Seven Months.

Well, I'm just a few days late on writing Margot's seven month update, and in the summer-Bar-exam-madness, I never even wrote a six month one. Oopsies! Sorry, Margot.

A lot has happened since her five month update. One of the most exciting things is that she has two teeth now! It's pretty much impossible to catch them on camera. The two on bottom started coming in a couple weeks ago, and we think she may be working on a couple more on top. Once in a while the poor girl just lets out a wail and puts her hands to her mouth as if there's a sudden wave of pain. Most of her seven-month pictures reflect this. :(

We are still doing a combination of nursing and giving her formula, and now she's eating solids, too. Just before she turned six months old, she went through a huge growth spurt and my body just couldn't keep up. I tried every recommended thing to give it a boost, but it simply wasn't enough. She is doing really well on the breastmilk/formula combo, and growing like crazy. The transition was not so bad, despite a little constipation off and on. I still nurse her as much as I can, and she does well switching between the two. She LOVES eating purees now. The only things she does not seem to like so far are broccoli and peaches. I think the peaches were just too tart, and who could blame her on the broccoli?!


She has experienced many "firsts" in the last couple months, many first foods, first trips to new places, first time having both parents at home, and neither of which are studying for anything! We also had a first in our marriage, first time purchasing a car! We are the proud owners of a Toyota Prius V, and we couldn't be more excited. Since we are not studying and not bound by a small, impractical car, we have a few road trips in our future. The first trip will have to be to see Papa Mo and GranNan down in Anna for a weekend, another first for MJ!


She rolls all over the place. She is trying hard to Army crawl, and she can kind of do it when she gets her head involved. It's a strange sight. She can sit up unsupported, but only if you help her get there. She's not yet able to pull herself up from laying to sitting, but she's getting close! She still loves to be outside and go on walks. She loves being in the Ergo carrier or in her stroller, it really doesn't matter as long as she is outside!


Today we took her to the Saint Louis Zoo for the first time. We all enjoyed one more family day before Daddy starts work full-time tomorrow.

It had been quite a while since Kyle and I had visited the zoo, and there were many new attractions. The Sea Lion show was great! Kyle and I couldn't help but grin throughout the show at the sweet, playful creatures. Margot didn't really get it, but that's okay.


Margot's favorite part was the butterfly house. She was mesmerized by the magical, fluttering creatures, the brightly colored flowers, and the peaceful atmosphere. Mommy was, too.


It was really a wonderful day with our sweet, happy, seven-month-old girl! I can't believe how big she is, how much she's changing, and much more we love her every day.  You are a joy and a blessing, sweet Margot Jane. Mommy and Daddy love you so, so much!

Great is Thy Faithfulness

As Kyle held me and kissed me goodbye to leave for Jefferson City, MO to take the Bar exam, he expressed his love and gratitude for my support, helping him through law school, etc. I had to fight back tears, not because I was sad he was leaving for two days, but because I thought of just how faithful God has been to us in our marriage.

It has been almost seven years since we entered into this covenant. When we made our vows and walked down the aisle as one flesh to face the world, our futures were so unknown. Some people have big dreams and a vision for their lives. My only dreams involved Kyle, and what I hoped would be our future children. Truthfully, I didn't really care much about where we lived or what we did, he was my only dream. To this day, that is still the truth.

Sure, I have more clear ideas about our future now. I have more specific dreams about where we'll live and what we'll do, but ultimately, Kyle is still my dream. No matter where the Lord takes us, or what challenges we face, Kyle is still the one I want there by my side as we face them together.

We're once again heading into uncharted waters in our marriage. The last several years have been heading for this moment, getting through the Bar exam. We haven't really made many plans for what comes next.

Right now, all I can do is reflect on the last few years and think of how good God has been. How gracious. How faithful.  Not just in our circumstances, but in our minds and hearts. We feel blessed that He sustained us through so many trials, and feel so much more confident that He will continue to do so.

It is good to worship an unchanging God in our very changeable lives. He holds us together as one. He increases our love day after day, year after year.

As Kyle goes to face what may be two of the most mentally and emotionally grueling days of his life thus far, two lines from an old hymn come to mind.

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine with ten thousand bedside... All I hath needed, Thy hand hath provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

I love you, Kyle Bass! God is faithful. He made you and He sustains you. He will keep you in these next two days and forever. You are covered in love and prayer.

Bar Exam Eve

Greetings, friends! It's Bar Exam Eve, and I've come out of hibernation to ask for your prayers for Kyle. What I mean by that is that you will really pray, not send positive thoughts, not just say you're going to pray, not think about him for 10 seconds and then forget, but that you will commit to petition God and intercede on his behalf, for real. We are desperate for real intercession here.

In the 10 years I've been with Kyle, I can honestly say I've never seen him shaken by anything, not even three years of law school. He somehow always manages to take everything in stride, and approaches all of life with a peaceful, God-trusting attitude. But he. is. shaken. Doubting everything he knows, everything he has learned, his study skills, all his work not being enough, and generally fretful about anything that could go wrong. This is not the Kyle I have known, and the pressure he feels is something I can only kind-of relate to.

Please don't keep telling him, "I'm sure you'll pass!" As many previous bar-takers have told me, it isn't helpful. Please do pray. Please do remind Kyle that God is good, that he is not alone, and that you love him and believe in him.

If you'll commit to pray for him, really pray for him, let us know what day and time you'll really be praying. If you pick a time and comment what time you choose, I'll come back and put your name down. The test is two days long, so I'd love to see someone commit to praying for him every hour on those two days. Set yourself a reminder on your phone if you pick a time!

Tuesday, July 30th
8am: Ryan P., Patti F., Grandma and Grandpa L., Kevin L., Janet R.
9am: Ryan P., Deanna H.
10am: Ryan P., Stephanie C.
11am: Ryan P. Bobbie A.
12pm: Ryan P., Grandma and Grandpa L.
1pm: Ryan P., Luann B.
2pm: Ryan P., Annie R.
3pm: Ryan P., Amber F., Heather O.
4pm: Ryan P., Keith B., Grandma and Grandpa L., Kevin L., Stacy H.

Wednesday, July 31st
8am: Ryan P., Patti F., Grandma and Grandpa L., Kevin L., Janet R.
9am: Ryan P., Sherye S.
10am: Ryan P., Amy B.
11am: Ryan P., Christine D.
12pm: Ryan P., Grandma and Grandpa L.
1pm: Ryan P., Luann B.
2pm: Ryan P., Annie R.
3pm: Ryan P., Amber F., Heather O.
4pm: Ryan P., Grandma and Grandpa L., Kevin L.

Thanks for your prayers. Thanks for your words of encouragement. Thanks for your unconditional love.

Law school is done.

I finished grad school a year ago, and as of today, Kyle is officially done with law school.  Together we have a whole bunch of initials after our names, which don't mean that much in the grand scheme of things, but we're pretty excited about them anyway. Frankly, I'm a little jealous that Kyle has a doctoral degree while mine is just a measly old master's degree, but that's a tale for another day. ;) Today is a day for thanks, praise, and celebration.

Thanks to our friends and family.  I can't even tell you how grateful we are to you all.  Our families have provided so much for us throughout our marriage, but especially in the last three years of this crazy grad school adventure.  We look at our lives, and so clearly see how generous our family has been to us in supporting this dream of ours.  We couldn't have done it without our parents and grandparents. We also have so many friends who have been such a blessing and so encouraging.  This has not been an easy three years, but coming to a new city, we couldn't have found a better community than our August Gate family.  Many of them have seen up close the frantic, glazed look in our eyes when we were so overwhelmed, and have walked with us through some difficult moments.  We are so thankful.

Praise to God. All the glory to Jesus. He is our great provider and sustainer. On all the days we were running on empty, he filled us with grace and turned our eyes upward rather than inward.  He gave us a deeper love for his son, and for each other.  Somehow, in the craziest three years of our marriage thus far, he managed to increase our joy and love, showing us every day that he loves us, he is good, and we can trust him.  There will be many more days in life that we are running on empty, and He will always give what we we need. We have so many reasons to praise him each and every day.

Celebration of this great moment.  We are in a "happy place." We know that troubles will come and go, but right now, life is pretty swell.  I am SO incredibly proud of my sweet, brilliant, hard-working, generous, charming, kind, and extremely attractive husband.  He is an amazing husband, daddy, friend, employee, and so much more.  I love him.  I love him more than I can say.  

Congratulations, my dear husband. We made it.  By the grace of God, and the skin of our teeth, we made it. This is a fantastic day, one that we will never forget.  I am so proud, and so thankful you are mine. Thank you for working so hard. I know that you did it in large part for our family, so that you could make a better living for us.  In the meantime, you found a career that you love, a firm that values you, and a job that excites and challenges you to use that big brain of yours every day.  You're my favorite person. You're the best.  I love this crazy little life of ours.  Thanks for making it so great. 

Four months.

Margot has been a part of our family for over a year now, since the moment we found out she existed on 4/24/12.  What a blessed year this has been.  This, her fourth month "on the outside," brought a few firsts.

She started giggling every day. This is pretty much the best thing we've ever heard. We are constantly trying to catch it on video because it just gets better and better, but the videos never seem to do it justice! We've both become addicted to that little, squealy laugh, and will make the biggest fools of ourselves and do just about anything to bring it out of her.

She went to her first (and second) Cardinals game. The first happened to fall on the same night as Kyle getting his official full-time job offer at work, so it ended up being one of the most fun, happy nights either of us can remember.  We will never forget it! Margot was super happy, all snuggled up in the Ergo carrier. Even though it was a bit chilly out, we had the PERFECT seats (thanks to the law firm) in the Redbird Club, and we were plenty warm. We even got to invite Josh and Kim to join us, meet up with a few family members who were also at the game, and see Shelby Miller get a W for our Redbirds.

MJ is trying so hard to roll over. She is getting really good at scooting on her back, and she can get over to her side pretty easily.  Most mornings we find her in some cockeyed position in her crib, and laugh at how in the world she got herself there overnight. Watson often likes to bring her his toys (see bone below). Occasionally he even brings her his frisbee or ball, and then sits in front of her waiting for her to throw it.  Some day, buddy.  Some day.

She is also enjoying more sit-up time in her Bumbo seat, strengthening that back and neck a little every day. She definitely shows preference to certain toys and teethers, and she really likes variety.  She is putting everything in her mouth, and getting very good at grabbing what she wants and bringing it to her mouth by herself.  Her favorite thing right now is being outside. She could be screaming at the top of her lungs, but once that fresh air hits her, she is a happy little clam again.  I try to take her on as many walks as I can, usually wearing her in the Ergo. I want to wear and snuggle her as much as I can while I can! It is so neat to see her face light up in wonder as she takes in trees, flowers, buildings, birds, and so much more. I can hardly imagine what it would be like to see green leaves for the first time, but if I had to judge from her face, it must be pretty spectacular.

We've yet to try any rice cereal, and we're thinking about skipping it all together. She is sleeping great and gaining weight, so we're thinking of just waiting until 6 months when we can start her on veggies and fruits. I haven't talked to many other parents about this, but from what I've read there isn't much nutritional value to the rice cereal anyway, right? Is there really a good reason to do it?

Mommy geeked out when she said her first CV syllable (that's consonant-vowel, for you non SLPs.) So far, I've heard /k, g, p, d, m, ng/. While I'm not in any huge hurry for her to get big and crawl or walk, I can't wait for her to talk!

She is such a joy, and we love her so much! We are learning every day how to be the parents she needs, and it is a challenge, but so wonderful.  My friend Megan shared this quote last week that really stuck with me:

"I thought parenting was going to portray my strengths, never realizing that God had ordained it to reveal my weaknesses." 

Boy, is that the truth! It is shaping us as parents, as husband and wife, and as followers of Christ, for the better.  It is exciting to think about what the next month will bring for Margot and us, including the conclusion of law school for Kyle. What a journey this has been! We are feeling the goodness of God as we look back and see how he carried us through every day, and thankful that he equipped us to build this life and love on him, our solid rock, our firm foundation, our only hope.

Happy four months, Margot Jane! We love you so very much.