Loving You Eternally

Little Baby, cherished, loved
Watched by angels from above
Who can know what years may hold?
Jesus loves you this I know
Deepest longing earnest prayer
Dearest hope and constant care
Showing you our Father's ways
Shining love in darkest days

No one knows what life may bring
I will promise just one thing

I will trust His love in me
Loving you eternally

If someday you turn from me
Looking toward the light you see
Even though we're far apart
Home is in your Father's heart

No one knows what life may bring
I will promise just one thing

I will trust His love in me
Loving you eternally

Crazy Summertime!!

The summer is going by so quickly and Titus is now 7 1/2 weeks old! Wow! What a blessing though to have his arrival start our summer. Then my parents were here June 20th thru July 1st. We had such a good visit with both of them but I had a really good time with my mom. I took her to the Saturday Farmers/Peoples Market and "Out to Lunch @ Caras Park" on Wednesday. Tom enjoyed cooking for them a few dinners on the grill and we got to celebrate Father's Day and my birthday while they were here. Gammie really got to enjoy her grandson and Papa did in the spare time that Gammie wasn't! My aunt Mary and my dad looked around at lots of property just in case they ever decide to head west! Who knows, only God right?
Then Tom's parents were here July 2nd thru the 11th. We also enjoyed their visit, we took them "Out to Lunch @ Caras Park" while they were here. We all hung out a lot in Lolo where Kevin and Carolyn and the girls live and played some games and ate lots of food. Grandma enjoyed rocking and walking Titus when he was fussy and snuggling with his warm body and Grandpa enjoyed afternoon naps with Titus.
Since then we have seen 3 old Missoula friends who were visiting. An old Missoula roommate of mine who now lives in Kansas with her husband and 2 girls. We are both moms now and that is so cool to me, I don't feel that old but I guess I am. A mutual friend of ours from California also came through, he had taught Tom how to fly fish and I was in his wedding, needless to say I was upset that his beautiful bride was not here to visit. And another mutual friend of ours, whom we both got to know at different times in our lives, from Colorado with her four children came through too. It was so good to catch up with these friends and to be encouraged in how their lives are still pursuing God.
Kevin and Carolyn and the girls are now in process of moving to Arizona. They are going to be support staff down at the New Tribes Mission Aviation Headquarters for possibly the next couple of years. They are still hoping that they can head to Papua New Guinea when they come through all the health issues with the girls. God already has them on that road in a huge way. Kevin actually left today with all of their stuff and Carolyn and the girls will fly down on Saturday. We are of course sad to see them go, it has been sweet to have them here the last year to get to know them for me and Tom has really enjoyed his time with his little brother.
Besides all the visiting we have just been trying to enjoy our summer with our new son. He is so adorable and beginning just in the last week and a half to smile at me in response to my smile. God's blessings are so sweet. Enjoy the pics and I hope to update sooner next time.

I just gave my horse, Piper, away to a man who is persistent yet has a kind hand. Piper is now 7 years old and to my neglect and lack of time he has not been broke yet, I had gotten a saddle on him and did lots of ground work with him but being his age, he was a handful and required someone more skilled than I to train him fully. I am actually a little over 29 weeks pregnant in this picture!

My parents took us up to Lindey's Steak House in Seeley Lake for my birthday for dinner. Mmmm it was so good, our dinners came with pickled watermelon rind and it was actually surprisingly good.

Tom took 3 students backpacking with him the 15th-18th into the Great Bear Wilderness which is part of the Bob Marshall Complex. He wanted to go in to visit one of our former students who is working in there for the summer, Ethan McKee in center of photo, to bring him encouragement. It was 18 miles in because of a misunderstanding and then 14 miles out, each all done in one day! Way to go, that is my awesome husband! While he did that, Titus and I went to Flathead Lake and spent the weekend at the Cross' cabin with them and about 10 others. It was very relaxing for me even though I missed my husband terribly.

The four Johnson men: Rich, Tom, Titus & Kevin, along with sweet Zowee, she adds beauty to the picture!

While Tom's parents were here we celebrated all three of our wedding anniversaries with a recipe for grilled chicken that Tom wanted to try. Of course, Kevin was helping in his own sort of weird way, ha, jk Kevin. His parents celebrated their 40th this year! Praise God for your love and commitment.

Our friend, Brad Trosen, was up for the challenge presented him while playing "Would You Rather...?" He had to keep his mouth wide open and have "Goof" written on his forehead with lipstick for one players full turn. Him and his family recently moved from Missoula, him and his wife Laura and son Ian are headed to serve in ministry with CMA in Senegal, Africa while their two daughters Hannah & my sweet Emily are living in Minnesota. This was our last hang out with them before they left in mid July.

2 1/2 Weeks Already

Titus and Grandma Mary, he is sporting his new Griz hat that he got at his shower from auntie Nessie & auntie Zoe! How very cute!

Time is flying by quickly, I can't believe Titus is already close to 3 weeks old. We had a nice shower on the 19Th thrown for us, lots of people came and even more had dropped by gifts for Titus. He made out with a lot of loot there!! Thanks to any of you who came :) It was very nice and lots of fun, I was nervous being a new mom and all and being around so many people. My aunt Mary had just made it back to MT the night before from her visit back to IL to see our family and so her and Heidi came and it was both their first time seeing Titus. Heidi had been sick when he was born and couldn't come to the hospital to visit. That was good though, I had her hold him the whole time because I didn't really want him passed around like he's a toy. I will admit that I am kind of paranoid about germs when it comes to him and I think visits at home are much better than large crowds of people because if one person holds him then everyone else will want to get in on it. Anyway enough about that.
My parents made it here on Sunday and their visit has been really enjoyable. I try to let my mom hold him whenever I can which is when he isn't nursing or we are not eating ourselves. I can tell she just really enjoys him and is so happy to finally have a boy in our family. Today Mary actually took them over to Helena to fish for the day, it is beautiful out and the fish are really biting over there on Canyon Ferry Lake I guess. Hope they bring some home, I can never get enough fish to eat.
Well Tom is back to work this week and Titus and I miss him like crazy but I had kind of gotten a little preview of what it would be like here all by myself with Titus the day of my shower. He had gone fishing from 7am to around 8pm and my parents were not here yet. He thought he would be home around 5 but they just kept catching them and I was okay! It was good for him to get out of the house, after two weeks of being home and waiting on me hand and foot and more because he is such a great husband, I was happy for him to get out and enjoy the outdoors doing something else that he loves to do.
Little Titus gets circumcised on this Friday, please pray that it goes well. I of course am a little nervous because I heard how it is done and I am not sure if I will be able to watch or not. I guess they have to strap their legs down which makes sense, you wouldn't want the scalpel blade to cut something it shouldn't but can you imagine. Ugh.

Tom also caught 3 salmon up there too and got to bring them all home because the Olsen's' didn't want any! Mmmmoooorrrreeee for us, we already ate them with Mom and Dad off the grill the other night.

While Titus and I were at our shower, this is the fish Daddy caught with Andy Olsen and his dad with their boat up on Salmon Lake near Seeley, MT. This is the Pike they caught and Tom got to bring 4 of them home. Mmmmmm.

Titus loves getting burped by Daddy, some good "guy time". Sometimes when Titus is fussy we use the exercise ball to bounce him while we hold him and Daddy is the pro at this job too.

Oh the Toes!

See how long they are, they are just like daddy's, I love it. With as much as I love Tom, I'm praying that our son will grow up to be just like him but don't do it too fast Titus, Momma loves her time with him all little and precious.
Tom has been off work and will be until next week. This has been such a blessing because I honestly don't know if I would be eating if Tom was not here. He has made me breakfast in bed several times already and he feeds me so well so that I can keep up with feeding Titus and trying to get some rest between his feedings. I am actually glad that Titus came early (1 week and 5 days) because it has given us our own family time before the grandparents arrive. My parents are leaving WI on Thursday to drive out here for 2 weeks and then Toms parents will be arriving around the time they leave from CO for a couple of weeks. Titus is very excited to meet them all, after all he is the first grandson for both of them and he is also the first great grandson for my grandpa and grandma Berning, who are the only grandparents we have left between the two of us! That is pretty cool little Titus.
I never knew you could love two people so much in my life. I have already cried tears of joy twice on Tom's shoulder because I love Titus so much it is overwhelming. And my sweetheart reminded me that there are three people whom each of us love so much, the Lord, each other and our baby boy. He is right, God has been so good to us, His salvation brings us freedom from sin in our lives and strength to live each day for His glory and blessings like Titus from His own hands.
Must go now, my love has a scrumptious lunch ready for me.

Titus Allen Johnson is here!

Well late Thursday afternoon of the 3rd I knew that Titus was going to be coming sometime over the weekend, things had began to happen and contractions were starting that night, slowly but surely. On Friday evening we had some graduation parties to go to and I was determined to go although my contractions were progressing. Walking for me was the most comforting thing I could do. By about 5:30 am Saturday our contractions had been 5-6 minutes apart for about an hour and a half and we decided to head to the hospital for what seemed the longest day of my life! I was dilated to 4 cm when we got there and we began the process. We walked the halls lots of times and when a contraction would come we would rock. Tom did so well through everything, I couldn't have done it without him. I tried the warm bath but that only lasted til the water cooled off. I also liked the ball for sitting and bouncing, but I could not stand to be in the bed at all, it was just uncomfortable. I had to have IV antibiotics every 4 hours while the labor lasted because I tested positive for Group B Strep and I hated that too. I just didn't like feeling restrained in any way and every time they flushed the IV after the antibiotics it stung my arm so bad.
Well by 3 pm I had only progressed to 6 cm and my water had broke on the ball but I think it was more like a leaking faucet because the doctor checked me and she said I still had like a forebag that she could feel and wanted to break that to see if that would help. My doctor by the way could not deliver Titus because it was graduation Saturday and his son was graduating from high school, so the doctor on call, Dr. Givler delivered him. Thankfully she was very nice and sweet. Well when she did that my contractions definitely intensified but after an hour I was no different! They were getting concerned because they expect you to dilate a cm/hour and they asked me to think about having some sort of drug! I was heart broken because that is not what I wanted and I cried and Tom and I prayed. I knew I didn't want an epidural or Pitosin, my contractions were already painful enough without Pitosin. So they gave me some pain relief IV called Numa?, only half the dose they could have given me and it was supposed to take the edge off my contractions and relax me in between them. It sure did the later of the two, I was dozing in and out of sleep between them and within an hour, which is how long she said that drug would last, I dilated from 6cm to 9cm. Then Titus' heartbeat dropped and the doctor said I needed to start pushing otherwise it was going to have to be a c-section if his heart rate didn't come back up. Well I began for what seemed like the longest hour of my life pushing and finally our baby boy came out and Tom cut the cord. And the doctor said that I basically just had "skid marks" down there and no stitches were needed! God had answered our prayers for that drug to work and for our healthy baby. He was born at 5:22 pm on June 5th, weighing 8.49 lbs. and just under 21 3/4 in. long. He is so amazing and doing well. When we left the hospital he had dropped down to 7.11 lbs. and the next day at his weight check he was 7.15 and then at his first well baby check on Thursday he was up to 8.6 1/2 lbs.! They were so shocked because it usually takes them 2 weeks just to get back to their birth weight! He sleeps well and obviously nurses well although it can take him a while because he is a little Jaundice and falls asleep a lot. Mommy works really hard feeding him every 3 hours.

Titus does not seem to mind his car seat at all, we have gone on a few outings besides his checkups so far, he has been to ShopKo, Target, the Vet Clinic (to be admired!)and to church this morning, the ladies (mostly girls from youth group) were swooning over him! Look at those long fingers, those are from his dad :) Uncle Kevin called them monkey hands! Mommy disagrees of course.

This adorable outfit is from Auntie Daisy, for all those aunties out there, Titus wears it for you!

Even Grandpa Bob was here to see little Titus the next day after his birth, he was on his way to Seattle with a load to deliver there and he came through Missoula just at the perfect time, Thanks Grandpa!

Titus roomed in with us in the hospital, which was great! This helped for breastfeeding for me because you are able to catch on faster to their cues for feeding time so that you get it down before you leave the hospital. With him being with with us there all the time also helped my milk to come in faster. You can't tell from the footprint, but Titus has really long toes just like his daddy also, the actual foot in his newborn socks is too short already!

Daddy helping with his first bath!