Prego reflections...

As we approach the day we will meet our daughter face to face, my pregnancy hormones have kicked in full swing and my emotions are going crazy!

For one, of course, I am ecstatic to meet her. She is already our pride and joy! Kaleb is SO incredibly fun, and I cannot imagine loving her as much as I do him, but I know somehow I will find the room in my heart to love them both. She is already our little Princess. I have really spent a little too much on bows and cutesie things for her, and I can't help it. Literally, I have prayed for a girl for so long. I remember probably the first time I prayed about it, I wasn't married or anything, hadn't even met Justin. I was just out of college, which, I know, really wasn't THAT long ago, but still. It seems like it was! I remember talking to friends about it who had just recently had baby girls, and asking them if they prayed for a girl specifically. Several of them said yes. I began not feeling bad about praying for a girl. One told me that she had had dreams about her daughter. I believe that this can be the case and that God is bigger than we know, and that He likes to give us the desires of our hearts. Not long after I started having dreams about my little girl. And when I was pregnant with Kaleb, I believe the Lord told me we were going to have a girl. :) I found out we were having a boy, but I knew we'd be pregnant again and that Little Miss E would be a reality. I was SO excited to have Kaleb, and seriously, he is the fun in my days. He is such a little relaxed little guy, and such a happy boy. I would never trade him for a girl! But when I got pregnant again I got really excited. I knew it was time to meet our daughter....! :) I write this to remember all of this, and for her to read someday too and know that she is very loved. So, these days, I am very excited, to say the least.

Our second ultrasound with this little girl was one of the first crazy emotions I had though. The tech told us that she was 65 percent a boy! Of course, that wasn't much to go on, but I still started doubting and wondering what the Lord really had up his sleeve...So we were really thrilled when we finally had the last ultrasound and "he" was a "she," assured to us "100 percent" by the tech. We were shocked, because we had prepared ourselves for the news of another boy by this point. :)

Another emotion has been a hard decision making process. I have just recently started singing for the praise team for our Contemporary Word and Worship Service on Sunday nights at church. It has just begun at our church, and has seriously been the highlight of my week. I practice the songs all week, getting them stuck in my head, and have fun figuring out the parts I sing. I love the team, and the people are awesome. I have really enjoyed getting to know some sweet couples in our class, and one of them is on the team with me. I am very sad that I'm going to have to cut it out of my week. This has caused me to actually shed some tears because I really love it so much. I just can't do it though, right now, for our family's sake. We usually practice twice a week, for two hours or more. (Well, the first practice is two hours - the second one takes place just before the service and is usually only an hour.) But finding childcare for practice has proven to be a bit of a challenge with just Kaleb, and now, with a newborn, I know it will not get any easier. She needs constant attention the first few months. So I have decided to opt out of the praise team for a time. Plus, MOPS is on the same day our practices are on, and they have childcare, and I know that if I need to, I can hold her during that time. That would not be so easy up there on stage with the loud music. :( As much as I love it, I am going to quit for a while and be a part of MOPS. I think that will be a good outlet. :) Thanks to my sister in law Shelly for helping me figure this out. And my mom. I really wanted to seek advice on it because the praise team has been dear to my heart! But...this is the best for us, I believe, at this point.

What else???...We have not had a shower this time, and I don't think we will, and that kind of saddened me at first when I realized it! But the Lord has reassured me that seriously, there is really not a need, at least for now. I am SUCH a planner, and I love to have everything ready, especially for our sweet girl to arrive. But I feel like we have been SO blessed by people without a shower. I have a great friend Taren who, by the work of the Lord, lol, had a baby girl at the same time I had my baby boy. Now, she is having her baby boy at the same time as I am having my baby girl. We were kind of shocked when we found out about each other! It's crazy. Last time our due dates were like four days off, and this time they are like three weeks. So fun. But we traded clothes. So I feel pretty set, actually, as far as clothes go! And we have toys left from when Kaleb was a newborn. And we have a few diapers. My neighbor has also blessed us with some "older" girl clothes too, so we are doing well! And my friend Ashley also blessed us with spoons, and pacis, and socks, and shoes, and other miscellaneous things. So...we are actually doing pretty well without a shower. God is GOOD! Totally a God thing that Taren and I have been prego at the same time with different sexes! So, I am not as worried about having a shower, and I am very happy with what we have so far. All we will need are small things like diapers.

This pregnancy has been different in a LOT of ways compared to Kaleb. It has honestly been harder in a lot of ways? But I just am so happy about having a girl that I don't even care, really. I felt a bit different when I got pregnant at first, for obvious reasons. Overall, I think I have just been a bit sicker this time around because of her hormones combining with mine. It's crazy how that works! And the stress of finding a new house, and moving, and being sick at the same time (Kaleb and I both got sick with high fevers DURING our move!) was hard. Then, it seems all at once, craziness started happening! Directly following Thanksgiving, our room FLOODED from plumbing issues, so we had to move all of our stuff out and get all new carpeting while living in the living room. Then we transferred the bed back to the bedroom and literally lived on top of the cement for a week before we received our new carpeting. During this time I couldn't get well - I came down with a sinus infection that lasted for exactly a month until I went to the doctor to get a Z Pack that I was just scared to take in the first place because I was prego but not sure what else to do. Directly following the plumbing issue we had a city-wide water outage due to a leak. It was crazy and we couldn't use our water for about three days. That did not help with our getting healthy again for sure! Finally, though, after the city got the water fixed, things started looking up. But talk about stress for this pregnant momma! I had just cleaned the floors really good the day before our plumbing issue happened, and it made me so mad that there was actually sewer water seeping into them the next day! This is all too funny, though, because if you know me, you know I am clean freak. I love a clean, nice house, and I go nuts when I'm nesting. Some women? They bake when they're nesting. The cakes, the pies, the cookies...I clean. So you can imagine what kind of emotional wreck I was for a couple of days.

And that brings me to my nesting these days. I am feeling better so I've been cleaning the house from top to bottom. I feel sorry for Justin or Kaleb or anyone who gets in my way. The microwave got cleaned today, along with the floors again, and the countertops, and all the laundry is almost done. Yesterday I cleaned both bathrooms from top to bottom, and this morning I washed the shower curtain. See what I mean? When I nest, I CLEAN. It's insane! I feel very sorry for the mommas who get put on bedrest at this point in their pregnancies. I think I really would go insane!

And all the while, I remind myself we have just about two weeks left before all the craziness goes down. And it won't be that crazy - I'm exaggerating of course: I am good at that! - but it will be a different kind of "normal," and things will never be the same. We will have a family of four. Wow. I am already experiencing the laundry craziness in washing her clothes (most are hand-me-downs so I feel the need - that nesting thing again!). Washing for a family of four as opposed to three....well, honestly, there really IS a big difference! They say it, but it really is true! We are getting ready to have company a bit because I know my mother in law will probably stay for a time and help, as will my grandmother. I am very, very appreciative of their sweet souls and I really look forward to their help.

I am also scared and nervous about the C section.Yeah, I know, I've had one before, and I know what to expect...but...isn't that reason to be nervous as well? I will NOT choose to go into detail about THAT mess. Wow. I just remember what happened last time....and let's just say that I am much more excited about what will come out of this process than the process itself. Lol. But...SHE will be more than worth the pain.

Speaking of she, as well...we have come up with her name. Yes, she does have a name!! :) Praise the Lord! That has been another part of this pregnancy that has been...well, just different! With Kaleb, it was so easy, it seemed. We just came up with it after looking through the bible and agreed. It was like our sixth month, and we shared on FB and all as soon as we figured it out. Not the case this time. We have had the HARDEST time figuring out a name. I am not sure why, but a lot had to do with our friends and family. Of course we worry about what everyone will say, and how they feel about the name. It's just natural. Will they like it? Or secretly dislike without actually saying so? Or, worse yet, dislike it and be very, very vocal about it? These things ran through our heads as we shared with a few, and got some mixed feedback. But, we have finally decided on one. However, to just go along with the "different" theme on this pregnancy, we will reveal her name when she reveals her face. :) Just think it'll be more fun that way. :) (And, I will add here that Justin is pretty much letting me do that...He is sweet to do so!)

And, as I feel her hiccup at the moment, I am reminded of all the good times I've had during this pregnancy too. Yes, it has been a whirlwind of emotion, but it has been very, very good. There have been some days that have been very fun, just feeling her kick, and move around. She doesn't actually move the same way Kaleb did, either, which is kind of neat to see the differences between them before she's even born. She seriously gets the hiccups as much as he did, but she doesn't move the same. I think she may be in a different position than he was, because she doesn't kick me quite as often. When I would lay down with K, he would kick up a storm! Especially when I laid on either side. But Little Miss E? No, she is more knees and elbows. She moves just as much as he did, but she chooses not to kick me. :) However, her feet do get stuck in my ribs every night, which is what happened with K too at the end of my pregnancy with him. I believe Justin's kids are just big babies! I don't have a large torso, so they run out of room and the only "sensible" solution for their feet is in the ribs...it's the only place they can go; they are cramped! :) So...for that reason and many others, I am very ready to have this little girl in the world and out of my belly!

Kaleb loves my belly, by the way. It's really kind of cute. He will lift up my shirt and just laugh. He knows his momma looks "different" right now. SO cute to me! He touches it, and loves touching my "outie" belly button.

All of this said, we are SO, SO excited to meet her. It's mixed with the same excitement about Kaleb meeting her. I know that even though he is still young, he will understand something's different. He will understand that there is definitely somebody else intruding our house and his playtime! Right now I am trying to spend some quality time with my boy. I know that will be harder to come by when Little Miss E arrives. I think sometimes I take it for granted, and I wish that I didn't....these days I am trying to sit back (literally, it's hard though at this point!) and just enjoy his company. He is such a sweet boy. I love playing with him and teaching him things. One of my favorite things to do is to go in and pray over him at night. It is such a precious time for me as a momma, and so priceless.

She will be so fun too. Maybe a different type of fun at first (I remember the newborn fun all too well!) but definitely a joy. I am SO happy to live where we do now (in town) so that I can feel not so secluded, and go out more, even if it's just to church once or twice a week. Last time I felt like a hermit. I think I can honestly say I am almost suffered from a bit of post partum depression, because I never left the house. It's really hard being housebound - and you don't realize it until you are! It seems like a blessing but it really is hard! I don't see this time being much different, except for I thank the Lord for the blessing of MOPS. And for church in general.

I want to breastfeed as long as possible, as well. We will see how that goes. Last time, because of K's severe acid reflux, we had to stop after just three months. I am not sure how we could have done it differently, since he needed cereal added to his milk every time to help him gain weight. But...we will see how this time goes. I have heard it runs in families, and several of my friends have had that happen, but...at least I will try my hardest again to breastfeed. :) It's the best start you can give to your baby!

Emotions, and all, this is going to continue to be a very good journey for us. I look forward to the next few weeks and all that they entail.

Cannot wait for our newest little blessing, and that is the best emotion of all. :)

Firsts

Zoo time!!! Kaleb got to go to the Abilene zoo just recently and wow, there were so many cool animals.


New couch time!! We just got two new couches and they are AWESOME! Leather, flexsteel, and one has powered recliners and the other is a loveseat with a center console and recliners as well. So we have decided that we have four recliners in our living room. This will be GREAT during breastfeeding/post C-section time!!

Birthday time!!! Kaleb ate cake! And...lots of it!
K's very own cake...:)
Sweet, sweet Littlest E time.

We have had SO many first recently. Kaleb's first birthday is one to name, along with new couches, and WALKING! That is K's newest addition to his skills and he is starting to use it more and more. He takes lots of steps on his own these days, but they are all sporadic...I just know one of these days he's going to take off and not stop! But for now, he has about five at a time, and he laughs SO hard when we are getting him to come to us and thinks it's SUCH a fun game! It IS!

For Halloween, he was our little monkey, of course. He was the cutest monkey I've ever seen. :)

He is doing well today, even after getting his one year shots. Momma cried, of course, almost as hard as he did! It gets harder and harder taking him in there each time for shots, knowing that pretty soon he's going to start remembering that terrible place! :(

But he is growing like a weed. He is in the 30th percentile, which, at this point, I am not too concerned about. I know that as they get older, that percentile changes and fluctuates quite a bit. :) He is growing great - 21 pounds and 10 ounces these days, and 29 1/2 inches long. :) Love every part of that sweet boy!

And out littlest addition is doing well too. We just had a 3D ultrasound done in Abilene the other day and it was SO exciting...and shocking.

When I write this, I still am in shock.

We are having a GIRL.

Wow. Justin and I were floored because we actually thought it was a boy, after the last ultrasound! The tech had told us there was about a 65 percent chance it was a boy....so that's what we were thinking.

Lol. The LORD had different plans.

And wow is all I have to say!

We are just really excited! I cannot believe the LORD is blessing us with the best of both worlds. I feel so lucky...as Justin put it the other day, "I feel like I've won the lottery." Lol.

You NEVER know what the LORD has up His sleeve. And of course, she was beautiful up there on that screen. One of the most beautiful things I have EVER seen in my life. :)

So happy. Sigh. :)

Poopy day...:) Adventures in mommiehood.

Warning to all you prego mommas who might read this and, pretty much anyone with a weak tummy. It's disgusting!

Okay so you've been warned. Read on if you dare!

It started as a good day today! Kaleb and I went to the store, and then over to my grandma's to check on her because she's had some issues lately. She was having a good day, which made us happy. It was her birthday Monday so I think all the company who's been visiting her because of that has helped her not to think about her problems right now. She had a heart attack about a week ago, and was sent home with tons of meds that don't seem to be doing great - she's still had some issues since she's been on them and they are thinking of putting in a pacemaker. Yucky stuff. But she's stayed spunky through it all. She's such a trooper.

So, we came home and Kaleb had his nap. It was a good one, long - about two hours or so, and I was happy about that!

Then, Daddy got home!

He proceeded to tell me he had had the worst day he's had in a long, long time...which made me so sad.

Work had been really bad, because of many things. They have four different parts to their plant, and every one of them had shut down. Following that, there were 18 people stuffed into this little, tiny office that Justin works in, and HE was the one who had to get everything back "online" while the 18 people were talking...hard to do, to say the least.

He had a hard day, and I felt terrible for him!

I had had a strange feeling about him today, anyway, because when I'd called earlier in the day, when he answered, I heard all these voices in the background, and I couldn't even hear Justin talking. Sounded really busy....needless to say, when he got home, he sat down..He said he hadn't had a chance to sit all day. Poor guy!

Anyway, so that happened, and then comes the gross part!

Kaleb decided to eat his own poop today!!!

Yeah....so, his Oma and Opa (grandma and grandpa) were visitng, and while I was chatting with Oma, I realized his diaper looked a bit funny...like, part of it had given him a wedgie! Lol...It was on crooked...and I was meaning to fix it, honestly! I just hadn't gotten there yet...And then....next thing we know, Oma looked down, and asked me, "What's he eating?"

I looked down at K and he had poop all over his hand and was tasting it...

GROSSSSSSSS!!!!!!

All sorts of things go off in your head, like, "Oh no, I hope he doesn't get sick!"

And then I realized there was poop...on the ground around him...and that it had escaped his diaper and gotten on the floor, and, on the fireplace bricks in front of him!!!

As we carried him into his room, it even ended up in the hallway.

Yep, told you this was disgusting!

Oh, I really thought I was experiencing all there was to be a mom.

Turns out I had only brushed the surface.

I wonder if my sister in law, who now has five children, has even experienced that.

Anyway, K got a good bath, and of course I made sure that he didn't have any more in his mouth...Yuck....poor baby. I just really hope that he doesn't get sick now! I don't think he even swallowed any or anything like that. But tasting poop - who would DO that????!! Yes, a baby would. My baby.

Wow, mommiehood is such an adventure!!!

Been a rainbow kind of year...

It's been a rainbow kind of year.

We have experienced some of the most amazing miracles of our lives...in so many ways.




We have experienced the birth of a child. Our child.

It is the best gift a couple can receive.

Kaleb has been a delight, and he keeps getting more and more delightful as he grows. He is good natured and sweet most of the time, and for that, momma is eternally grateful to the LORD!

And then...at the end of April, just SEVEN months after Kaleb, we found out we were going to be blessed again with another bundle.

Wow.

Can't express my gratitude to the LORD (and my surprise!). Beautiful little blessing coming in January 2012.

Then...if that was not enough...the LORD decided to bless us with a house, in TOWN! Cannot express my joy about that either, because we'd been so far in the country. It's nice being in the country, but I think it was time for us to live in town. Just makes it easier to get everywhere!

And now, we have a one year old. I cannot believe time has flown by so fast.

To top it off, yesterday I found out one of my good friends is pregnant again. She, of all people, deserves it more than I know right now. Last year she was pregnant with me and lost her baby as a stillborn just about two weeks before I gave birth to Kaleb. It was devastating. But the LORD has been with her and her husband throughout the whole process and they have started an amazing organization called the Holden Uganda Foundation, that provides clean water to those in Uganda. It has helped countless lives already. No doubt that with the LORD's help they have turned ashes into beauty. But...I cannot express my gratitude, once again, to the LORD, for this precious new life she is carrying. Amazing how He works. Last time we were pregnant together our babies were just about two weeks apart. This time, they will be about two months. I had really, really wanted her to be pregnant again with me, although, of course, I had never told her that. Still not sure how everything is making her feel right now, with what happened before. But I am so excited for her to be on this journey with me again.

And that's what leads me to the rainbow...again.

Last year, the day after her son's funeral, I took the rainbow picture at the top of this blog...and didn't know just how much it would symbolize to me. But...looking back, it symbolizes so much.

You see, I am a rainbow fanatic. I really think the LORD speaks through rainbows to people, and I feel like the day he gave us that rainbow was a sign of good things to come. At the time, I knew it was Holden's rainbow.

But there have been so many good things this year, both for Chet and Sarah, through their devastating situation, and with our lives. The LORD has SO many good things up His sleeve. He always has countless blessings, just waiting for us, even through rough times, such as Chet and Sarah's year.

It's been a rainbow kind of year. :) Thank you, LORD, for showing us your beauty in so many, many ways, both through the good, and the bad. Every promise you make is yes, and amen.

Gen. 9:12-16

"And God said, 'This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come. I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.'"

Tabasco sauce...

It was a Tabasco sauce kind of day.

Meaning...my sweet Kaleb decided at the grocery store that he would throw the Tabasco sauce out of the cart onto the floor, spilling it everywhere. During my cleaning up of the cart, and him, I put his paci back into his mouth...only to find out that it had Tabasco sauce on it too...after he had rubbed his eyes and his whole face had turned beet red due to a reaction. Needless to say, he was crying, and not just because he was sad!

I didn't quite know how to react to the situation, but I did the best thing I knew...since I had SO many groceries in the cart, and still needed more! He cannot live without his paci sometimes though - especially if he's been crying.

So I hurried to the front of the store, with him screaming and crying, his face bright red with a developing rash (yes, it was THAT fast!) and rubbing his eyes and mouth over and over. Of course, he didn't know that that was actually not helping the situation at all! His eyes were turning a deeper and deeper shade of red as I grabbed a courtesy clerk at the front and asked him if he could watch K for just a sec while I ran out to the car to grab his milk. Know how when you eat spicy stuff, sometimes they say to drink milk afterward to get rid of the sting in your mouth? It was all I could think of at the moment! Plus, K loves his bottle, and, if there's ever a time he's inconsolable, it helps immediately.

It was one of those moments, when, as you frantically go through the list of what to do in your head, you are telling your child (and yourself!) over and over that "It's going to be okay, just a minute...It's going to be okay. You're okay." Even though you are kind of questioning in your head whether it really will be!

Lol. I laugh now but it was SO sad! For one, I felt TERRIBLE for letting him even look at the Tabasco bottle. HELLO? Moms just don't DO that! I felt like a failure mommie! Of course, he had several other things he was playing with in the basket, but I should NOT have let that be one of them.

He does occasionally like the throw-down-and-watch-mommie-pick-it-up game. So...I should have known he would do it with the Tabasco sauce bottle.

I never BUY Tabasco sauce, though, either! THAT makes me mad! It all started with trying out a dumb new recipe - which, sounded okay but not great. Yeah, needless to say, I won't be making it. Every time I think about making it, it makes me picture my baby with a beet red rash spreading all over his face.

Thankfully, the Lord was definitely watching over me and K (as He knew he needed to...lol - blond!). The courtesy clerk who watched Kaleb for me turned out to have a three year old himself, and he knew just how to make him happy while I went to fish for K's bottle of milk. He ended up taking out our groceries for us later, and K was smiling and talking to him, just like he was an old buddy. It was really quite humorous.

The milk did help with the spicy taste in K's mouth. However, no matter how much I wash that paci, it just does not have the same appeal to my precious boy anymore. Now when he takes it and puts it in his mouth, he turns it around and around, then spits it out a few seconds later. Clearly it still reminds him of a jalepeno pepper.

He still has a bit of a rash around his mouth, but he is doing okay. His eyes are better too, and I think he survived.

Lesson learned, momma.

I DON'T like Tabasco anymore.

And, neither does my Kaleb.

Obviously.

God has BIG plans...

There are so many things transpiring!
Of course, our lives have become pretty exciting recently, what with a new house, a new baby on the way, and an almost one year old, to name a few.

Our precious Kaleb Lee will be one on September 22nd, and I cannot believe how fast this year has gone by. Seems like just yesterday I was holding him in my arms and kissing him for the first time. But instead, it was almost exactly a year ago. Having a child makes life so much richer, and I guess it makes the time go so much faster!

This year has been an adventure. I know most moms would say that, and I am no exception. Kaleb has taught me a lot in the short time he's been here, and it's been hard, yet rewarding, yet such a joy filled time. I never thought being a parent would be so HARD, yet, in the same way, SO joy filled. It's amazing to me. Actually, I knew it would be hard. I guess, though, that you're never prepared for all that comes your way until it actually does! :) But somehow, as a good friend put it recently, the Lord fills you with strength you never knew you had. The hard nights become blessings in disguise.

It has been overwhelmingly fun though. The love a parent feels for their child is like no other love you can describe. It's indescribable, as another friend has put it recently. It's a combination of the best joy you've ever felt here on this planet, the best hugs you've ever had, and the best, sweetest moments Jesus can offer you in this life.

Kaleb was born with acid reflux. He was also colicky. The two did NOT mix well! I spent endless nights up with him, crying throughout the night, for four, five, six hours at a time, and he wouldn't stop. It was a battle I felt I couldn't win, because not only did I feel like I tried everything, but breastfeeding literally made me sick. Sadly, after doing some research, I've found that it's fairly common for a woman to breastfeed and feel lightheaded and nauseous. Some women have a hard time with the hormone Oxytocin, which increases a great amount during breastfeeding. I guess I may be one of them. For me, the nausea lasted almost all day, and top that off with a baby crying for hours upon hours, and it was really hard. I felt like I was pregnant again! The hardest part was that after a feeding, Kaleb would spit up almost the entire feeding. So it was like he had never eaten to begin with. The crying would begin after about 10 minutes, because he was hungry again. He wasn't gaining weight either. He stayed at nine pounds for over a month after he was born.

Thanks to a good friend for pointing me in the right direction (to a pediatrician in Abilene), at three and a half months, we were able to find a solution. The pediatrician my friend referred me to helped us narrow down the problem, find a solution (a combo of medication for the acid reflux, less breastfeeding, and an added bottle of formula a day with cereal). It helped almost immediately. He gained a pound in one week. It was amazing. He had literally been starving. Sadly, you could see it in the poor baby's eyes - they had been sunken in like he was malnourished! It had made my momma heart so sad!

So...from then on things started looking up. I have to admit, it was a pretty difficult postpartum period for me, as I'm sure it is for many, many women. I think I may have dealt with some depression, as well, which didn't help with things!

But, despite those issues, the last year has been SO wonderful with our Kaleb. He is literally a JOY to be around. People always told me at the beginning, when he was so fussy, that fussy babies turn out to be amazing, sweet toddlers. I couldn't say this is more true. People brag quite often after taking care of him that he is a good baby. I must brag myself (of course, I'm his momma!) that I think so. To make my point (smile) this last weekend I worked in the nursery at the church. ALL the babies were crying and fussy pretty much throughout the whole time I was in there! Granted, I have worked in there before and this is usually not the case. We usually have a pretty good set of babies in there - good temperaments, sweet. But not this last Sunday. There was something in the air! Anyway, my baby boy was not crying. :) (Just a little bragging there - a momma's gotta do it sometimes!) He was just as content as ever. :) That is just an example. He is pretty laid back.

He does have his moments, and he's pretty particular about some things. We are trying to wean him off the bottle right now, and he's actually doing okay with it. But he can still be pretty picky about eating time, and cranky when he's hungry, of course. But, I would say, for the most part, he's an "easy" baby. And...everyone was right all along. :)

I absolutely LOVE being a momma. And I LOVE my K-Boo. He is my pride and my joy. I am glad that I can call him mine.

We will celebrate his birthday this Saturday at his Oma's (grandma's) along with both sets of grandparents, his aunt and uncle and cousins, his great grandma, and possibly his great aunt and uncle and second cousins, as well. It's going to be a monkey theme, of course! Momma wouldn't have it any other way....:) I will post pics when we are done!

As for Littlest E (that is what I am referring to them as, since we are still not sure of the gender!), they are doing great. The pregnancy is going well, and we are 21 weeks now! Yay!! It has FLOWN by so far.

Some exciting news about them is that - ....they have a birthday!!! The date is set for the 16th of January, provided they do not decide to join us sooner. :) I am electing to a C section this time, because we did last time, and I will only be 16 months postpartum. My doctor said he usually does a planned C section one week prior to your due date. He gave me the choice of Friday the 13th. I declined. NO THANKS! Even though I am NOT superstitious, I do believe this is one exception. My brother was born on Friday the 13th, and he is a perfectly fine individual, however....I really don't want to give myself any more anxiety that day than need be...and I believe it just might make me a bit anxious to deliver on such a date. Yeah, I know, pretty silly. But...hey, if there's ever a reason to be superstitious, I believe that might be one. Just sayin. Now, if this sweet little one decides to arrive on that day, well, I can't do anything about it. But for now, I can, and, I will! :)

Our doctor also teased me about the fact that we may still be having a girl. Haha. Funny. I showed him our ultrasound pics and he said that the technician put on his notes for him a big questionmark for the sex of the baby. He said he knows this tech and has worked with him for a while, and, if he has an idea of what the baby is, but doesn't want to say for sure, he will still put a questionmark next to boy, or a questionmark next to girl. He didn't do that for us. He just put a big old questionmark. Hmmmm. Well...that kind of makes me a little interested in what the Lord may have up His sleeve, since I've been telling everyone I believe it may be a boy (since the tech had told us if he had to lean one direction that would be it). But now...I have no clue. I KNOW the Lord knows I like surprises. So...he's making this pregnancy especially fun. Lol. Anyway, we have another ultrasound we'll set up around 28-30 weeks. Maybe then we'll see. :) I am such a planner and this situation makes me laugh. The Lord knows that too. Hehe.

Well, that's pretty much all the big news I know right now. So...I will leave you with this old favorite:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

To my K -Boo...

My, how you've grown over the last month, baby!
I call you my mover and shaker because that's what you are! You are SO ready to walk, and one of these days you are going to take off and momma's not going to know what to do with you!
You are all over the place these days, testing out all your new skills, and there are many!
You love to climb up and stand up, and sometimes you even stand on your own for a bit of time (a few seconds!).
You are just learning how to pull drawers open, and if I leave the room for a second and come back, sometimes I find a pile of your clothes on the floor because you've been rearranging them!
Cabinets are the same way! You love to see what's inside, and pull things out! I have had to rearrange several of my new cabinets in the new house because you are such a curious boy!
You also love clicking your tongue these days, and clapping. You love it when songs come on, and sometimes you dance to them.
You still love your bottle, and that's okay, for now! You still drink at least three a day, but you are eating too, and you will eat lots if momma doesn't stop you! That's fine, and you are a growing boy!
You LOVE cheese, and you LOVE bread. And cheese and bread together is your idea of heaven.
You are not so sure about veggies, and we are still trying with those. From day one, you didn't like them. Sometimes I could get you to eat carrots, but...it's a work in progress, and, I'm afraid, may always be! :)
You take after me in several ways - not only in the picky food department, but also in sleeping and waking. You LOVE your sleep - you will sleep for 12 hours straight! Which, of course, momma loves! But if you are woken up in the middle of your sleep, and when you wake in the morning, sometimes we better watch out! Because until you've had your bottle, you can be Mr. Grumpy! :) As Dada said the other day, "It's all fun and games til we need our bottle!"
Lol!
LOVE spending time with you. We had so much fun the other night before Dada had to go back to work after vacation. You LOVE to play with Dada - he's one of your favorite people! You smile and laugh every time he comes into the room. He literally makes you shine. Momma loves that!
He plays with you all the time and makes you laugh lots.
We are having fun with you, little man, and can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for your life. :)


To my new little bean...

You are so precious to my heart already. Can you believe you will be 19 weeks along already tomorrow? Seems like time is flying by with you in my tummy, and pretty soon we will be at the halfway point of pregnancy together. I feel as though I have just found out about you, but that's not the case!
I wonder what you will look like! I wonder if you will have your brother's eyes, or your daddy's hair.
I wonder if you'll smile and laugh as much as your brother, or if you'll be more on the serious side.
I wonder if you'll have my funky toes, and take after my short side of the family.
I wonder lots of things.
It's so fun to think about all the things you and your brother will be able to do together - he can teach you all he knows!
Momma and Daddy have had so much fun with him in his short little life so far, and no doubt you will just add to the fun!
I know he will love teaching you things, and showing you how to crawl, and to giggle, and to make funny faces, and to click your tongue!
I can't wait to meet you!
When your brother was inside my tummy, I enjoyed every moment (well, almost!) of being pregnant with him. I didn't mind so much the 9 months it took for him to develop and grow and be ready to meet us.
But with you, I want you here now! I am so excited to meet you and to know who you are, sweet one.
But I guess we shall wait! We are not even sure if you are a boy or girl!
But until then, we will have fun dreaming, and getting your room ready, and getting your house ready for you to enter this world and have fun with us too.
Little one, we look forward to meeting you!

It's just not time yet...

Well, I told you I would let you know what happened on Friday during our 18 week sonogram appointment.
So...here I am to tell you...and somewhat disappointed. :)

Because we still really don't know whether we will be having a boy or girl!

The ultrasound tech checked all of the organs functions - the heart, the kidneys, the bladder, the stomach. All looked normal and like they were functioning properly. Little E. #2 (which I will still refer to them as!) even swallowed while we were there, and pee'd! He checked the hands and the feet, to see if they looked normal, and the spine, and the skin on the spine for any tumors. All looked well. He even looked at the brain (it's amazing all the stuff this equipment can do!). It was all so interesting to me and Justin and fun to see those little parts working already. He or she placed his hand on his knee, and they were moving a bunch.

But, Baby E. #2 is breech, and it was very hard to decipher their sex. The tech tried over and over and over again to get different angles, but it was never easy enough to say one way or the other.

He kept telling us, "Well, it's just too hard to say...I have been wrong before." He explained to us that he would possibly say boy, but doesn't want to say for sure. I think he may be scared about lawsuits...Lol. It's funny but when we looked at the pictures he gave us later, we seriously decided it looks like a boy. But...I do know that sometimes it can look like a boy on the ultrasound screen, and turn out to be a girl. He said he's had that happen more than once.

And I've had several friends who said they had that happen - the tech told them it was a boy, only to find out later it was actually a girl.

So...all that said, I guess we're still waiting on this little one to reveal themselves! They are a bit on the shy side, I suppose. :)

That's okay ...Surprises are fun! The Lord knows what's best - and He knows me! He knows I like surprises. :) So...we are still waiting. Until then, we will rest assured knowing we have a large supply of infant boy clothes waiting in tubs to be opened in the right time.

It's just not time yet! :)

We will post pictures later when we get our printer up and running...or I can get to Aunt Shelly's house and scan them! They really are darling - we got some of the profile. :)

We have opted this time, different from when we had Kaleb, to do a third ultrasound. Maybe then, Littlest E will not be so shy! :)

Ribbons and bows or puppy dogs tails...

Several new things on the horizon...As of this week, we have lots of new things progressing...A new table...a possible new couch and loveseat, and come Friday, we will know whether to buy either blue or pink for January! We will have our sonogram Friday! We are beyond excited about it and I am literally counting the hours til we know. I know, pretty crazy, yes, I am. But seriously, it's going to help us in a lot of ways.

We really won't need to buy a lot if it's a boy, for obvious reasons.
This is Justin and K on our old couch (a futon, which, we have been very blessed to own, considering it was given to us for free by some very sweet friends, and it's in like brand new shape.) Our new couch and loveseat are beeeeee-autiful and if it's possible to be in love with something you sit in, I can honestly say I am! They are brown leather. The loveseat has a center console, with each side having both a rocking and reclining feature. The couch also has a powered reclining feature. Heaven...We are considering buying one of those powered massage pads to put in them...and we will never want to leave the living room. Can you say spoiled?...Yes. Hey, I use the excuse that I am going to have a baby in January and will most undoubtedly need the rocking/reclining feature...right? Breastfeeding is hard work, but somebody's gotta do it! Lol.
About two weekends ago, we went to Nana and Grandpa's (my parents) place to swim and have fun and get the table. They live in Midland and have a beautiful pool so we decided to let Kaleb try out his skills. He was a pro in the water (in the floatie!) and yes, as you can see, Justin used the life preserver to test them out. Kaleb did not care however, and every moment was pure bliss, full of cackling. I think he may take after his momma and daddy when it comes to water.

Great Grandpa Darr also deserved a visit. He LOVES his great grandson, and Kaleb is the first great grandchild. :)
Nana decided Kaleb also got to test out his tastebuds on jelly and butter. The verdict? Jelly and butter are definitely winners in his book.
But spaghetti at the Olive Garden...hmm...still deciding...
He loves to wave...even at bugs. And cars. And trucks. Pretty much anything moving deserves a wave.
And new little E is growing!!! This is me at 16 weeks!
Like I said, we go this Friday at 9 a.m. to find out this little one's gender. It seems like it's taken FOREVER to get to this point, but at the same time, I'm like, "Wow, are we ready???? This means 'real,' and this means, 'We actually have to start planning,' and this means, 'Wow, this is actually happening again...'"!

On one hand we are very excited - don't get me wrong. But on the other hand, we are SO nervous. Wow. Having two children in diapers and only 16 months apart is going to be like a roller coaster ride. And if this sweet little one has as many issues as Kaleb had when he was first born, it is going to be one CRAZY ride. But at the same time, we wanted this. We wanted our children close, and we were by no means against it. I am SO happy to be pregnant again, and SO excited, whatever it is, whether it's a boy or girl, and this time, even more so than I was last time, because I just want them to be a good, good friend for our Kaleb. Sometimes I worry that I may not love this next one as much as I love Kaleb - it's hard to fathom loving someone as much - but I know I will.

Our next post will no doubt be exciting, though. Blue or pink? Ribbons and bows or puppy dogs tails? We will see!

Blessings

13 weeks! Can't believe we've already come this far!


Boxes...
Alayna and Kaleb!
More boxes!
This has been our life the last few weeks!
Boxes, boxes, and more boxes!
Messes, messes, and more messes! Lots of "What am I going to do with this?" and "Do we really need this?" and "Why do we have this in the first place?"
I never realized how much stuff we accumulated until we decided to actually move!

But we are starting to see the end of the tunnel. We are almost all moved into our new house! It was a pretty quick move, within a couple of days, really, because of several reasons, but I am pretty glad we did it. It was a bit hectic and stressful because of that, and the fact that I am pregnant, and was still having some issues with the pregnancy, so I couldn't really do as much "moving" as I'd have liked. Then, Kaleb came down with a really nasty cold and fever that got up to 103 one day, and gave it to me, so during the moving process we were also miserable! But, amidst the chaos, and the 110 degree weather, we did it. We have some really dear friends to us from church, John and Alayna Mcroberts, who helped us move the majority of our stuff into our new place, while my mother in law and my grandmother helped paint Kaleb and new little ones room. I have to brag on my 74 year old grandmother, though - she is a saint! She helped us clean so much, and got our bathrooms sparkling clean for us in the new place! She worked hard day and night the last week and a half, helping me do whatever I needed. She was pretty much at my beck and call, and would come over each day and ask what else needed to be done and where she'd be needed the most! Wow she's amazing! My sister in law, Shelly, is also so sweet and cleaned out all the cabinets and the countertops in the kitchen one day for me too, and that was a huge blessing to me as well. All of the help has been so awesome, and we couldn't have done it without all these precious souls! :) I thank the Lord for them!

We just have some random things left at the old place and we have about a week to get them out. It is massively dirty in there, due to the move, so we need to go clean in there as well.

This week we are focusing on getting new furniture for the dining room along with cleaning out the old house. Tomorrow we head to Midland to check out furniture stores, and we will leave K with my mom, who is loving that idea! She eats up any time she gets with him and is the best Nana! :) I know he will love climbing on anything he can get his hands on in her house tomorrow!
Friday we will head to Abilene to check out stores there. We want to see as much of a selection as possible.

Saturday we are having some sweet friends over, Jada and Daniel Burk, and that should be fun to show them our new house! It's not completely put together, of course, I haven't decorated much at all, and our "office" is a big mess, but I am excited for them to see the house.

Kaleb is now 10 months old! My how the time has flown! He has grown by leaps and bounds this month, and is crawling, pulling up on everything he can get his hands on (including the brick fireplace in our new house - eek! We are going to get a "bumper" for it asap!), standing, and walking holding onto our hands. He LOVES his newfound freedom and abilities, and grins from ear to ear when you applaud him. He is also starting to jargon, and talk to anyone who will listen. It's fun to "talk" back! :) He waves hi and bye at anyone and anything, even flies! Lol. He also loves the outdoors and going for walks in the park to see the ducks. Our new house is so fun because the park is right down the road, and I take him there almost every morning in his stroller. I look forward to making that a habit, even with our new little one! :)

Speaking of our new little one, we will find out on August 19th whether K will have a brother or a sister! SO excited about that. Justin and I would really love to have a girl this time, but if we are blessed with another boy, it will be awesome too because K will have a best friend. It's funny but I really honestly have no preference as long as they are healthy. I am just excited to give Kaleb a good friend! :)

There is so much excitement in our household right now. Excitement mixed with stress, of course, and knowing that life will change yet again very dramatically within the upcoming months after new Little E arrives. If it's a girl, we have like, nothing! If it's a boy, we have like, everything! One thing we will need to buy regardless of the sex is a double jogging stroller. I am going to use it in the park, all the time. I think it will be a necessity for my sanity! When this next baby comes, I plan to get outside more than I did when I had Kaleb, because I can! There is no excuse when you live just a street over from the park! It will be an awesome stress reliever.

Kaleb's birthday is coming up, too, and I want to have a fun little monkey party in September! ;)

I would also LOVE to get some pics up for you all of the new house, but I am still going to wait. I know, stupid, really, but I want to wait til we get our new furniture! It'll just make it all that much better! :) Hehe. I know, I'm silly. Just know that it is majorly more room than we'd been living in. That is seriously awesome. When we go down the hallway, we now feel like it takes forever to get to the kitchen. Lol!

Well folks, that's all for now. It's enough! :)

Starting of summer fun!

After swimming today, we had some crazy hair!








But we had LOTS of fun making our hair crazy!




"You really trust me with this, momma?" Swimmin in the dough....



Daddy and Kaleb fun!



Our little cowboy!

NEW adventures...and little beans...

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate." Psalm 127: 3-5


So...we have a bit of an announcement.

I am feeling so blessed. Not only do I have a beautiful, precious nine month old, but I have a new little bean that is nine weeks along inside of me!...

I have waited a while to post because we were not able to get to the doctor yet until now, and wanted to wait til we had our sonogram and heard their sweet heartbeat.

Yes, it is soon, I know! Kaleb and this little one will be just 16 months apart! Because of this, I am going to have another C section since I cannot do a VBAC.Doctors prefer you to have a VBAC at least 18 months post partum I believe.

We are thrilled though. A little surprised, yes, but thrilled! We wanted our children close in age, and they will be. Hopefully they will be the best of friends because of it. (and enemies sometimes, I know!)

Yesterday I had my first doctor's appointment and heard our little bean's first beautiful heartbeat, and today we had a sonogram and saw him or her. The sonogram showed that he or she is anywhere from 9 weeks and 4 days gestation to 10 weeks and 4 days gestation. It's give or take 6 days or so. I am excited because it means I'm closer to the 12 week mark, meaning I will be less likely to have a miscarriage then. They say 12 weeks is a good turning point. I have had a few complications with bleeding this pregnancy, which I never had with Kaleb at all, so it has concerned me. It was actually why we got our doctor's appointment when we did. But hearing the heartbeat and seeing them on the screen moving was SO reassuring. My doctor said he thinks it's probably implantation bleeding...which I will take at his word and not worry. Just praying for a beautiful, healthy baby. So that is something I have been LONGING to share with you!

We really have so much going on right now! Our house is about to be very, very busy, for a long, long time! Lol.
Here's a passage I have clung to this last month:


"The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore." Psalm 121:5-8



I love this passage right now! The Lord has brought it to me several times over the last month or two as we've been praying and seeking His will for our lives on a new house. I think it speaks to me because it's a reminder of His faithfulness. He will ALWAYS watch over us, no matter where we are, and he will keep our going out and coming in forever! Praise Him for that!

I guess it's safe to say, now, that by July 8, we will be the proud owners of a wonderful new home by the park that is more spacious inside than I could have hoped. I am SO excited, and so happy. I am looking forward to doing "new homeowner things," like planting flowers in the front, adding potted plants to the porch, and maybe a bench or two. I can't wait to enjoy the beautiful new wood flooring in the living room, and to add our "touches" to things - and to eventually buy new furniture to make it pretty! I LOVE decorating! Even though we are needing to save right now, it's fun and exciting to think about the things I eventually look forward to doing because it's "mine". What a concept! I've never owned a home, and how fun! Of course there are the necessary things that will need to be done now ourselves, since a landlord will not be responsible anymore! That's okay....:) I just love this little house! In the very near future I will post some pics of it....!

Everything is going well with the house process - we just have a few more details to work out. We are putting in gutters, and I am going to paint Kaleb and "little bean's" room yellow right before we move in! I absolutely LOVE the yellow we have in his room right now here, and I want to do it in his room there too. I think it will work perfectly. Other than that, though, the house is pretty move in ready.

So that is definitely exciting too.

I guess I'll end on one of the best notes, and that is saying that our K has done some major growing over the last month, in several areas. He has finally started really getting around, and is pretty much army crawling everywhere! Look out world, here he comes! I cannot leave him in the room long without coming back to find that he has moved...into another room! He is my little crawler.

He is still not liking solids as much as momma would like, but we are getting there.He does love things like Cheerios, of course, and he likes bananas, and he'll tolerate carrots every once in a while. I think we have a picky, picky eater! Believe me, this momma has tried EVERYTHING to get him to eat his veggies! Lol. It was that one time with ice cream, I'm telling ya, when he decided that EVERYTHING needed to taste like ice cream to go into his mouth. Ah, the mistakes we make as parents! We are getting to solids, slowly.

He has been spending more time at his cousins house recently, and I think it's really helping him come out of his shell. I've noticed, just over the past week, that he is more himself in public places. He used to be really quiet when we'd go to the store, or to church. Now he's not so much! He babbles, and talks to himself, and smiles a lot more. I think he's learning how to socialize in many ways! Him and his cousin David are not very far apart in age, and David is in full blown toddlerhood, and blesses his momma with lots of screaming these days. Well, the other day Auntie Shelly was taking care of him and when I got back to the house, she said she had to get onto David for something. I asked what and she said David, in one of his "mine" moods, was taking a toy away from Kaleb, and he beat him over the head with a cell phone that was on the floor that she couldn't grab in time! (Of course she had to grab him and give him a spanking...!) Kaleb is getting an education. It made me both laugh and want to cry! My poor little man...but I guess he's learning about other kids...and I am glad to have him around Shelly's family. They are the sweetest bunch there is, and David is not normally like that. It was just one of those toddler moments and Kaleb's head got the brunt of it! On a different note, today we were over there, and I was watching Luke for a minute and taking care of Kaleb, and he was very interested in Luke. Luke is just three months old. It was so cute - he would crawl over to him, and touch him, and just watch him and stare. It was like he was trying to figure out if he was a toy or not! I kept saying, "Be gentle with the baby." Good practice!

K's growing, and I'm excited to see what next month entails. No doubt lots of new adventures. I bought him a little pool today to have outside, and some toys to play with in it. I finally got some Lil' Swimmers. They've been out at Walmart! I got depressed and thought my little guy would never get to experience the blessed feeling of water in the summer because Wally World was out of swim diapers! (Yes a bit of an exaggeration!) But soon we're going to head over to a friends house and do some swimmin. Fun times!

Ahh, good times are definitely ahead. Life has really changed for our family this last month. BUSY times are ahead!

Anyone want to come help pack? :) Hm. Didn't think so.

In August we'll find out what little bean is (meaning whether they're a girl or boy). It will be the hottest month of the summer, and we will be painting their room. We'll take painters too, just in case you're interested.

Haha. EXCITING STUFF!

CARROTS...and SQUASH...and BREAD....

So...just thought I'd share that someone flipped a switch in my baby.

Today he decided to not only eat the carrots I put in front of him, but EVERYTHING else.

Mind you, I'm not giving him a bunch of new food at once, but...it's tempting! Lol. I cannot believe he's finally come around to eating solids.

It's not the baby food jar solids, and that's fine...just means I'll have to do a little more work in the kitchen, but it could keep the bills down a bit.

Today he had a bit of bread (broken up of course), lots of carrots, and some little Graduates Puffs that I let him feed himself...which he also doing pretty well, considering the circumstances. Most of it lands on the floor, but the important part is he understands what to do with it...and some of it ends up in his mouth!

I cannot tell you how HAPPY this makes me!

I was picturing him at five, saying, "Momma, I'm ready for my bottle," at every mealtime.
Seriously.

But yay we're finally coming around.

He even has started smacking his lips every time he sees someone else eat, like he wants to do it too.

Praise the Lord! I told several of my friends at Bunco this week about the solids "problem," and they couldn't believe it. They are all Christians and I think someone's started prayin.

Bring on the solids, baby! Woooohoooo!

Things up God's sleeve...

Gettin ready for Memorial Day...lol.


Happy EIGHT months to my precious baby boy!

I cannot believe it's been this long.
Sometimes these things just hit you...and this month, aside from others recently, just has.

It has proved to be a rather exciting month. Several things have taken place, and some things are in the process...one being a house! We have been looking for a little while. Well, when I say a little while, I mean just this last year or so, and not very seriously. Actually - not seriously at all. We've looked at several homes we got pretty excited about, but all of them seemed almost "too" good. You know when you get so excited about something that you almost have the feeling it's not good? Well, they were too expensive for us, to be exact.

But I think we may have found one we might be able to afford that we are ALSO excited about. Of course, we are (I am, anyway, don't want to speak for my hubby but I bet he feels the same way) still hesitant about it because it might not be what the Lord has in mind for us, but I cannot explain how much more at peace I feel about it. I am at that point where I'm like, fine with whatever happens. I think sometimes we need to get to that point or even past it before the Lord can actually do the work He wants to. :)

I don't want to go into too much detail about the house but it's in a wonderful location - right close to the park. It's within walking distance of a lot of things, actually - schools, and churches. It's in a good part of town. It's a three bedroom, two bath - what we've been looking for. It's got a nice big backyard, and a large kitchen, and a large bathroom in the master bedroom with his and hers sinks. Lol. That's a must for me and Justin. Well, not really, but he's put up with me enough stealing his time and space in the bathroom! :) Anyway, just a lot of things we've been wanting. And the house is also clean - and well kept, and one of the best parts is a friend of ours owns it. The best part is the price though. It's something we think we may be able to afford. Now that's awesome.

So we are praying about this. If it is what the Lord wants, we will take it. :) Very exciting stuff. We'd love also to help our friends out by taking it off their hands. :)

Going to look at it tomorrow. :)

We have had some very interesting happenings lately with house looking experiences. I don't want to go into too much detail (Trust me, you wouldn't want me to!Lol!) but last week we were really praying and seeking the Lord on another home - one that would have been built for us here. There were no homes for us to see here that would be just like it, so the company had us come out to Lubbock to look at a home that would be almost identical to the one we were interested in having built. It seemed like a "good deal" because the homes are very cheap for what you get, for a brand new home. But when we got there and looked at it, it just didn't feel like home at all. You sometimes want to feel like a home is a "home," right, especially when it's yours? It just didn't have that feel to it, and I know if it was built for us I'd feel the same way. Well, the day left a very sour taste in our mouths because it was when we all started coming down with the stomach flu! Lol! I told Justin, "Hey, maybe that was the Lord's way of telling us how HE feels about us looking at that home!"

It was just too expensive for what we would have gotten.

The Lord works in mysterious ways, that's for sure. :)

But we have a wonderful God who will always answer when you seek Him, and I know He will about this house, too. Hopefully it will be a better answer! Lol. I have a feeling that it will be. I am at least at peace with looking at this one. :)

In other news, K has been rolling everywhere, finally! Today, we really noticed it. You can't really take your eyes off him anymore without him ending up on another side of the room. It's very cute. And I know it's only going to get more interesting from here!

He is also eating more solids. He will now eat refried beans and squash casserole. Lol. I think he just knows what tastes good. Tonight I made a bunch of food for him from scratch. Maybe this will help him! I know baby food tastes disgusting - the kind from the jars. I wouldn't eat it!

So....we are excited about the upcoming months and what the Lord has in store. We'll see. Maybe K will turn one in a brand new home!

SO exciting.

On milestones...

It's been a good few weeks.
Momma got a piano for her birthday, and has been practicing a lot.
It's so fun.

In other news...We went to Dickey's barbecue yesterday, and guess what! K actually ate a solid food. Granted, it was ice cream. But...it was solid!
You see, we've had a big issue with solids.
He just does not like them!
Momma has been trying them with him since he was THREE months old. The doc told us to start then, because he wasn't gaining weight.
Well, needless to say, he did, but not on solids! Lol.Formula has been our source of nutrition. Daddy calls it corn syrup. Lol. (Corn syrup is one of the first ingredients in all of the baby formula...funny, huh?)
But anyway, yesterday, when we tried ice cream, we ate it..and ate it...and ate it. We probably would have eaten enough to make us sick.
I know, I know, it's not necessarily good to try ice cream until your first birthday. (Yes Kristine, I know!:) But...we were desperate! And...momma learned something through the experience. That is that eating from a spoon is not a problem at all, like she had wondered. He opened his mouth up every time he saw that spoon coming with the yummy stuff. So...there we go. It's not the spoon, clearly. It's the taste of things.
But...today we also ate some of great grandma's squash casserole. We opened our mouth again for the goodness. So - momma has decided to start getting creative with the food she gives K. We can do it! We can do it together. But, all this said, we did talk to the doctor about him not eating solids yet. And he told us that it's alright - babies can survive just fine on formula until their first birthday, because it has all the nutrients they need.
It was just so fun, though, that he actually ate from a spoon without spitting it out right away! Maybe momma has just made disgusting food...Lol. Maybe he's been trying to tell me something through all of the spit - that "Momma, you need to make your dinners taste better." Daddy doesn't, because Daddy is sweet and will eat anything I put in front of him. It has just taken Kaleb to tell me! :)
All funniness aside, though, I will not use too many spices or much butter yet. I know that's not good. :)
One other note, too - I think we are getting ready to crawl here soon. I was kind of sad because I have friends with babies Kaleb's age who are already like, practically walking.
Well, K's decided he doesn't need to do anything but sit, and occasionally roll...perfectly content just hangin out. Which, of course is fine with momma and daddy, because the more mobile he is, the more owies he'll get.
But...it would still be fun if he wanted to be more mobile. So...he's started. He's at that stage where he'll move around pretty good on his tummy - he just can't figure out that those legs and knees will get him far if he just tries. He gives up pretty easily, and puts his head down and cries. It makes me sad and I pick him up probably all too early. But it makes my mommy heart sad when he cries! :)
We shall see. It's just kind of fun waiting and watching....