"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)Life is not meant to be lived in isolation and fear. Get the book, get the study guide, gather some friends, and start the healing process. I am so thankful that I've taken risks to be vulnerable and shared my weaknesses. Ah, the freedom.
We found out today that our babysitter will no longer be able to watch Karis for us. She has put in her 2-week notice. In the past 7 months, we've had several short-term arrangements which has led to us having to look for a new caretaker every 1 1/2 to 2 months. Finding someone is always difficult, but we've never been without one. We trust that God has someone else for us to find in the next couple weeks. 
It's been a little while since we last blogged. Honestly, we've been pretty busy --no, not with work or our crazy social lives. We're busy with our little Karis H. Robinson. The "H" now stands for Hurricane.
She is one curious, strong, persistent, fearless, non-stop baby. She is now in every part of our home. She used to stay in the main traffic areas, but she now crawls under the table, through the high chair, and even up into the dishwasher. She also used to stay close by, but now she wanders off into the next room or straight towards the open front door.
Here is what we deal with on a daily basis:
1) Diaper changes, or better known as "Mommy (or Daddy) vs. Baby" wrestling matches.
Here is a play by play:
2) Every day we try to teach her what she is not allowed to play with in hopes that one day she will actually understand what we're saying. We call our home the Garden of Eden. There are plenty of toys, an exersaucer, a little shelf for her toys so she can stand and play, a little activity table, plastic containers we leave out on the kitchen floor for her to play with, etc. But like the Garden of Eden, there are just a couple of apple trees Karis is not allowed to "eat" from. Of course, those are the things she is most drawn to ALL DAY LONG. Those things include the bathroom, the refrigerator, the pots and pan rack, and one exposed outlet we use for her baby monitor.
We now keep the bathroom door closed at all times. But if one of us goes in there, you will soon hear a toy drop and then little legs scurrying along the carpet. In just a couple of seconds, little Karis will be at the door with a big smile and she'll excitedly continue on into the bathroom. She'll stand up along the toilet and pull out the toilet paper, or she’ll look into the tub where she takes her baths, or she’ll play with the tag that hangs off the pipe behind the toilet. If a guest leaves the toilet lid open and the bathroom door open, she will notice it far sooner than one of us will. She makes her way in there and dips her fingers in the toilet bowl.
It's the same thing with the refrigerator. If the door opens, she’ll quickly make her way over and crawl around or even under the door just to stand there and look at the mecca of things she's never seen, touched or stuffed in her mouth before.
3) Michievous behavior. One example of this is her fairly new "skill" she has taught herself. She can now pull herself up on the hamper, take the lid off and pull out her dirty clothes… as if there wasn’t enough of her stuff lying around everywhere. There are plenty of other examples such as chewing on our flip flops, knocking down the trashcan to get at the paper inside, emptying the diaper caddy, and pulling out diaper wipes to suck on them.
4) Loud repetitive behavior. One thing she loves to do is stand up and pound her hands above her head against whatever is supporting her, be it the DVR in the entertainment center, the bedroom door or the sliding mirror closet doors. It's quite loud and not our favorite thing for her to do, but she seems to be doing it out of sheer excitement – for what, I don’t know. Another non-favorite of ours is her opening and closing the door of the entertainment center. She will open and slam the door closed over and over and over again.
There are probably things that I forgot to mention but I think you get the idea. But all that said, I am having so much fun with her. She makes me smile and laugh all day long. If you just look at her, she gets happy and smiles. When she does, how can I not quickly forget about the thing she just knocked over or the receipt she just ate?
She plays so well by herself but she definitely loves having someone to play with. Her giggles are contagious and she gives the best little hugs and kisses. I love watching her try to figure things out and slowly start to understand a little more about the world she lives in. I am so thankful that God has entrusted us with this precious life. I just pray that we will be honorable, loving and gracious every step of the way.
