So, I know I'm very slack with blogs these days. Life is busy! Even though we try to keep it simple, having 4 children 5 and under keeps us going.
Just going to briefly, and please excuse any grammatical errors, give quick little updates. Forgive me if I repeat myself as I can't even remember what I've posted about lately! :-) Wow, life is crazy but oh so blessed!
As you know we're constantly trying to improve ourselves in the Wicker Household. We make a huge effort to include God in every minute of every day, because that is what matters most. Then, we concentrate on our family and friends- loving others. Just before Christmas, a friend of mine, Sarah found out she had breast cancer. I have to admit I was devastated, and I think about her and pray for her EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I didn't meet Sarah until after I had Bradley, but we met through Bible Study where I also met some other great life long friends. Sarah and her husband, Chad, have 2 precious twin girls Bradley's age. One of them is in Bradley's class. Sarah has been a wonderful friend to me. We met right before I started going through fertility treatments and connected through our stories of that as she had been down that road too. She was there through the triplets pregnancy, came to see me in the hospital, and came to visit Austin throughout his NICU stay. Not all of my friends or even family could handle that hard time in my life like Sarah did. While we don't talk as often as I'd like, nor see each other much, she is still a special person in my life and I love her for always being here for my family and me. She definitely holds a special place in my heart! So, at just 36 it was hard to believe her cancer diagnosis- she is too young for this in my opinion. However, she is remaining positive and upbeat. And, I'm just amazed by her . . . by GOD! She is a believer, and says God has given her peace. She is handling this diagnosis with such strength and grace- no doubt that is God working in and through her. So, next Wednesday she is is having a double mastectomy and I want all of you to please be praying for her and her family. Pray for her surgeon and the doctors that will be working on her case. Pray for the test results, after the surgery, to come back showing that the surgery got everything. She wants to ensure with the mastectomy that she will be around for 50+ more years, so pray for her peace about that as well. Pray for her strength, for her family to cope well as she is recovering, and for God to cover them in His protection. Just pray, pray, pray in anyway that God places it on your heart to pray.
So, Sarah doesn't have any risk factors, no family history, eats healthy, and doesn't have any bad habits. It just blows my mind. This has led me to think about each little thing that my family consumes and other things we can do to try to be as healthy as possible. Thus leading to me start up a produce co-op. I've been interested in starting one for awhile and even participated in one last spring and summer- and it was great. This one will be through a local produce company, Senn Brothers, based out at the Farmer's Market. I've found 17 other families to participate. I will order the produce every other week and it will be delivered on Fridays biweekly. Then, I will sort the items and everyone will come pick them up in the next day. We will be getting good quality items for cheaper prices than the grocery stores offer. I'm very excited about it. I'm also trying to decrease the amount of processed foods we consume and eat more fruits, veggies, and healthy proteins. I'm hoping this will help us stay healthy, fit, and be good on the pocketbook too. I'm also thinking about making my own laundry and dish detergent as well. It's pretty interesting how God is planting these seeds, because at the same time as all of these thoughts to keep my family healthy were going through my mind a friend posted recipes to the detergents on Facebook. Crazy huh?!?! The more simple life is the more we can focus on THE word of the Lord right? Another friend is checking into buying meat in bulk too to see if we can get a better price on lean meats.
We do have our house on the market, but we are just taking that one day at a time. The end result to be in a very family oriented neighborhood with lots to do as a family makes any aggravation more bearable as well as getting into a house that better suites our family and doesn't have wasted space. Obviously this isn't a busy time of the year in real estate, so we know it may take a few months for things to pickup. We have had a few people come and see the house and have gotten great feedback so far.
Bradley is having his tonsils and adenoids removed this Friday as I posted before, so please keep him in your prayers.
We've planned a family vacation this summer to Isle of Palms and are so excited. We're going with Chris' sister and her family, so I'm sure that will make it extra fun to have others to hangout with- we all like to do the same things and eat lots of good while on vacation. The countdown is on . . .less than 5 months! Yay! That also means I've got less than 5 months to get this body in shape- what a work in progress after birthing 6 kids, but I'll keep working at it. Exercise makes me a better person all around especially a better wife and mom.
Also, please be praying for us as we plan to return to church after RSV season (mid March). The doctors have given Austin the ok to go into church nursery as well as register him for preschool next year. They said it's ok to see how he does and try it. Pray for God to grant us peace and keep Austin well as well as the whole family! I'm very excited about this too, and I'm going to be starting a 4 week Bible Study tomorrow too. My 1st group study since I got pregnant with the triplets. It's about learning how to teach others about God which is very cool.
So, sorry this is so quick and all over the place- BUT the main reason for the post was to ask for prayers for Sarah. Thank you all so much!
Tuesday, January 10
Thursday, December 29
Frequent flyer miles at the ENT????
Austin came through well with his tonsillectomy (and adenoidectomy). He is almost 3 weeks out from surgery, so we are past the most critical point. Praise God! He did have trouble with his SATS immediately after surgery, but they just kept him a few hours longer and he evened out as the anesthesia wore off. He has always done that. He had his follow-up with the ENT last week, and the ENT said that his sleep should have already improved. Unfortunately it really hasn't. He gave Austin 2 months to recover and if no better then we'll repeat the sleep study to see if he is still having apnea. If so, then I'm not sure what that means or what next. Praying that he starts to improve a lot now. God can make miracles happen as we know, so please be praying that his sleep improves drastically, that he begins to eat and grows great, and stays well! Austin is old enough that he should really start to catch up in all aspects of his life, so we want to see this happen for him. We want Austin to be the best Austin possible, so please be praying!
All 4 kids were actually seen at the ENT last week . . . we need frequent flyer miles there or something! Bradley was seen, because the ENT had asked about the other kids at one point and we had told him that Bradley snores and sleeps a lot. So, he said that he needed to be seen suspecting some sleep apnea. He asked some questions about Bradley's sleep and examined him and said that his tonsils and adenoids need to be removed. They're huge, so we're going to do that on January 13th. I'm hopeful that Bradley sleeps so restlessly that he is bothering Austin, and that we'll see an improvement in both big boys after Bradley's surgery. Bradley will be out of school 7-10 days. Then, Cameron was seen because she is having recurring sinus infections. It's constant, but she is refluxing out of her nose again (she did this as a younger baby when they ruled out that she had a cleft palate after having a procedure done in the office). So, the doctor said we need to get the reflux under control for a couple of months before we consider removing her adenoids. She just keeps a yucky runny nose and always rubs her eyes and face like they hurt. And, last Davis had his hearing checked and a follow-up from having tubes. And, all looked great with him. He hasn't been on antibiotics in 3 weeks- yay. He stayed on them from 3 months until his tubes were placed 3 weeks ago. Tubes are amazing.
We were there a loooonng time, and I wasn't sure I was going to make it- BUT we did only by the grace of God. I'm working on Christmas pictures now. We got some great ones, and I'm so excited. It isn't an easy task with 4 kids, and they may not all be smiling, but as long as no one is crying that is pretty impressive. Hope that post will follow soon!
All 4 kids were actually seen at the ENT last week . . . we need frequent flyer miles there or something! Bradley was seen, because the ENT had asked about the other kids at one point and we had told him that Bradley snores and sleeps a lot. So, he said that he needed to be seen suspecting some sleep apnea. He asked some questions about Bradley's sleep and examined him and said that his tonsils and adenoids need to be removed. They're huge, so we're going to do that on January 13th. I'm hopeful that Bradley sleeps so restlessly that he is bothering Austin, and that we'll see an improvement in both big boys after Bradley's surgery. Bradley will be out of school 7-10 days. Then, Cameron was seen because she is having recurring sinus infections. It's constant, but she is refluxing out of her nose again (she did this as a younger baby when they ruled out that she had a cleft palate after having a procedure done in the office). So, the doctor said we need to get the reflux under control for a couple of months before we consider removing her adenoids. She just keeps a yucky runny nose and always rubs her eyes and face like they hurt. And, last Davis had his hearing checked and a follow-up from having tubes. And, all looked great with him. He hasn't been on antibiotics in 3 weeks- yay. He stayed on them from 3 months until his tubes were placed 3 weeks ago. Tubes are amazing.
We were there a loooonng time, and I wasn't sure I was going to make it- BUT we did only by the grace of God. I'm working on Christmas pictures now. We got some great ones, and I'm so excited. It isn't an easy task with 4 kids, and they may not all be smiling, but as long as no one is crying that is pretty impressive. Hope that post will follow soon!
Monday, December 5
Awesome Austin
So, as many of you know our Austin turned 3 last month. I still can't believe it! Wow! Of course it makes it harder to believe since he is so small. He is truly a perpetual baby. I believe most people think he is 1 since they think him and Cameron are twins. I don't mind it though, because one day he WILL grow up and I'll miss this so much- although I'm sure in my eyes he will always be our special miracle baby. How can you possibly forget all that he has overcome?
So, there is one more thing that Austin has to overcome. We've been waiting for him to turn 3, because for a LONG time his tonsils have been causing major issues. He continues to develop tonsillitis, a throat infection, that requires antibiotics all the time. His huge tonsil may also attribute to his small size as they have caused him to gag often which sometimes leads to vomiting. It can also curve his appetite and make him not want to eat. However, the ENT refused to think about removing them until he turned 3 and then said he must have a sleep study before he thought of doing anything about it. The surgery can be risky and carries a risk of bleeding for about 2 weeks afterwards - and of course just Austin being small and his history carries risks in itself. . . there aren't a whole lot of 23 pound three year olds! So, I've been a little unsure of the surgery, but knew that we had to do the sleep study as enlarged tonsils can cause obstructive sleep apnea. I prayed that he'd be fine and not have any apnea, however his sleep has been awful for as long as we remember and has grown increasingly worse. So, the doctors suspected that apnea was causing the issues. Austin may get up anywhere from 3 to 10 times a night! So, he had his sleep study a couple of weeks ago and it came back showing that he has severe sleep apnea. He has 15+ episodes an hour, and in 7 hours of his sleep study he had 115 events. So, there is no choice but to take out his tonsils (and they will remove his adenoids as well). His surgery is this Friday morning, the 9th. He is scheduled to have it as outpatient at LMC, and if there are issues then he can be transferred to Richland to stay overnight. He has just finished a round of antibiotics, in the last week, for another infection. And, over the last few days his gagging has grown worse and he is vomiting again- so we KNOW that he really need this surgery for multiple reasons.
So, I'm asking that everyone pray hard that there are no issues with anything involving the surgery. The last time Austin was put on the ventilator, for a surgery, he had some issues and had to stay in the PICU overnight. BUT, he was much younger. Pray that he can eat enough to not loose weight during the first couple of weeks after surgery when he will be especially uncomfortable- he can't spare any weight loss. Pray that there are no issues with bleeding. Pray that Chris and I have peace about this and that God works in and through the wonderful doctor. This doctor removed Chris' tonsils and has also done tubes on Austin and Bradley, so we know him well- AND Davis is going to him for tubes soon as well. Pray that Austin's lung disease causes no issues as well. So, just pray for our baby, pray anyway God leads you, and we'll let everyone know as soon as we can how he does.
He is so absolutely precious, as all of our children are, and I just thank God that we've been allowed to have him here for this long. I'm convinced that God has big things planned for that little boy(what big plans he has already had for him in his 3 short years) and that we will get to see him grow into a fine young man.
Thank you all for our prayers in advance and hope everyone has a truly blessed week!
So, there is one more thing that Austin has to overcome. We've been waiting for him to turn 3, because for a LONG time his tonsils have been causing major issues. He continues to develop tonsillitis, a throat infection, that requires antibiotics all the time. His huge tonsil may also attribute to his small size as they have caused him to gag often which sometimes leads to vomiting. It can also curve his appetite and make him not want to eat. However, the ENT refused to think about removing them until he turned 3 and then said he must have a sleep study before he thought of doing anything about it. The surgery can be risky and carries a risk of bleeding for about 2 weeks afterwards - and of course just Austin being small and his history carries risks in itself. . . there aren't a whole lot of 23 pound three year olds! So, I've been a little unsure of the surgery, but knew that we had to do the sleep study as enlarged tonsils can cause obstructive sleep apnea. I prayed that he'd be fine and not have any apnea, however his sleep has been awful for as long as we remember and has grown increasingly worse. So, the doctors suspected that apnea was causing the issues. Austin may get up anywhere from 3 to 10 times a night! So, he had his sleep study a couple of weeks ago and it came back showing that he has severe sleep apnea. He has 15+ episodes an hour, and in 7 hours of his sleep study he had 115 events. So, there is no choice but to take out his tonsils (and they will remove his adenoids as well). His surgery is this Friday morning, the 9th. He is scheduled to have it as outpatient at LMC, and if there are issues then he can be transferred to Richland to stay overnight. He has just finished a round of antibiotics, in the last week, for another infection. And, over the last few days his gagging has grown worse and he is vomiting again- so we KNOW that he really need this surgery for multiple reasons.
So, I'm asking that everyone pray hard that there are no issues with anything involving the surgery. The last time Austin was put on the ventilator, for a surgery, he had some issues and had to stay in the PICU overnight. BUT, he was much younger. Pray that he can eat enough to not loose weight during the first couple of weeks after surgery when he will be especially uncomfortable- he can't spare any weight loss. Pray that there are no issues with bleeding. Pray that Chris and I have peace about this and that God works in and through the wonderful doctor. This doctor removed Chris' tonsils and has also done tubes on Austin and Bradley, so we know him well- AND Davis is going to him for tubes soon as well. Pray that Austin's lung disease causes no issues as well. So, just pray for our baby, pray anyway God leads you, and we'll let everyone know as soon as we can how he does.
He is so absolutely precious, as all of our children are, and I just thank God that we've been allowed to have him here for this long. I'm convinced that God has big things planned for that little boy(what big plans he has already had for him in his 3 short years) and that we will get to see him grow into a fine young man.
Thank you all for our prayers in advance and hope everyone has a truly blessed week!
Thursday, November 10
November
It's November. It has been 3 years, some days 3 LONG years and some days it seems as though it was only yesterday. When I think about how long it has been since those 3 sweet babies were inside of me, alive and well, it doesn't even seem real. . . kinda wondered if I dreamed it all? Were we really expecting triplets? Did God bless us with 3 children all at once?
Thank God one of those precious miracle is still with us to love on each and every second of every day- and I do mean every second because he doesn't sleep - it's really weird- but nevertheless I can't help but be grateful that I can love on him 24-7. He often comes to our bed during the night and we find him sleeping soundly between us, and it's so hard to take him back to his bed sometimes. I always seem to quickly be able to remember those raw emotions of his time in the NICU and just praying that he'd make it and live. We'd see that he was doing truly remarkable for his gestational age despite the daily too often scares, but it was so hard to believe that we'd actually get to watch him grow up. And, now we're doing just that. Austin needs to grow a little better (he was only 22 pounds 14 ounces at the dr a few weeks ago), but we just can't help to be grateful that he is here, his tiny self and all.
November is a time when others remember what they're grateful for as they celebrate the holiday Thanksgiving. We are truly grateful for our life as a family. Our 6 children mean more to my husband and me than we will ever be able to put into words. I could spend everyday stating something else that I'm thankful for when it comes to mothering these 4 babies. I'd be lying though if I didn't say that at the same time my heart yearns to mother my other 2 children. I will always and forever be a mother to six children: Bradley, Austin, Brayden, Alexis, Cameron, and Davis. I sometimes daydream what it'd be like to have all 6 here. Life would be crazy but oh so blessed.
I'm rambling. I'm sorry. There is so much I want to say, and I can't type fast enough to keep up with my thoughts. This blog is such a source of healing for me, because not everyone can handle talking about it. I love when someone can handle it though, because it helps so much. Grief is something that I don't wish on anyone and yet know that everyone will experience it on some level in their life. I pray though that no one has to experience the grief of losing a child. We just aren't built for this. One person described our journey as being "thrown a curve ball." And, that frustrates me because until you experience the loss of a child you truly have no idea.. . I really try to remind myself that people sometimes just don't think things through before they say them and sometimes make absent minded comments. I describe it more like the pitcher hitting the batter. That is probably the best analogy to describe the hurt and emotions that we've experienced if you stick to the baseball analogies. I say we aren't built for it- but what we are built for is to lean on God and we've done just that. We've leaned, cried, screamed, been carried, etc over the last 3 years. And, perhaps this was God's will because he wanted us to learn to FULLY rely on Him. I'm not sure I'll ever know what the reason is for all this- maybe in Heaven, but maybe in Heaven it won't matter. Perhaps we will be so busy worshipping God and fully enjoying that- that all hurt will be erased forever from our minds.
So, it's November. An absolutely beautiful time of year. I love the fall. So much to do and you get to see God's beauty everyday during autumn. .. . ~ deep blue skies ~ gorgeous autumn leaves in hues of orange, yellow, and red ~the cool breeze is so refreshing. Then, there are all the wonderful things like warm fires and hot chocolate that warm our souls as we prepare for the holiday season. A special time to make memories with family picking apples, the SC State Fair, picking pumpkins, trick-or-treating, college football, and just enjoying the nice weather as a family fills our calendar every year during fall. So, we're always assured that God will fill our heart with many good thoughts before, during, and after this hard month. God is so good! I'm so thankful for our awesome God who made the ultimate sacrifice for us, my wonderful husband and life partner in every way, and my six beautiful children.What do you have to be thankful for?
Thank God one of those precious miracle is still with us to love on each and every second of every day- and I do mean every second because he doesn't sleep - it's really weird- but nevertheless I can't help but be grateful that I can love on him 24-7. He often comes to our bed during the night and we find him sleeping soundly between us, and it's so hard to take him back to his bed sometimes. I always seem to quickly be able to remember those raw emotions of his time in the NICU and just praying that he'd make it and live. We'd see that he was doing truly remarkable for his gestational age despite the daily too often scares, but it was so hard to believe that we'd actually get to watch him grow up. And, now we're doing just that. Austin needs to grow a little better (he was only 22 pounds 14 ounces at the dr a few weeks ago), but we just can't help to be grateful that he is here, his tiny self and all.
November is a time when others remember what they're grateful for as they celebrate the holiday Thanksgiving. We are truly grateful for our life as a family. Our 6 children mean more to my husband and me than we will ever be able to put into words. I could spend everyday stating something else that I'm thankful for when it comes to mothering these 4 babies. I'd be lying though if I didn't say that at the same time my heart yearns to mother my other 2 children. I will always and forever be a mother to six children: Bradley, Austin, Brayden, Alexis, Cameron, and Davis. I sometimes daydream what it'd be like to have all 6 here. Life would be crazy but oh so blessed.
I'm rambling. I'm sorry. There is so much I want to say, and I can't type fast enough to keep up with my thoughts. This blog is such a source of healing for me, because not everyone can handle talking about it. I love when someone can handle it though, because it helps so much. Grief is something that I don't wish on anyone and yet know that everyone will experience it on some level in their life. I pray though that no one has to experience the grief of losing a child. We just aren't built for this. One person described our journey as being "thrown a curve ball." And, that frustrates me because until you experience the loss of a child you truly have no idea.. . I really try to remind myself that people sometimes just don't think things through before they say them and sometimes make absent minded comments. I describe it more like the pitcher hitting the batter. That is probably the best analogy to describe the hurt and emotions that we've experienced if you stick to the baseball analogies. I say we aren't built for it- but what we are built for is to lean on God and we've done just that. We've leaned, cried, screamed, been carried, etc over the last 3 years. And, perhaps this was God's will because he wanted us to learn to FULLY rely on Him. I'm not sure I'll ever know what the reason is for all this- maybe in Heaven, but maybe in Heaven it won't matter. Perhaps we will be so busy worshipping God and fully enjoying that- that all hurt will be erased forever from our minds.
So, it's November. An absolutely beautiful time of year. I love the fall. So much to do and you get to see God's beauty everyday during autumn. .. . ~ deep blue skies ~ gorgeous autumn leaves in hues of orange, yellow, and red ~the cool breeze is so refreshing. Then, there are all the wonderful things like warm fires and hot chocolate that warm our souls as we prepare for the holiday season. A special time to make memories with family picking apples, the SC State Fair, picking pumpkins, trick-or-treating, college football, and just enjoying the nice weather as a family fills our calendar every year during fall. So, we're always assured that God will fill our heart with many good thoughts before, during, and after this hard month. God is so good! I'm so thankful for our awesome God who made the ultimate sacrifice for us, my wonderful husband and life partner in every way, and my six beautiful children.What do you have to be thankful for?
Thursday, October 27
Christmas Shopping
Yes, I've already started our Christmas shopping. About a month ago I did some shopping on Amazon. Worked out great- free shipping, arrives in a couple of days, and oh. so. easy. . I L.O.V.E. Internet shopping, especially with the fact that we have 4 children 5 and under . . . 3 of which are under 3! :-) Anyway, I have my little spreadsheet in Excel that has all the kid's names and what they're getting. Helps for several reasons:
1. Reminds me what I've gotten, if for some reason everything isn't in the same spot when it comes time to wrap or put out on Christmas Eve.
2. Helps make sure everything is equal cost wise, because we do believe in that. We love them (the kids) all the same right?!?! And, it isn't hard to do. So, why not?
3. We give each child 3 presents and a stocking, then they get one combined present from their siblings. The other siblings get to pick it out- it will be more fun as they grow older. Then, they exchange the presents on Christmas Eve- great tradition and wasn't started Austin's 1st Christmas at home. Not sure if I wrote last year about the 3 presents, but we hope it will help our children remember the reason for the season. Our children get so much from all 3 sets of grandparents, aunt/uncles, friends, etc.. . so we just don't want their memory of the holidays to be all about the massive number of presents. So, the spreadsheet helps me make sure everyone has the same number as well.
4. Then, I also lists the other people we buy for and list what they're getting as well. I try to keep all the grandparents equal as well as our nieces/nephew.
So my spreadsheet may be a little crazy, but it really helps me stay organized and with 4 little ones that is absolutely necessary. :-)
So, yes I've started shopping and not too far away form being done. Want to know what other awesome website I'm using? Zulily It's pretty cool. Everyday at 9am they have a new lists of deals in housewares, personalized items, kids and women's attire, books, toys etc. Most everything has been a good deal. Then, you buy it . . . tax free, ship it, and it arrives on your doorstep with no hassle. I use paypal to pay which is another awesome site, but you may also just use a credit card, which is what paypal is- I just don't have to take the time to type in my info over and over. So, check out the link and see what you find. How awesome would it be to finish your shopping before Thanksgiving, so you can sit back, worship God, and just enjoy the holidays with your family?!??! By the way, their is a free app for the site on my phone- too cool when I can exercise and shop at the same time? It's all about multi tasking these days.
1. Reminds me what I've gotten, if for some reason everything isn't in the same spot when it comes time to wrap or put out on Christmas Eve.
2. Helps make sure everything is equal cost wise, because we do believe in that. We love them (the kids) all the same right?!?! And, it isn't hard to do. So, why not?
3. We give each child 3 presents and a stocking, then they get one combined present from their siblings. The other siblings get to pick it out- it will be more fun as they grow older. Then, they exchange the presents on Christmas Eve- great tradition and wasn't started Austin's 1st Christmas at home. Not sure if I wrote last year about the 3 presents, but we hope it will help our children remember the reason for the season. Our children get so much from all 3 sets of grandparents, aunt/uncles, friends, etc.. . so we just don't want their memory of the holidays to be all about the massive number of presents. So, the spreadsheet helps me make sure everyone has the same number as well.
4. Then, I also lists the other people we buy for and list what they're getting as well. I try to keep all the grandparents equal as well as our nieces/nephew.
So my spreadsheet may be a little crazy, but it really helps me stay organized and with 4 little ones that is absolutely necessary. :-)
So, yes I've started shopping and not too far away form being done. Want to know what other awesome website I'm using? Zulily It's pretty cool. Everyday at 9am they have a new lists of deals in housewares, personalized items, kids and women's attire, books, toys etc. Most everything has been a good deal. Then, you buy it . . . tax free, ship it, and it arrives on your doorstep with no hassle. I use paypal to pay which is another awesome site, but you may also just use a credit card, which is what paypal is- I just don't have to take the time to type in my info over and over. So, check out the link and see what you find. How awesome would it be to finish your shopping before Thanksgiving, so you can sit back, worship God, and just enjoy the holidays with your family?!??! By the way, their is a free app for the site on my phone- too cool when I can exercise and shop at the same time? It's all about multi tasking these days.
Thursday, October 13
Mommy "Down" Time
(courtesy of Amanda Joy Photography)
So, when these precious little things aren't taking up every minute and I need some ME time I've been checking out this new found obsession: Pinterest! It's very cool. It has everything from crafts to recipes, holiday ideas, fun stuff for the kids, decorating tips, and I've even found some great exercises on there to help get me back in shape. Chris and I've been on there hunting for ideas for the new house, and it has given us some fun couple, quality time together day dreaming. :-) Pinterest is a virtual pin board that allows people to post something cool they found on the Internet to this one home site. Then, your friends can copy the idea to their boards to keep. You can sync the website with Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc to find your friends or you can go on the main board and look at people's, that you don't know, pins. It's a pretty cool concept. However, I have to limit my time on there or else I could spend waaaaayy TOO much time on the site. Enjoy!
Tuesday, October 11
TWO months
Yes, it has been over 2 months since I posted my last post. And, I'm so sorry but life is very busy and I'm just trying to soak in these moments to remember for the rest of my life. Davis Matthew arrived on July 29th a healthy 8 pounds 1 ounce and 20.75 inches. He was our biggest baby at only 37 weeks (no that isn't early, but he was our earliest term baby so I didn't expect him to be that big). However, the ultrasonographer warned that he would be big the day before- and I should have known to trust this woman because she is awesome! Davis did great with absolutely no issues at birth. The delivery at Lexington was awesome and truly a wonderful way for us to finish off our family. . . yes I just said that. . . yes, I'm crazy and saddened by it becasue we were planning to shoot for #5 before we finished off our bunch. However, we can't say for sure that God won't bring another child into our hearts another way. There were complications, with me, during the delivery involving uterine windows that were close to uterine rupture, scar tissue, and hemorrahging from the uterine arteries. The doctor also had trouble closing up my uterus (getting the stitches to hold), so it bought me a night with close monitoring in L&D and the suggestion to not have anymore kids if I wanted to be around to raise them. It's rather hard to come to terms with when you aren't allowed to make the decision on your own, but we're enjoying our 4 children that God has given us to raise and trying to make the most of every moment. I'm praying that God gives us peace about it and that this was just his BIG way to say that no more children were going to come from our bodies. We've been blessed beyond meausre to have bore SIX children and it's absolutely amazing to watch these 4 together. I have to say that I LOVE having 4 kids. It's awesome and definitely fufills the desire that God has always placed in our hearts.
The last 2 months has been a whirlwind of sleep deprivation, fun, and craziness- but all in wonderful ways. Davis has grown exponentially regardless of the protein allergies that all of our babies have. His started later than any of the others, but alas it reared it's ugly head. I was able to nurse him for a month and tried the dairy free diet, but every day that passed with the diet he worsened leading us to believe that he also had a soy protein allergy. That diet would be almost impossible for me to do, take in enough calories to nurse, with our busy lives of having 4 children. At Davis' well visit he was in the 95% for his height and weight at 24+ inches and over 13 pounds. Yay! I love big babies with all their sweet rolls. He moved to his room to start sleeping at night and for some naps last week when he was almost 10 weeks old. And, has improved a lot with his sleep. He is putting him to sleep for naps as well as at bedtime at night. He sleeps most night till 3am and then will go again to 6am on a good night. And, then gets up for good at about 730. His naps are about an hour long and are frequently throughtout the day- some in his crib and some in the swing downstairs.
The bigger kids have adjusted well to our new addition. Bradley started school when Davis was 2 weeks old. And, the whole family has done great on our new "early" schedule. School has been good for Bradley as well as the rest of the family. I'll have to talk more about school later. Austin and Cameron have a lot of fun playing together during the day. We've been busy with Bradley's soccer, Chris' work, and getting our house ready to sale. Yes, we always have so much going on. We love our neighborhood and neighbors so much, but it's time to move on to a house that better fits our big family. AKA bigger laundry room, a mudroom, no wasted space such as a study/living room, and 2 bathrooms for the kids instead of the one with only one sink. The house may even be a little smaller than our current one. We meet with the designer in a couple of weeks. Chris and I have started to diet- more like make a lifestyle change and eat healthier. We're eating at home almost all the time at dinner and that has been good as well. We also have started serving the kids the same meal we're having. The 2 middle one have been very receptive to it, but the big one NOT. SO. MUCH. He is sooo picky. I hope he will come around eventually; until then he just has to be hungry until the next morning. No worries though as he is still maintaining his weight somehow. He is served whole milk and we be sure that they all have fruit as well.
There is a lot more going on around here too- plans for pumpkin and apple picking, the fair, the zoo, picnics, and walks. We've enjoyed the wonderful fall weather with lots of time outdoors. I've started exercising again and it's WONDERFUL. I still have a lot of work to do, but I'm just happy to be trying. We have birthdays coming up: Daddy and Austin. So, there is party planning going on. Halloween and the holidays are right around the corner, and we've started Christmas shopping. LOVE this time of year, and we get to enjoy it with our newest little blessing and well as the other 3!. Can't get any better than that. Just wanted to let everyone know that we are alive and well. Sorry this is so quick, but more WILL come later!
The last 2 months has been a whirlwind of sleep deprivation, fun, and craziness- but all in wonderful ways. Davis has grown exponentially regardless of the protein allergies that all of our babies have. His started later than any of the others, but alas it reared it's ugly head. I was able to nurse him for a month and tried the dairy free diet, but every day that passed with the diet he worsened leading us to believe that he also had a soy protein allergy. That diet would be almost impossible for me to do, take in enough calories to nurse, with our busy lives of having 4 children. At Davis' well visit he was in the 95% for his height and weight at 24+ inches and over 13 pounds. Yay! I love big babies with all their sweet rolls. He moved to his room to start sleeping at night and for some naps last week when he was almost 10 weeks old. And, has improved a lot with his sleep. He is putting him to sleep for naps as well as at bedtime at night. He sleeps most night till 3am and then will go again to 6am on a good night. And, then gets up for good at about 730. His naps are about an hour long and are frequently throughtout the day- some in his crib and some in the swing downstairs.
The bigger kids have adjusted well to our new addition. Bradley started school when Davis was 2 weeks old. And, the whole family has done great on our new "early" schedule. School has been good for Bradley as well as the rest of the family. I'll have to talk more about school later. Austin and Cameron have a lot of fun playing together during the day. We've been busy with Bradley's soccer, Chris' work, and getting our house ready to sale. Yes, we always have so much going on. We love our neighborhood and neighbors so much, but it's time to move on to a house that better fits our big family. AKA bigger laundry room, a mudroom, no wasted space such as a study/living room, and 2 bathrooms for the kids instead of the one with only one sink. The house may even be a little smaller than our current one. We meet with the designer in a couple of weeks. Chris and I have started to diet- more like make a lifestyle change and eat healthier. We're eating at home almost all the time at dinner and that has been good as well. We also have started serving the kids the same meal we're having. The 2 middle one have been very receptive to it, but the big one NOT. SO. MUCH. He is sooo picky. I hope he will come around eventually; until then he just has to be hungry until the next morning. No worries though as he is still maintaining his weight somehow. He is served whole milk and we be sure that they all have fruit as well.
There is a lot more going on around here too- plans for pumpkin and apple picking, the fair, the zoo, picnics, and walks. We've enjoyed the wonderful fall weather with lots of time outdoors. I've started exercising again and it's WONDERFUL. I still have a lot of work to do, but I'm just happy to be trying. We have birthdays coming up: Daddy and Austin. So, there is party planning going on. Halloween and the holidays are right around the corner, and we've started Christmas shopping. LOVE this time of year, and we get to enjoy it with our newest little blessing and well as the other 3!. Can't get any better than that. Just wanted to let everyone know that we are alive and well. Sorry this is so quick, but more WILL come later!
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