Thankful Thursday

Forgive last week's absence.  Things are more than a little crazy in our world these days.  We did decide to put our house on the market and will be listing it the first week in May.  This has meant a lot of work and preparation.  Because we don't have a ton of wiggle room on the price, we're trying to do everything we can to make it marketable in other ways.  Per our realtor's suggestion, this has meant cleaning out closets and cabinets, taking down personal picture frames and knick-knacks, and doing a few handyman touch-up things.  Not huge deals if we didn't have a toddler and a newborn.  However, even small tasks take a ton of time and energy now!  Plus I'm co-hosting a bridal shower for 30 this weekend (not at my house, thankfully!).  Shew.  Like I said - crazy.

SO, pray that we get everything accomplished, that God brings a reasonable offer quickly with minimal interruption for showings, AND that our perfect dream house is available at the exact same time so we don't have to move into a rental (we're not even looking until we're under contract because the turnover is so high in the area/school districts we want).  I mean, really, could I BE more high-maintenance?  God's used to it though.  He's shocked and blessed me in way bigger ways than that, so I'm not worried about Him being up for the challenge.  :)

"Why do we let ourselves get overwhelmed by our circumstances? Because we anticipate the future with absolutely no recollection of God's faithfulness in the past."

That'll preach.

Here is this week's list:

1.  A great two month check up for Luke.  He weighed in at 13 lbs 11 oz - up two pounds from last month and is now in the 87% percentile.  He also gained an inch and is 23.5" long, which is the 67th percentile.  We decided to continue with the reflux medicine.  After letting the prescription run out over the weekend, thinking that it wasn't really helping much and we'd just discuss it at his next appointment, we discovered that it does indeed make a difference.  I'm glad to have that confirmation.  Everything else looked great, praise God, and he handled his first shots very well.  He even got some blue camo band-aids to make it all better.  I love having a boy!

AND, did I mention he has dropped a night feeding and is now down to two?! I put him down around 9pm, he wakes and eats around 1:30am and 4:30am, and then he starts his day at 7:30.  Not too shabby!

2.  My nephew Carson.  He turned four years old last week and we went to his birthday party this weekend.  I cannot believe he's four!  He'll slow down just long enough to let you squeeze him and then he's off again.  Love you, "Wild Man Carson" as Audrey deemed him.  I'm glad I got a few squeezes in this weekend!

3.  My brother, Kevin, whose birthday is Sunday.  It's so great to see what a fantastic job he's doing raising his two boys and providing for his family.  I'm so proud of both my brothers and the men they've become.  If we weren't family, I'd want to be their friends, and that's saying something.  Love you, Kevin!

4.  Simple things that toddlers find fascinating, like glow sticks in the bathtub.  Tonight, as a reward for such awesome behavior today, I  stole an idea from a friend and let Audrey play with a glow stick in the bathtub in the dark.  She LOVED it and thought it was the coolest thing ever.  I enjoyed her getting such a kick out of it and, frankly, thought it looked pretty cool too.  I just may get some for my next bath time.

5.  New clothes.  For the first time in at least four months, I bought myself some new tops today.  THREE, in fact.   And they were not maternity tops.  And one of them was a medium.  Yesssssss.

Enjoy your weekend!  I know we have a lot of busy, fun stuff, but we're looking forward to it!

Easter 2012

Easter celebrations began on the Wednesday before Easter for us.  I took both kids over to my friend Kara's house, where she was hosting a get-together for the moms in our Bible Study group and their kids.  Kara did an amazing job making it a fun and meaningful time.  The kids made resurrection rolls, heard the Easter story, and then went on an egg hunt in the backyard.  They weren't the only tired ones after such excitement - I was exhausted by the time I got us all out there and back in one piece, including feeding Luke and diaper changes and hiding eggs and potty trips and so on.  He and I were both soaking wet with sweat after I carried him in the Bjorn the whole time.  Shew, it is no joke toting two around! I'm thankful Kara was willing to have us take over the place for awhile, though, because everyone certainly had a blast.  AJ was her quiet self (in a crowd of kids, she's usually very timid.  Give her a room full of adults and a chance to warm up and you can't make her be quiet), but I know she enjoyed it.


On Saturday, we hosted David's dad's side of the family.  They came over and we had a very simple sandwich buffet and hung out for a few hours.  It was the first time all of them had met Luke and the first time we'd seen them since Thanksgiving, so we really enjoyed introducing him and catching up.  Having lost two grandparents, I always cherish making memories and taking photos of my kids with their great-grandparents.  Those multi-generational moments are so important. 


On Saturday night we went to the Easter service at our church.  They offered several service times that weekend, but we thought Saturday evening would be the best option for us.  (I have no idea if we'll EVER make it back to a 9:00am service again.)  We dropped Audrey off at her class and then slipped into the theater, where they have a live feed of what's going on in the main worship room, but it's much quieter and low-key.  Because we weren't going to put Luke in nursery yet and we didn't want him exposed to the loud music, we opted to sit in there and watch it.  It was a good service and felt really nice to be back within those walls again.  I slipped out about fifteen minutes before it ended to go feed Luke in the van and then David picked up Audrey after it was over.  We chose the fine dining establishment of Five Guys for our post-church Easter meal.  It was priceless sitting there with two kids all decked out and quite the delicious choice.  


After we got home, it was bath time and bed time.  The next morning we laid out their Easter baskets and let Audrey open up hers and Luke's (since he was sleeping and couldn't have cared less!)  We let her dye eggs and then loaded up to go to Babies R Us to purchase our new jogging stroller.  (See pics for details.) We came home, did our own egg hunt in the back yard, ate lunch, and all took naps.  That afternoon we tried out the new stroller at the park and let Audrey work off some of her candy on the playground.  


It was a really wonderful Easter full of Jesus and family and fun.  Luke won't remember a bit of it, of course, but I think it was a great first one for him!  


Hope y'all enjoyed yours as well!  And yes, pictures are up.  Check 'em out!

Thankful Thursday

Updates and prayer requests:


  - Luke is doing about the same spit-up wise (which isn't great) but seems to still be gaining weight okay.  We'll know more at his two month check-up in a week and a half.  


 - With three feedings a night, we're still not getting a whole lot of sleep over here.  Please, please pray he drops one soon.  I feel like I've been a pretty good sport, but this momma is growing weary of non-consecutive sleep.  


 - We're on the fence about listing our house for sale.  I don't have the time to go into the details right now, but please pray for wisdom, clarity, and the time and energy to deal with what it would take to get it ready if we do decide to pull the trigger.  It wouldn't take much to prepare, but even little things are a lot in this season in our life.


Here is this week's list:


1.  The way little kids have to run everywhere.  Audrey rarely walks in our house and her little pitter-patter up and down the halls makes me smile.


2.  100 calorie pack Hostess Cakes.  


3.  Luke's smiling attempts...he is so stinkin' close to a real smile and we've been cheering him on all week!  I think it's hard to lift up all that fat on his cheeks. :)


4.  New magazines in the mail.  I don't get a lot of time to read them these days, but they still brighten my day.


5.  Running!  On Monday I went for my first jog in over ten months.  It was ugly, but it felt so good...until the next day at least.  But I have to confess that even the soreness was welcome.  Here's to getting back in shape and being able to climb stairs without passing out! 


I'll try to do an Easter update with pictures soon, so check back!

Thankful Thursday and an Update

Well, just as I suspected, things are getting a bit tougher around here.  We're in that in-between stage where Luke is coming out of the newborn sleep-all-the-time fog, but isn't yet into a good, predictable nap schedule yet.  And he's certainly not of the age where he is content to lie on a blanket and stare around the room or at a toy.  If he's awake, he has to be held or he cries.  Obviously that is not always feasible.  


I had a friend over the other day who was baffled that I let him lie there and cry for 60 seconds while I washed my hands after a diaper change.  "Oh honey," I thought to myself,  "You don't know the start of it.  He screamed bloody murder for nearly 15 minutes this morning while I unloaded groceries, took Audrey to the potty, and threw some laundry in."  Instead I just smiled and said, "You're welcome to go pick him up."  She does not yet have children, in case that needed to be stated.  I've been using the Bjorn a lot more and a friend loaned us a moby wrap, but honestly, sometimes the second kid just has to lie there and cry.  I'm betting he's already surpassed the amount of tears Audrey shed in her first three months total.  


To top it off, I don't think his reflux meds are working.  More than that, I honestly don't think he has reflux.  I think I have what is termed overactive milk ejection reflex in addition to an oversupply of milk.  It's can cause the same symptoms - choking, spitting up, gassiness, fussiness - on top of rapid weight gain.  (Three pounds in three weeks would definitely be classified as rapid to me.)  While there are things you can do, ultimately it just takes time for supply and demand to level out and the baby to get things under control when eating.  We're going to keep him on his medication for now, but as long as he's gaining okay at his next check-up in a few weeks, I think we'll take him off.  Just please continue to pray for wisdom in that area.


Other than that, we have just been busy, busy, busy.  This week has been full of visitors, Easter celebrations, and party planning.  With a bridal shower, two weddings, vacation, and multiple birthdays/parties, the next several months are going to be even crazier and go by just as fast.  That's on top of the usual Bible Study, small group, doctor's appointments, play dates, etc.  AND, because we decided a shred of sanity remaining was just too much, we're having a realtor come out tomorrow to revisit the issue of listing our house.  I'll update you as soon as we know whether it's a go or not, but please pray for wisdom in that area as well.  Goodness, we need a lot of wisdom.  Some sleep to go with it would certainly help our brains as well!


Here is this week's list:


1.  A great stretch of sleep!  On Tuesday night, Luke hit a record of five and half hours in between feedings.  I went to sleep at 9:30 and he woke up at 2:15, so I got four hours and 45 minutes of consecutive sleep for the first time in six weeks.  Granted, he went right back to eating every three hours the next night, but still.  As soon as he's down to two nighttime feedings for a week straight, he's moving into his room.  Fingers crossed it'll happen before he's weaned.


2.  Meals.  I know I mentioned it before, but it's worth repeating.  This has been our first week since Luke was born that we haven't had meals provided for us.  For five weeks, we had a steady stream of 3-4 meals delivered to our door by the sweetest friends and family anyone could ask for.  And in addition to that, I still haven't had to cook yet because several of those dear ones brought frozen back-up meals as well.  I suspect we won't have to fend for ourselves for another week and a half.  I cannot express what a huge, huge help and blessing that has been.  I told David as we fell into bed after our typical nighttime marathon routine that I feel 100% spent with all we have going on and I haven't even had to plan, shop for, or cook meals in over a month.  It makes me extremely nervous about having to put that responsibility back on my plate (pun intended.)  Hot dogs and mac and cheese will likely become staples around here for a couple of weeks.


3.  Flowers - in my front yard that my sweet husband planted and on my kitchen table that I just couldn't turn down at the grocery store today.  Gorgeous reminders of springtime.  
    
4.  Cookouts and the weather and friends to go with them.  We had a great time, KT!  Thanks again for hosting us!    


5.  A Savior who, even though I don't always do a good job of living for him, thought me worth dying for.  


Happy Easter, y'all!    

March Recap

I cannot believe March is over already!  We started the month with multiple bilirubin tests, David going back to work, my brother and his family coming up from Savannah to meet Luke, a weight check, and Luke's first primary election day...and all of that was before his original due date of the 10th!  The month also held a lot of firsts and "reentries" into the world for us:  more introductions of Luke, our first date sans kiddos, starting back to Bible Study, his first pumped bottle, and Audrey's first night at her grandparents' since Luke was born.  

Luke is doing so-so on his new reflux med.  He was spitting up less than before for a few days, but then had a rough day yesterday.  Today seems to be a bit better so far, but all of this leads me to believe perhaps it's not reflux after all.  Who knows - just keep praying for guidance for us and relief for him.


He's on a pretty predictable eating schedule during the day - 7:30am, 9:45am, 12:45pm, 3:15pm, 6:00pm, 8:30pm - and then as needed at night, which is still three feedings usually around 12:00ish, 2:30ish, and 5:00ish.  I'm really hoping he drops one soon.  I would love four consecutive hours of sleep, but I know it'll come eventually.  He is gaining weight like a beast (11 lbs 12 oz at his one month check-up, surpassing what Audrey was at her TWO month check up) so I'm hoping those rolls I'm seeing will be sufficient to carry him through before too much longer.


He is s-l-o-w-l-y spending more time each day awake.  I swear he's the sleepiest baby I've ever met.  I've never seen a nearly six week old that sleeps as much as he does.  If I had to guess, I'd say he has his eyes shut about 16-17 hours a day?  Now some of that is spent crying and eating with closed eyes, but still!  He is getting less content to sleep on the go, however, which is a bummer.  He usually wakes up and cries at red lights and needs some sort of movement at all times to stay content.  


Audrey is still doing very well adjusting to her new brother.  Sometimes I worry that she takes on too much responsibility for him, even if she doesn't express it and just internalizes it.  David was getting ready to take her to the park and ran upstairs to get his shoes.  She very seriously told him she would "stay downstairs and keep an eye on the kids", meaning me and Luke.  Oh Lawd, child, be two!  I have to watch what burdens she takes on!


We haven't had any sleep or potty regression issues with her, just the occasional slip-ups we've been having here and there for months.  She still rarely initiates that she has to go, but will hold it until we take her with very few (maybe 3-4 slightly damp) accidents per week and no poop accidents in months.  I remember laughing inside when a friend told me it had taken her son a full year to get 100% potty trained.  Considering we started last July, it's not so funny anymore.


As for what she's into these days, her imagination is flourishing.  She loves to make up stories, hear made up stories, and TALK TALK TALK nonstop (this is nothing new, of course.)  Some of my favorite tales she tells include Jake and Claire, her imaginary brother and sister who sometimes turn into her grandson and granddaughter (?).  They have a red and green chair, love to dance, and often get rescued from precarious situations.  Thankfully she throws Luke in there as her brother every once in awhile too.  


She loves reading more than ever, if that was even possible.  We are reading much more and much longer books these days during Luke's nursing sessions.  Two of her favorite series are Berenstain Bears and Fancy Nancy.  (Okay, I admit it.  They're my favorite too.)  It amazes me how she can sit through such long stories and not have any problem paying attention.  I am cautious to preview the stories, though, because some of the plot lines are definitely written for older kids.  I'm not quite ready to address what a "Blooper" is (Berenstain Bears' term for a curse word) or explain what teasing and name calling are.


We have begun teaching her a little Spanish here and there.  She is soaking it up ridiculously fast and already knows about half of the Spanish alphabet.  I really need to work with her on scripture memory while her brain is such a sponge!  That and a million other things, but ya know, in my spare time...


Here are some good quotes and quips from this month:

• There are very few words that Audrey mispronounces anymore, and it's a little sad.  We finally stopped calling pajamas "jomoms".  Now all we have left is penny-o (piano), crash can (trashcan), and burritio.  I'm leaving those alone as long as I can.

• One morning's conversation with Audrey as I got her up:   

         AJ:"Where's that other kid?" 
         Me, thinking she was still half-dreaming about a friend: "What other kid?"
         AJ: "You know. The one that can't talk."
         Me: "You mean your brother Luke?" 
         AJ: "Yeah." 
         Me: "He's in Mommy and Daddy's room."
         AJ: "Oooookay. Let's go check on him."

• (To balance out the above story) For the first two weeks Luke was home Audrey kept saying, "It's Luke!  I can't believe he's here!"  Now she coos at him, "Hey buddy!  Hey big boy!" and constantly says, "Isn't he soooo cute?"  If he's fussing, she's the first to pat his head and say, "You're alright!  It's okay, buddy."  So sweet.

• AJ:  "Granddad is going to think I'm so beautiful!  I bet he'll say, 'Audrey, how are you just so fancy in that outfit?'"

• A  transcript of a random and 90 mile per hour "conversation" (as if I could get a word in) on the way home the other day:  "See my boo-boo on my ankle Mommy?  I think I got it from the park the other day when I went with my friends.  'Member?  I fell in the chips?  That was fun to do the big girl swing there.  Or it could be a bug bite.  Maybe from an ant.  I suspect [yes, really] there are ants in the dirt under the chips at the park.  Do you know it's okay to touch some bugs, Mommy?  But other bugs are not very friendly so we shouldn't touch them.  Like bees and wasps.  They are nooooooot friendly, no sir.  Look!  I just saw a bee flutter by your window!  It was saying Bzzzz hello Mommy, Bzzzz hello Audrey, Bzzzz hello Luke!  Ha!"  Now imagine this every minute of every waking hour of every day.  Shew.

• I say "Praise Jesus!" when something relieving happens.  As we were riding in the car, I pointed out that Luke wasn't crying.  From the back seat I hear a heartfelt "Praise Jesus!" from Audrey.  Amen, sister.

I can't even imagine how fast these next months are going to go by.  Pray we're able to soak up what's left of Luke's "tiny" newborn phase in the midst of it all.  We have holidays, celebrations, and weddings galore around the corner, so stay tuned for pictures and stories!


March pictures are in the gallery for your viewing pleasure!  Happy Spring, Y'all!