way and so far we enjoyed the weather, too. Our public library has a huge room for kids, and there are lots of educational toys, so we go there at least once a week to play. She made some friends there, and I love seeing her play with other kids.

Chris and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary in May. Karen watched Amy so Chris and I could go on a date. We had a great time!

So much has happened since we got married. We lived in 4 houses so far (in 2 countries), had Amy, and now anticipating Haley's arrival. We are very thankful for all the blessings! Looking forward to the next 4 years!

A few weeks ago Amy had her first sleepover at her grandparents' house. It was the very first time Amy and I were away from each other for the night. She had a great time at Karen and Dave's house, and is looking forward to sleeping there again!  It was weird to wake up on our own without Amy waking us up. : ) 

Big Smile :)

Chris has been working from home since the middle of January and so far he had plenty of jobs. We are very thankful that he can work from home! Please pray that he will continue to have enough work to support our growing family. : ) I am very thankful for a hard working husband and for the luxury of me being able to stay home with Amy (and soon Haley). I know this is a privilege and treat it as such!

We would love to hear from you! Our e-mail address is chrislilijames@gmail.com. You can write us anytime!

Have a wonderful week!

Our Little Princess

Hi there,

This past month we spent most of our time outside. We love our swing and Amy's swing set and use it daily. It is so nice that we can finally walk to places and don't need to use the car all the time. I love walking and missed it so much. I didn't think I will need the stroller once Amy turned 1, but after 2 years, we started to use it again. : ) Since we try to walk everywhere we go, it would be way too much for Amy and she enjoys the ride in her stroller. She sings and talks during our walks and waves at almost everyone. I love listening to her and spending some time with her this way.

She can write her name all by herself

I recently started to do various crafts with her (should have done that a long time ago), and she loves them! I try to come up with different ideas to spend quality time with her before Baby #2 comes. We went to a Barnes and Noble's children event this past Saturday and she seemed to enjoy it a lot. Every Saturday the bookstore has "storytime" for preschoolers and then they do a craft. I am planning on going weekly, and hopefully we will make new friends there. There's also another (similar) program for her age at the public library, here in Terre Haute starting next month. Hopefully we can attend those, too.

I love this idea!
Amy's hands and feet
in a shape of a flower.

We love to see how Amy is growing and maturing. She is such a sweetheart! She "reads" stories to her baby sister (holding an imaginary book and making up the story as she goes). She is getting very good at making up stories, I am impressed!

The other day as I put the playard together to see where the baby's bed would fit, she went to the playard and said, "there is a whole!" I went to see what she means and asked where the whole was. She replied, "There is a whole... The baby is missing!" I love her so much! : )

She has a great heart and says the funniest things sometimes. She reminds me of the stories I heard about Chris, when he was her age. : )

Amy loves the fact that daddy is home all the time and that she can play with daddy so much. They are so sweet together.

We eagerly await Baby #2's arrival (in about three and a half months)! All prayers are greatly appreciated! :)

Have a wonderful month!

Another Month Full of Blessings!

Hi there,

Wow, what a month! Amy and I had a privilege to visit some friends in Illinois who just had two baby goats. (They have other animals, too.) Amy loved it so much! I am sure she would love to live on a farm. Maybe one day... : )

By the way, Chris and Amy talk about animals every night. So Amy knows more about some animals than I do. : ) It is pretty fun to learn new things from your 3-year-old! : )

Amy wrote "hi" for the first time.

Amy started to write some words, "Hi," "Amy," etc. And she is getting better and better at reading basic words. We are so proud of her! I love that she enjoys learning so much.

I started to almost only speak to her in Hungarian, and when she doesn't understand what I am saying, she looks at me with a puzzled face and says, "English, please." : ) Then once she knows what I said she asks me to say it in Hungarian until she can pronounce it right. So cute! : )

Amy and I spent 2-3 hours outside (mostly walking) every time we had nice weather. Love that we can finally do that! (By the way, it was SNOWING on April 14th and below freezing on April 15th.) We got a swing for our back porch, and a swing set Amy can use. This way we can spend most of the day outside (me sitting on the swing and Amy playing on her swing set.) We just got them a few days ago but used them for hours each day already. : ) The swing is so comfortable! I am really happy we got it.

Best news last: we are expecting our second baby! I am due August 31st. We are thrilled to be blessed with a new life and cannot wait to meet her in 4 and a half months! (NOTE: I would prefer this not to be on facebook in any form, so please don't comment on our wall or share this information there. Thank you for understanding!)

Amy enjoys to feel the baby kick and wants me to feel "her baby" kick as well. : ) She is adorable! I am sure she will be an awesome big sister.

We are so excited!!! : )

In case you are interested, we are registered at Walmart and Amazon as well. (If you click on Walmart or Amazon, it should take you to our registry automatically.) 

Here are some pictures of our family:

Our beautiful daughter

Yup, she is that tall!

All 4 of us :)

Winter Is Almost Over

Hi there,

Amy's first time painting

We were able to go to the park several times last week. Amy was super excited to finally swing and slide again. We enjoyed going for short walks in the park and playing with Amy outside. Cannot wait for spring to come!

Amy speaks more and more Hungarian every day! It is fun to listen to her Hunglish. : ) So far it was Chris I turned to when I forgot a Hungarian word, but now I just ask Amy and she helps me out every time. Yup... and she is only 3!!!

Our curly haired baby

She loves to dress up as a princess, but she also loves to build towers and bird houses with blocks and "play ball" as she would say. She we haven't decided if she will be a girly girl or not. : ) Either way, she is extremely cute and sweet! : )

Chris is done with translating the book and already has different jobs lined up. Thank you for your prayers, God surely blessed us with several work projects. I am very proud of him and how he manages his time.

We still enjoy having Chris home all the time. :) Amy is thrilled to be able to talk to daddy whenever she wants to. I love to see their relationship strengthen.

Not long ago I mentioned to my parents how much I would love to have a specific Bible. A week ago we got mail and the Bible was one thing in it. I cannot tell you how happy it made me! It is the New Inductive Study Bible and I highly recommend it! I am so excited about it! Click here for a little information on the Bible.

We always like to hear from you. E-mail us with your updates!

God bless!