Philip is always saying funny things to which my mom always says, "Kim, you need to write that down." Here is where I'm writing them down so you can enjoy them too.
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After we had been playing tag and I said I needed to take a break, Philip said, "I can play tag by myself. I can't get me! I can't get myself!"
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Matthew asked Philip, "Can you put your underwear on by yourself?" Philip: "No, they are too tricky."
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Tonight for dinner, we had smoked sausage, pasta salad (the mini-shell kind), and corn. Matthew had cut Philip's sausage slices and then quartered each slice. Philip looked at his plate and said, "I'm eating sausage, corn and turtle fingers!" (He had put the mini-pasta shells on his fingertips!) Then he picked up two pieces of sausage and said, "Mommy these are triangles!" Holding them in front of his eyes, "I have pumpkin eyes!"
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As I said in my last post, Philip participated in our church's Preschool Choir Christmas Program. After going with him to the "dress rehearsal" the Saturday before, I wasn't sure how he would do as he only stood there. After the practice, I asked him about it and he told me he was shy. I told him that it was ok, but that the next day he could try to do the hand motions with Miss Jeanette. Here's a part of the first song his group sang. The 3-year-old group (Philip did excellent as he's not even actually 3 yet) sang with the 4's and 5's for the first two songs and then left the stage. He's in the hunter green sweatshirt and khaki pants in the middle of the front row (right behing the thin mic stand). So cute yet still shy! (Remember click on the video, and then click again on the arrow.)
Now just to show you he's not always shy, this is Philip and how he normally acts ALL the time. He even climbs up on the stage at church and sings when he thinks no one is looking. Maybe he'll have a fear of public speaking like me (and most people I think!).
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Sunday, December 09, 2007
The Exploding Girl
Braewyn is alive and well, but I have washed her carseat cover TWICE in the last week! Last Sunday, I fed her ham for the first time. Things would have been fine if it had been a jar of ham commercial baby food, but we had pureed some ham from Thanksgiving. It was yummy to us on Thanksgiving, but it was way too salty for Braewyn (yes, it had been frozen in food cubes since the Saturday after Thanksgiving so it was still fresh). I only gave her four or five spoonfuls before tasting it myself and realizing how salty it was. The trouble came that evening.
During our evening service last Sunday at church, the preschool choir was presenting its Christmas program. It would be Philip's official stage debute. I'll post about that later as I have part of it on video (so precious!), but thankfully I was able to watch the two songs Philip took part in before being paged by our church nursery workers.
As I walk to the nursery after being paged, I try not to let my mind get the best of me and think through all the crises which my child might be experiencing. When I got to her room, Braewyn was in her back-up outfit (always gotta have one with her) and I was told that she threw up a large amount covering herself and her carseat (she had been just chillin' in it watching some of the older kids playing). I was told she didn't even cry, but she had created quite a mess. Off comes the carseat cover and she had to ride home in it just sitting on a folded up crib sheet. Always fun to do a small load of throw-up covered clothes and a carseat cover late on a Sunday night.
Monday went well. Braewyn actually was scheduled for her 6-month well-baby check-up (she turned 7 months on Dec. 2, but I had taken her for the 4-month appt. late which pushed this one back too). Her pediatrician said it was probably the ham and not to worry about it as Braewyn had seemed fine since throwing up. As for her check up, she weighs 14 lbs., 10 oz. (only 15th percentile). I don't remember her length, but she is in the 25th percentile for that and her head has remained at a steady 50th percentile since birth. Just another sweet petite one like her brother.
Tuesday and Wednesday were without explosions thankfully. Thursday morning, I dropped her off at Mom and Dad's before driving Philip and I to BSF. I asked Mom to feed Braewyn her breakfast including two prunes as she seemed constipated. This Mom did and went my parents dropped Braewyn back off at my house later that morning, they said she had struggled to get a poop out.
As our wellness insurance coverage was met, I had scheduled Braewyn for her 6-month shots at the health department (free!) that afternoon. I went ahead and brought Philip along and for being stuck there for 1 1/2 hours, he was so well-behaved (making friends with the other people in the waiting area and marching his toy elephant all over the chairs). Anyway, it was the scene of the second explosion. First Philip said he had to go potty right in the middle of our check-in process so off we went. Upon coming back to the waiting area, I kept smelling poop and thought it was because I hadn't washed my hands well enough after changing Braewyn's diaper at our house. Well, I decided to pick her up out of her car seat and the smell became worse and then I felt the wetness on the back of her pants -- a poopie blow-out! Back to the scary old bathroom where I proceeded to lay my changing pad down on the floor thinking what would be the best way to avoid the most germs.
Philip began saying, "Here's a changing table, Mommy." I continued thinking through how to remove Braewyn's diaper and clothes without her touching the floor when Philip's words finally sunk in -- there was a diaper changing wall mount on the wall behind me. I said, "Philip, you are such a smart boy! Thank you so much for finding that for me!!" I really was so surprised and thankful that he found it as I had not seen it while we were there the first time.
Anyway, back to the waiting room with clean clothes, wait for another 20 minutes and finally down the hall to the shot room. Poor Braewyn, at her ped's office, two nurses give the shots together so she gets two at once and then the third. At the health dept., one nurse injected her three times in a row. She screamed obviously, but only for a few minutes.
What a week!
During our evening service last Sunday at church, the preschool choir was presenting its Christmas program. It would be Philip's official stage debute. I'll post about that later as I have part of it on video (so precious!), but thankfully I was able to watch the two songs Philip took part in before being paged by our church nursery workers.
As I walk to the nursery after being paged, I try not to let my mind get the best of me and think through all the crises which my child might be experiencing. When I got to her room, Braewyn was in her back-up outfit (always gotta have one with her) and I was told that she threw up a large amount covering herself and her carseat (she had been just chillin' in it watching some of the older kids playing). I was told she didn't even cry, but she had created quite a mess. Off comes the carseat cover and she had to ride home in it just sitting on a folded up crib sheet. Always fun to do a small load of throw-up covered clothes and a carseat cover late on a Sunday night.
Monday went well. Braewyn actually was scheduled for her 6-month well-baby check-up (she turned 7 months on Dec. 2, but I had taken her for the 4-month appt. late which pushed this one back too). Her pediatrician said it was probably the ham and not to worry about it as Braewyn had seemed fine since throwing up. As for her check up, she weighs 14 lbs., 10 oz. (only 15th percentile). I don't remember her length, but she is in the 25th percentile for that and her head has remained at a steady 50th percentile since birth. Just another sweet petite one like her brother.
Tuesday and Wednesday were without explosions thankfully. Thursday morning, I dropped her off at Mom and Dad's before driving Philip and I to BSF. I asked Mom to feed Braewyn her breakfast including two prunes as she seemed constipated. This Mom did and went my parents dropped Braewyn back off at my house later that morning, they said she had struggled to get a poop out.
As our wellness insurance coverage was met, I had scheduled Braewyn for her 6-month shots at the health department (free!) that afternoon. I went ahead and brought Philip along and for being stuck there for 1 1/2 hours, he was so well-behaved (making friends with the other people in the waiting area and marching his toy elephant all over the chairs). Anyway, it was the scene of the second explosion. First Philip said he had to go potty right in the middle of our check-in process so off we went. Upon coming back to the waiting area, I kept smelling poop and thought it was because I hadn't washed my hands well enough after changing Braewyn's diaper at our house. Well, I decided to pick her up out of her car seat and the smell became worse and then I felt the wetness on the back of her pants -- a poopie blow-out! Back to the scary old bathroom where I proceeded to lay my changing pad down on the floor thinking what would be the best way to avoid the most germs.
Philip began saying, "Here's a changing table, Mommy." I continued thinking through how to remove Braewyn's diaper and clothes without her touching the floor when Philip's words finally sunk in -- there was a diaper changing wall mount on the wall behind me. I said, "Philip, you are such a smart boy! Thank you so much for finding that for me!!" I really was so surprised and thankful that he found it as I had not seen it while we were there the first time.
Anyway, back to the waiting room with clean clothes, wait for another 20 minutes and finally down the hall to the shot room. Poor Braewyn, at her ped's office, two nurses give the shots together so she gets two at once and then the third. At the health dept., one nurse injected her three times in a row. She screamed obviously, but only for a few minutes.
What a week!
Sunday, November 25, 2007
So Much...
Thanksgiving is a holiday which just overwhelms me. Not in the way some people get... gotta clean the house, fix a gourmet feast, have family in from all over. But I mean I really start thinking of everything for which I'm thankful and it just blows me away. There's not space or need for me to list everything here, but this last week I've probably said, "Thank you, Lord" hundreds of times. Knowing Jesus Christ as my own Lord and Savior and having a personal (I get to spend time daily with the Maker of the world!) relationship with Him is at the top of the list. Following that would be my awesome, awesome husband Matthew. He's my best friend. And next are the beautiful, precious gifts God has given us, Philip and Braewyn. I just want everyone to know their funny, caring little personalities because they are just too special for Matthew and I to keep to ourselves. Ok, enough gushing.
Our week went like this. Mike, Andrea and Holden arrived at Mom and Dad's house on Wednesday afternoon so the kids and I spent the afternoon there. Amazing... Mike and Andrea went to Walmart and Mom and I were there with ALL THREE KIDS asleep! Matthew and Dad arrived after getting off work and we all had dinner and played a boardgame before my four left for home.
Our new nephew Holden is even more precious than this in real life.
Thursday morning was lazy at my house however I did make waffles for breakfast. Around noon, we drove over to Mom and Dad's house where we were welcomed by... (are you ready?) Mom, Dad, Mike, Andrea, Holden, Ruth Ann, Grandma Mary, Elise, Arden, Mollie, Michael, Sarah Grace (Mary's younger sister), David (her husband) and Marie (their daughter). It was great. How many couples are blessed by having Thanksgiving with both sides of the family in one house!? We had a wonderful meal (provided by all) and then relaxed and flipped through the sales papers for "black Friday" (is that what they call it? I don't know. I didn't participate!).
Here's most of the table. Dad brought home a folding table from work so we could all be around one long table (like the Waltons!). Sorry, Matthew. Guess I should have told you I was taking a picture!
...and here's the rest of the table.
I wish this picture was clearer! Anyway, thanks Aunt Cindy for Braewyn's First Thanksgiving bib!
And here's her cousin in his Thanksgiving bib and shirt. He and Dad make a good looking pair, color-coordinating and everything.
Friday morning was another reason to give thanks... both Braewyn and Philip slept until 7:30am! Just to catch you up, Braewyn had been sleeping until 7:00am until she got sick. Yes, her cold got worse the weekend before Thanksgiving so one of those nights I nursed her at 4:00am as she was coughing in her bed. That led to a few nights of waking between 4:30am and 5:00am. Well, Wednesday night I told Matthew I would let her cry that next morning as he was not working on Thursday. It was a little rough as she cried from 4:45am until 5:30am (I did go in twice to comfort her and tell her to go back to sleep). Once she fell asleep I didn't hear a peep until 7:30am! That's all it took. The last three nights, Braewyn has slept peacefully (a few coughs now and then throughout the night) from 8:30/9:00pm until just before 7:00am! I'm so glad we're back on track.
Friday afternoon my longtime friend/college roommate/maid of honor (what a title!) Grace came over to visit for several hours. We live only 30 minutes apart but only see each other 3-4 times a year so it makes for great catching up when we are together. (Grace, it was great seeing you and we need to drag Kelly out to go shopping soon!)
Our week went like this. Mike, Andrea and Holden arrived at Mom and Dad's house on Wednesday afternoon so the kids and I spent the afternoon there. Amazing... Mike and Andrea went to Walmart and Mom and I were there with ALL THREE KIDS asleep! Matthew and Dad arrived after getting off work and we all had dinner and played a boardgame before my four left for home.
Our new nephew Holden is even more precious than this in real life.
Thursday morning was lazy at my house however I did make waffles for breakfast. Around noon, we drove over to Mom and Dad's house where we were welcomed by... (are you ready?) Mom, Dad, Mike, Andrea, Holden, Ruth Ann, Grandma Mary, Elise, Arden, Mollie, Michael, Sarah Grace (Mary's younger sister), David (her husband) and Marie (their daughter). It was great. How many couples are blessed by having Thanksgiving with both sides of the family in one house!? We had a wonderful meal (provided by all) and then relaxed and flipped through the sales papers for "black Friday" (is that what they call it? I don't know. I didn't participate!).
Here's most of the table. Dad brought home a folding table from work so we could all be around one long table (like the Waltons!). Sorry, Matthew. Guess I should have told you I was taking a picture!
...and here's the rest of the table.
I wish this picture was clearer! Anyway, thanks Aunt Cindy for Braewyn's First Thanksgiving bib!
And here's her cousin in his Thanksgiving bib and shirt. He and Dad make a good looking pair, color-coordinating and everything.
Friday morning was another reason to give thanks... both Braewyn and Philip slept until 7:30am! Just to catch you up, Braewyn had been sleeping until 7:00am until she got sick. Yes, her cold got worse the weekend before Thanksgiving so one of those nights I nursed her at 4:00am as she was coughing in her bed. That led to a few nights of waking between 4:30am and 5:00am. Well, Wednesday night I told Matthew I would let her cry that next morning as he was not working on Thursday. It was a little rough as she cried from 4:45am until 5:30am (I did go in twice to comfort her and tell her to go back to sleep). Once she fell asleep I didn't hear a peep until 7:30am! That's all it took. The last three nights, Braewyn has slept peacefully (a few coughs now and then throughout the night) from 8:30/9:00pm until just before 7:00am! I'm so glad we're back on track.
Friday afternoon my longtime friend/college roommate/maid of honor (what a title!) Grace came over to visit for several hours. We live only 30 minutes apart but only see each other 3-4 times a year so it makes for great catching up when we are together. (Grace, it was great seeing you and we need to drag Kelly out to go shopping soon!)
Monday, November 19, 2007
Brother Toes
I don't think I've posted this story, but if so bear with me. It's just one I REALLY don't want to forget.
This morning I told Philip I really had to cut his toenails. He said, "Ok, the big ones but not the brothers." That made me laugh as I had forgotten about him naming his three middle toes on each foot "the brother toes".
The name came about when I had told him several months ago that the biggest toe was called the big toe and the smallest toe was called the baby toe. I then asked him if he knew what the other toes were called (do the other toes have names?). Without skipping a beat, Philip said, "The brothers." I guess he figured if there was a baby there should be a brother around as it is in our family with Braewyn being the baby and him being the brother. He's so funny!
This morning I told Philip I really had to cut his toenails. He said, "Ok, the big ones but not the brothers." That made me laugh as I had forgotten about him naming his three middle toes on each foot "the brother toes".
The name came about when I had told him several months ago that the biggest toe was called the big toe and the smallest toe was called the baby toe. I then asked him if he knew what the other toes were called (do the other toes have names?). Without skipping a beat, Philip said, "The brothers." I guess he figured if there was a baby there should be a brother around as it is in our family with Braewyn being the baby and him being the brother. He's so funny!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Halloween Flashback
With Thanksgiving just next week, I thought it best to cover Halloween before the next holiday arrives. Here's a slide show from our evening at Harvest Fest, our church's "Halloween alternative". There are rides for the big kids, blow-up things for the smaller kids, trunk-or-treat (trick-or-treating between cars in the parking lot which our church members have decorated and pass out candy), train rides, hayrides, a flatbed truck stage, and lots of food vendors! It was great and really had a huge impact on the community. We had over 6000 people attend with over 100 asking for more info about our church and 22 people asking about how to accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior (each person had to fill in a registration card upon entering)! I even helped man the MOPS Diaper Changing station. No, I didn't change the diapers of strangers' kids but stood by our table to provide parents a place to change their children and provide a free diaper if they needed one. The church doors are all locked for the evening and port-a-johns are brought in (i.e. last year diapers were changed on the sidewalk!).
Anyway here goes...
Last year, Matthew found a really cool pumpkin carving kit at Kohl's and so this year again, we had some great evenings of family fun working on our pumpkins. Read through this section, scrolling slowly down to create a pumpkin-guessing game for yourself! (It will make sense when you get to Matthew's pumpkins!)
What is Philip's pumpkin?
A little pumpkin he named Bob.
What is my pumpkin?
It's a cat (yes, I got lazy and didn't carve out the bottom whiskers. Now I wish I had but I got this much done by Nov. 1 and thought I had missed the window by then.)
This is where it gets fun...
Here's Matthew's first pumpkin. Any guesses?
It's Shrek!
Matthew's second pumpkin is?
Fred Flintstone!
And here's just one more cute photo...
of Philip wearing his 3D glasses for the "Live with Regis and Kelly" special 3D Halloween show! My mom picked us up some free glasses at Walgreens but Philip didn't really get the 3D special effects not that they were really the best anyway. Still too cute not to share with you.
Anyway here goes...
Last year, Matthew found a really cool pumpkin carving kit at Kohl's and so this year again, we had some great evenings of family fun working on our pumpkins. Read through this section, scrolling slowly down to create a pumpkin-guessing game for yourself! (It will make sense when you get to Matthew's pumpkins!)
What is Philip's pumpkin?
A little pumpkin he named Bob.
What is my pumpkin?
It's a cat (yes, I got lazy and didn't carve out the bottom whiskers. Now I wish I had but I got this much done by Nov. 1 and thought I had missed the window by then.)
This is where it gets fun...
Here's Matthew's first pumpkin. Any guesses?
It's Shrek!
Matthew's second pumpkin is?
Fred Flintstone!
And here's just one more cute photo...
of Philip wearing his 3D glasses for the "Live with Regis and Kelly" special 3D Halloween show! My mom picked us up some free glasses at Walgreens but Philip didn't really get the 3D special effects not that they were really the best anyway. Still too cute not to share with you.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Sick Boys
This week has been hard as Philip has been sick since Sunday. He woke up with a cough and barely any voice. After his nap that day, he had a fever of 101F. Tylenol that night before bed. Monday he played most of the day, but by 5pm was sluggish and had those tired, watery, red eyes which make me just want to stop everything and cuddle with him on the couch. He went to bed at 9pm, but woke up crying at 10pm because his throat was painfully dry (dumb me left the space heater on in their room without running the humidifier). Matthew held him in our bathroom while the shower filled the room with hot steam. Philip felt better after a few minutes and we put him back to bed, this time with the humidifier pumping out cool, moist air.
Yesterday, he was a little more run down and seemed to cough more throughout the day. His fever returned slightly (around 99F) and then late afternoon, he again looked all worn out. He did perk up as the "jewelry lady" arrived. I hosted a Premier Designs jewelry party and it was funny yet a tad frustrating as to how bad Philip wanted to touch all the jewelry displayed over my dining room table. Overall, he was very well-behaved and I thank you, Matthew, for taking care of our two in the bedroom once the party started. Great job, sweetie!
Today, I called our pediatrician early this morning to ask if I should bring Philip in. Once they finally returned my call at noon, I was told to just give him extra love and support, saline drops for congestion and to elevate his head. I suppose we just tough it out (unless his fever returns and gets much higher). At 4:20pm today, he woke up crying from his nap with that stinging throat again. Back to the steamy bathroom we went where he ate a popsicle! He and Braewyn are now asleep in their room, but I've heard him cough off and on and took some warm tea in for him to drink after a bad little spell. My poor sweet Philip.
Oh, I titled this as "Sick Boys" because Matthew came home from work today with a sore throat, headache and cough. I pray he'll get better soon too, but at least he doesn't do the heartmelting cry when his throat is hurting.
Yesterday, he was a little more run down and seemed to cough more throughout the day. His fever returned slightly (around 99F) and then late afternoon, he again looked all worn out. He did perk up as the "jewelry lady" arrived. I hosted a Premier Designs jewelry party and it was funny yet a tad frustrating as to how bad Philip wanted to touch all the jewelry displayed over my dining room table. Overall, he was very well-behaved and I thank you, Matthew, for taking care of our two in the bedroom once the party started. Great job, sweetie!
Today, I called our pediatrician early this morning to ask if I should bring Philip in. Once they finally returned my call at noon, I was told to just give him extra love and support, saline drops for congestion and to elevate his head. I suppose we just tough it out (unless his fever returns and gets much higher). At 4:20pm today, he woke up crying from his nap with that stinging throat again. Back to the steamy bathroom we went where he ate a popsicle! He and Braewyn are now asleep in their room, but I've heard him cough off and on and took some warm tea in for him to drink after a bad little spell. My poor sweet Philip.
Oh, I titled this as "Sick Boys" because Matthew came home from work today with a sore throat, headache and cough. I pray he'll get better soon too, but at least he doesn't do the heartmelting cry when his throat is hurting.
My Nephew Holden
After a much anticipated wait (at least for our family members), here are finally some photos of my new nephew Holden and of our day together.
Here's little Holden looking so cute. Yeah, open eyes in a picture at only three days old!
Philip and Braewyn already love their new cousin. Aunt Andrea is glad to introduce Holden.
I love this picture as it shows how big Braewyn is getting, but also how very tired Mike was on Saturday. Not much sleep, huh, Daddy?
Back asleep. I love my nephew Holden and will thankfully get to see him again next week for Thanksgiving. It will be exciting to see how he has changed in just two weeks. Sweet dreams, Holden. Sleep a lot at night for Mommy and Daddy.
Here's little Holden looking so cute. Yeah, open eyes in a picture at only three days old!
Philip and Braewyn already love their new cousin. Aunt Andrea is glad to introduce Holden.
I love this picture as it shows how big Braewyn is getting, but also how very tired Mike was on Saturday. Not much sleep, huh, Daddy?
Back asleep. I love my nephew Holden and will thankfully get to see him again next week for Thanksgiving. It will be exciting to see how he has changed in just two weeks. Sweet dreams, Holden. Sleep a lot at night for Mommy and Daddy.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Holden Christopher Allen is here!
On Tuesday, my sister-in-law Andrea went for another baby appointment. As I last said, her OB said if she was at 2 cm. on Tuesday, she would be induced on Friday. She wasn't there so they were going to hold off until Monday. Well, God and her baby had other plans as her water broke around 9:00pm that night.
My brother Mike called Mom at 11:00pm Tuesday night telling her they were at the hospital. Andrea progressed through the night and received an epidural around 6:00am when she was close to 5 cm. Mom heard from Mike that she was at 8 cm at 9:30am on Wednesday morning. Finally at 12:45pm, Mom called saying her second grandson had been born just before that.
Holden Christopher Allen was born at 12:26pm on Wednesday, November 7, 2007! He weighed 7 lbs. and was 19 inches long. Mom told me his weight and length, but I told her not to tell me his name as I wanted Mike to tell me himself as they had kept the name a secret until the baby's birth like we did with our kids. Mike told me that they picked their son's name to be Holden as Mike has always liked "The Catcher in the Rye" and that's the name of the main character and Christopher to represent their faith as it is derived from Christ. Another awesome thing is that after Andrea's OB delivered Holden's head and shoulders, he let Mike pull the baby out the rest of the way! Go Mike in being a hands-on daddy!
Andrea's parents were at the hospital most of yesterday during her labor and delivery and for a few hours with Holden afterwards. My parents are on their way now to spend the afternoon with their new grandson and his parents. And my family will finally meet our new nephew and cousin on Saturday as we'll drive to Mike and Andrea's house to spend a few hours.
Andrea did tell me that Holden has long dark hair so it will be cute seeing him with his blonde cousin Philip. And also cute to see how big Braewyn looks compared to Holden as she always looks so small compared to Philip. Can't wait to post a photo of my kids with their newest cousin!!
My brother Mike called Mom at 11:00pm Tuesday night telling her they were at the hospital. Andrea progressed through the night and received an epidural around 6:00am when she was close to 5 cm. Mom heard from Mike that she was at 8 cm at 9:30am on Wednesday morning. Finally at 12:45pm, Mom called saying her second grandson had been born just before that.
Holden Christopher Allen was born at 12:26pm on Wednesday, November 7, 2007! He weighed 7 lbs. and was 19 inches long. Mom told me his weight and length, but I told her not to tell me his name as I wanted Mike to tell me himself as they had kept the name a secret until the baby's birth like we did with our kids. Mike told me that they picked their son's name to be Holden as Mike has always liked "The Catcher in the Rye" and that's the name of the main character and Christopher to represent their faith as it is derived from Christ. Another awesome thing is that after Andrea's OB delivered Holden's head and shoulders, he let Mike pull the baby out the rest of the way! Go Mike in being a hands-on daddy!
Andrea's parents were at the hospital most of yesterday during her labor and delivery and for a few hours with Holden afterwards. My parents are on their way now to spend the afternoon with their new grandson and his parents. And my family will finally meet our new nephew and cousin on Saturday as we'll drive to Mike and Andrea's house to spend a few hours.
Andrea did tell me that Holden has long dark hair so it will be cute seeing him with his blonde cousin Philip. And also cute to see how big Braewyn looks compared to Holden as she always looks so small compared to Philip. Can't wait to post a photo of my kids with their newest cousin!!
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Visiting Grandma Mary
Last Saturday, Matthew, Philip, Braewyn, Ruth Ann and I traveled 45 minutes to spend the day with Matthew's grandma who we call Grandma Mary. She lives in a retirement community but still has an apartment of her own. We got there in time for me to nurse Braewyn before heading over to the dining hall for lunch. They are served cafeteria-style and Braewyn sat in a high chair for the first time while we ate. After lunch, we took a short walk down to a large pond. Philip fed some bread to the fish. We even saw a beaver! We visited in her apartment for an hour more and then drove home. It was a nice time together and had been over a year since I had been down to visit her. She has many doctors appointments here in town so she stops by after those, but it was nice to take the kids down to see her so some of her friends could see how Philip has grown and to meet Braewyn.
Standing on the dock feeding the fish.
Braewyn was a sleepy girl during the walk.
Grandma Mary enjoyed getting to know Braewyn. They had been together at the beach in June, but Braewyn was only 6 weeks old and not very alert.
Matthew stands by as Philip takes a seat on Grandma Mary's back deck.
We finally made it!
To having Philip and Braewyn sleep all night in the same room that is. It was a grueling process but now that we're all sleeping well, well worth it. When Philip was four months old and we were told by the pediatrician that he no longer needed to eat at night, we moved him from the bassinet in our room to his crib in his room. He did cry for a good while each night for three nights but then silence for most of the night. With Braewyn it's been a little different.
She was in our room in the bassinet for three months. At that time, we thought we'd try to get her to sleep through the night but her crying was so loud in our room. Next step, move her and the bassinet to the office. I could still hear her crying but Matthew slept through it usually. Being more tired overall from having to care for both her and Philip during the day, my willpower was not as strong at night and so I'd usually end up letting her cry for 15 or so minutes and then feeding her so we could all just go back to sleep for the rest of the night.
That went on for about a month with a few weekend visits to family which threw us all off schedule for a while. When she was around 4 1/2 months, we tried her in her crib in the same room with Philip. I was still caving in and feeding her at night because it seemed like the easiest option and the fastest back to getting everyone to sleep. At 5 months old, I knew we had to get her to the point of going back to sleep on her own so it was time to start crying it out for longer periods. There was one key difference in her doing this than when Philip did... Philip! One night I remember her crying for some time and I went in their room to check on her. Philip whispered to me, "Take her out!" I never want to play favorites between kids but it seemed like a good idea to move Braewyn to the bassinet (which is still in the office) so they could both sleep. A few more night's like that and I knew the solution wasn't to move her as she'd never learn to sleep like that. It was to move Philip.
Last week, Philip slept at night on his toddler air mattress at the foot of our bed and Braewyn had her three nights of crying it out. It was hard for all of us. Not only did I hear her crying, but we also heard Philip's bed crinkling all night as he tossed and turned. After a week of that (Braewyn was sleeping through but I wanted to make sure it would last), Philip moved back into his bed. They've been doing well for over a week now. Braewyn does wake up occasionally to cry for about 5 minutes but I'm the only one to wake up. I do get her up for the day between 6:00am and 6:30am. She'll start to cry and I try to get in there to get her out before Philip wakes up as he normally sleeps until 7:30am.
I love to look in on each of them before I go to sleep. Each is so precious as they sleep. As always, thank you Lord for my babies!
She was in our room in the bassinet for three months. At that time, we thought we'd try to get her to sleep through the night but her crying was so loud in our room. Next step, move her and the bassinet to the office. I could still hear her crying but Matthew slept through it usually. Being more tired overall from having to care for both her and Philip during the day, my willpower was not as strong at night and so I'd usually end up letting her cry for 15 or so minutes and then feeding her so we could all just go back to sleep for the rest of the night.
That went on for about a month with a few weekend visits to family which threw us all off schedule for a while. When she was around 4 1/2 months, we tried her in her crib in the same room with Philip. I was still caving in and feeding her at night because it seemed like the easiest option and the fastest back to getting everyone to sleep. At 5 months old, I knew we had to get her to the point of going back to sleep on her own so it was time to start crying it out for longer periods. There was one key difference in her doing this than when Philip did... Philip! One night I remember her crying for some time and I went in their room to check on her. Philip whispered to me, "Take her out!" I never want to play favorites between kids but it seemed like a good idea to move Braewyn to the bassinet (which is still in the office) so they could both sleep. A few more night's like that and I knew the solution wasn't to move her as she'd never learn to sleep like that. It was to move Philip.
Last week, Philip slept at night on his toddler air mattress at the foot of our bed and Braewyn had her three nights of crying it out. It was hard for all of us. Not only did I hear her crying, but we also heard Philip's bed crinkling all night as he tossed and turned. After a week of that (Braewyn was sleeping through but I wanted to make sure it would last), Philip moved back into his bed. They've been doing well for over a week now. Braewyn does wake up occasionally to cry for about 5 minutes but I'm the only one to wake up. I do get her up for the day between 6:00am and 6:30am. She'll start to cry and I try to get in there to get her out before Philip wakes up as he normally sleeps until 7:30am.
I love to look in on each of them before I go to sleep. Each is so precious as they sleep. As always, thank you Lord for my babies!
He's almost here!
My nephew will be making his arrival sometime this week and I am SO EXCITED! He will be my brother Mike's and sister-in-law Andrea's first baby. I'm trying my hardest not to call everyday to ask Andrea how she's feeling but we did talk this evening. The baby is due Thursday and last week at her appt., Andrea said her doctor said she was 1 1/2 centimeters. She will have another appt. this Tuesday and if she's at least 2 centimeters, she'll be induced on Friday unless Baby Cousin (that's what Philip calls him) comes before then. We just cannot wait to meet him! And find out what his name is. Now I know firsthand what everyone else felt like when we kept Philip and Braewyn's names to ourselves until their births!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Mom's Colonscopy
Thank you so much for your prayers. They were heard and answered. Mom's colonoscopy showed that everything is still perfect inside her colon. No polyps and everything looks to be healing well!
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Mom's 3rd Colonoscopy
Please pray for Mom as she is having another colonoscopy on Monday at 8:15am. She had one around this time last year after she had begun healing from the two surgeries and other treatments to remove the colo-rectal cancer. We thank the Lord that it was completely perfect. Her gastrointestinal doctor wanted to do another one now just to be sure everything is still the same inside. We pray believing this one on Monday will be perfect as well, but it's always a little scary having to be put to sleep for a procedure not to mention the prep stuff which goes along with a colonoscopy. If this test is clear, she'll not need another for two years. I'll post again on Monday afternoon with the results.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Our Weekend In Wilson
Recently, we traveled to visit Matthew's brother's family. It was a short trip but very full on memories and great quality time. It served a dual purpose: celebrating with Hannah as she turned 3 a few days before and helping them get a little more settled as they just moved into their new home a few weeks prior. It was especially memorable for Ruth Ann (Matthew's mom) as it was the first time she was with all FOUR of her grandbabies at the same time. I came across this slide show design on www.slide.com and couldn't pass it up. Just hit the mute button on your keyboard if the song is too distracting. Enjoy!!
It's only been a few weeks and we already miss out sweet nieces! I am so grateful to the Lord for blessing our families with these four beautiful children.
It's only been a few weeks and we already miss out sweet nieces! I am so grateful to the Lord for blessing our families with these four beautiful children.
They Grow So Fast!
One of my favorite parts of having children is watching them learn new things and reach different milestones. Philip is at a wonderful age. He comes up with the funniest stories and says just the silliest things everyday. His recent phrase is "That's so funny! Ha Ha!" He says it at random times, not always when anything funny actually happened, and he doesn't laugh at the end but actually just says ha ha. I've got to get it on video! While visiting Jonathan and Lori last weekend, Lori and I compared stories and she said Hannah has make believe tea parties. I look forward to hearing who Braewyn invites to her parties, but in the meantime, I hear almost daily about which game Philip is off to play and then if his team won or not. He'll say, "I'm going to play ball with the boys." (He's not aspiring to be just like his Daddy or anything!) The funny part is that half the time, he'll come back and say his team lost. I guess I should be glad he understands how the world really works. But I was concerned when earlier this week he told me, "I was playing soccer ball (he can't just say soccer), and the other guy kicked me in the face." Oh, I hope that's not a sign of inner turmoil or something.
Anyway, a few of the new things Philip is learning these days is how to cook and what school will be like. He is always asking what we're doing when preparing dinner so Matthew and I try to let him help out a little whenever possible. Tonight, he mixed the Italian dressing and spice pack together for our Pasta Salad. Overall, he does quite well.
I just don't feel like God is leading me to home-school my children, but after seeing the workbooks Hannah is working in these days, I was excited to buy one for Philip. As smart as he is, I may as well teach him all I can so he's ahead of the game when it's time to really go to school. We've had "school" twice this week and we've both had such a great time. I bring out his workbook (Preschool Scholar with a farm theme which he picked out himself at Walmart), and he picks a crayon from his crayon cup (it's actually a Moe's kid cup but he loves it because you can put the crayons away through the straw hole!). We sit down together at the coffee table and do as many pages in the workbook as he wants (each time we've done 3 pages). Here he is after "school" today. This page shows a lesson in size comparison. He had to circle the largest object from each line. The extra lesson at the bottom of the page instructed us to find a pair of shoes from each person in our home and put them in largest to smallest order. Philip was really excited when I told him we were going on a "shoe hunt"! It was a lot of fun.
I cannot thank the Lord enough for this wonderful little person He has blessed my life with!
Braewyn is my beautiful, sweet, baby girl. I say that because I get so mad at myself for not being as excited over her accomplishments as I was with Philip as an infant. I know that sleep deprivation has a lot to do with it as well as the frustration that occurs when I'm trying to feed her rice cereal and Philip is running around, singing, throwing things in the air and it is all REALLY interesting to Braewyn who could really not seem to care less about the spoon in front of her. This photo was from the first time she had rice cereal. If only she were always that excited.
Now having a FULLY VERBAL toddler, it's just that much harder to have a baby who can't tell you exactly what's going on and why she's crying. I wouldn't trade my life for anything, but I hope there are other moms reading this and agreeing from the same experiences.
Anyway, a few of the new things Philip is learning these days is how to cook and what school will be like. He is always asking what we're doing when preparing dinner so Matthew and I try to let him help out a little whenever possible. Tonight, he mixed the Italian dressing and spice pack together for our Pasta Salad. Overall, he does quite well.
I just don't feel like God is leading me to home-school my children, but after seeing the workbooks Hannah is working in these days, I was excited to buy one for Philip. As smart as he is, I may as well teach him all I can so he's ahead of the game when it's time to really go to school. We've had "school" twice this week and we've both had such a great time. I bring out his workbook (Preschool Scholar with a farm theme which he picked out himself at Walmart), and he picks a crayon from his crayon cup (it's actually a Moe's kid cup but he loves it because you can put the crayons away through the straw hole!). We sit down together at the coffee table and do as many pages in the workbook as he wants (each time we've done 3 pages). Here he is after "school" today. This page shows a lesson in size comparison. He had to circle the largest object from each line. The extra lesson at the bottom of the page instructed us to find a pair of shoes from each person in our home and put them in largest to smallest order. Philip was really excited when I told him we were going on a "shoe hunt"! It was a lot of fun.
Braewyn is my beautiful, sweet, baby girl. I say that because I get so mad at myself for not being as excited over her accomplishments as I was with Philip as an infant. I know that sleep deprivation has a lot to do with it as well as the frustration that occurs when I'm trying to feed her rice cereal and Philip is running around, singing, throwing things in the air and it is all REALLY interesting to Braewyn who could really not seem to care less about the spoon in front of her. This photo was from the first time she had rice cereal. If only she were always that excited.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
The Continuing Tales of Prince Philip and Princess Braewyn
We're honestly raising Philip and Braewyn to be normal kids who love God and treat others with kindness, but there's just so much going on that it seemed like a good title. Anyway... Things have been going well with a few bumps along the way. About a month ago, we drove up to spend the day with my brother Mike and his "with child" wife Andrea. It is so exciting counting the days down until "Baby Cousin" is born. Andrea is due November 8 and we know it's a boy, but don't know his name and can't wait to see what he looks like. Mom helped Mike paint a mural in the nursery while Matthew, Andrea, Philip and I drove through the campus of Winthrop University. It holds lots of memories as Mike, Andrea, Matthew and I all graduated from Winthrop and where each of us met our spouses. It was neat seeing all the improvements made to the campus and especially fun to watch Philip run around the sidewalks and grass lawns I had once occupied before he was even a thought in my mind!
A few weekends after that, Matthew, Ruth Ann, Philip, Braewyn and I went to Niven's Apple Farm for our second annual visit. We went last year to buy a pumpkin but Philip was just a tad bit small to really enjoy it. This year... he really, really enjoyed it! There is a tube to crawl through, giant inner tubes to jump on, a huge teepee to walk around inside, wood stand-ups to put your face through (see pics), animals to see, a huge tractor to see on and pumpkins to buy. We got there just as it was time for Braewyn to eat so I told Matthew and Ruth Ann to go ahead and take Philip on down to the farm. About 35 minutes later I finally come rolling along with Braewyn's little cheeks just jiggling from all the gravel the stroller was bumping over. She had nursed great but as is happening a lot recently, when she was almost done, she had a blow-out! A blow-out is when the poop erupts from her bottom spilling out over the top of her diaper and all clothes must be removed and a new outfit put on. And yes, I had to handle all in the back seat of the Trailblazer! Yuck!
Here are some pics of my beautiful baby girl. She really is growing up quite fast but there are days I still don't know what to do with her. The hardest thing we're facing is how to get her to sleep through the night. However, I should have posted this a few days ago because the last two nights she has slept from 9:00pm until 5:00am. PRAISE JESUS!! I was talking with Lori about it on Friday when I was still very much exhausted from being up most of Wednesday night and something she said clicked in my head. Lori asked if Braewyn was still taking an evening nap. Simple question enough but it made me realize I have totally been slack in keeping her on a schedule (I was almost militant about it with Philip!). Poor girl, she's just sort of floating through life so it's no wonder she's not sure when to sleep or wake up. Well, as I said she's slept until 5:00am the last two nights and last night she was not even swaddled! I have been better to bathe her by 7:30pm, take her to the office where I lotion, dress and nurse her. She is then put in the bassinet (decided to go back to that to allow Philip better nights' rest while we get her figured out) awake and I leave the room. I'm feeling much better today. The only struggles now are working with her over the next few weeks to move that 5:00am wake up time forward to at least 6:00am (when she wakes at 5:00am, I nurse and change her, put her back in the bassinet and go back to bed myself before we both officially start the day at 7:00am; if I could get myself in bed earlier at night, I could use that time for Bible study or something else productive). Also, we started Braewyn on rice cereal this week (pictures to come) so I'm having difficulting in getting her nursed and fed in a relative amount of time so it's not like nurse at 7:00am, cereal at 7:40am, finish nursing by 7:55am and then she's not really hungry when her next nursing time at 10:00am comes around. Well, if you're still reading I know this will all be behind me in a few months and I'll wonder why it was so stressful. Here are the pictures of my little "princess" Braewyn.
A few weekends after that, Matthew, Ruth Ann, Philip, Braewyn and I went to Niven's Apple Farm for our second annual visit. We went last year to buy a pumpkin but Philip was just a tad bit small to really enjoy it. This year... he really, really enjoyed it! There is a tube to crawl through, giant inner tubes to jump on, a huge teepee to walk around inside, wood stand-ups to put your face through (see pics), animals to see, a huge tractor to see on and pumpkins to buy. We got there just as it was time for Braewyn to eat so I told Matthew and Ruth Ann to go ahead and take Philip on down to the farm. About 35 minutes later I finally come rolling along with Braewyn's little cheeks just jiggling from all the gravel the stroller was bumping over. She had nursed great but as is happening a lot recently, when she was almost done, she had a blow-out! A blow-out is when the poop erupts from her bottom spilling out over the top of her diaper and all clothes must be removed and a new outfit put on. And yes, I had to handle all in the back seat of the Trailblazer! Yuck!
Here are some pics of my beautiful baby girl. She really is growing up quite fast but there are days I still don't know what to do with her. The hardest thing we're facing is how to get her to sleep through the night. However, I should have posted this a few days ago because the last two nights she has slept from 9:00pm until 5:00am. PRAISE JESUS!! I was talking with Lori about it on Friday when I was still very much exhausted from being up most of Wednesday night and something she said clicked in my head. Lori asked if Braewyn was still taking an evening nap. Simple question enough but it made me realize I have totally been slack in keeping her on a schedule (I was almost militant about it with Philip!). Poor girl, she's just sort of floating through life so it's no wonder she's not sure when to sleep or wake up. Well, as I said she's slept until 5:00am the last two nights and last night she was not even swaddled! I have been better to bathe her by 7:30pm, take her to the office where I lotion, dress and nurse her. She is then put in the bassinet (decided to go back to that to allow Philip better nights' rest while we get her figured out) awake and I leave the room. I'm feeling much better today. The only struggles now are working with her over the next few weeks to move that 5:00am wake up time forward to at least 6:00am (when she wakes at 5:00am, I nurse and change her, put her back in the bassinet and go back to bed myself before we both officially start the day at 7:00am; if I could get myself in bed earlier at night, I could use that time for Bible study or something else productive). Also, we started Braewyn on rice cereal this week (pictures to come) so I'm having difficulting in getting her nursed and fed in a relative amount of time so it's not like nurse at 7:00am, cereal at 7:40am, finish nursing by 7:55am and then she's not really hungry when her next nursing time at 10:00am comes around. Well, if you're still reading I know this will all be behind me in a few months and I'll wonder why it was so stressful. Here are the pictures of my little "princess" Braewyn.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
I'm still alive...
Just a quick post to tell blog world that I'm still alive but feeling very run over by parenting and housekeeping responsibilities. Braewyn is again not sleeping very well at night due to teething and that leads to a very tired and slow-going mommy during the day. Gotta go now and sleep as they are both sleeping now and I never know how long that window will last. I do have lots of pictures to post so check back in a few days!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Cathcing up... photos from GA!
I haven't blogged a lot recently because I like to keep things chronological and I haven't had much time to post my photos from our recent trip to Georgia. We visited my grandparents (Mom's parents), her sisters Liz and Cathy and Cathy's husband Bruce. It was a great trip. A little hectic with keeping two little ones under control but a really, really nice time watching four generations interact.
Well, my AWESOME cousin Melissa and her husband Nick stopped by our house for the night Friday after spending the week at Myrtle Beach (they live near Atlanta). She has a great Myspace page and taught me lots of stuff (if you want to see my page, click here). My new favorite website is www.slide.com which allows you to make slideshows from your pictures instead of posting them each individually here on blogger. I LOVE IT! So anyway, here are the photos from our trip which I've wanted to get on here for weeks now. Aunt Cathy, I'll be mailing you pictures soon and please tell Grandma and Grandpa that I'll send them and Aunt Liz some too. Love you all!
Well, my AWESOME cousin Melissa and her husband Nick stopped by our house for the night Friday after spending the week at Myrtle Beach (they live near Atlanta). She has a great Myspace page and taught me lots of stuff (if you want to see my page, click here). My new favorite website is www.slide.com which allows you to make slideshows from your pictures instead of posting them each individually here on blogger. I LOVE IT! So anyway, here are the photos from our trip which I've wanted to get on here for weeks now. Aunt Cathy, I'll be mailing you pictures soon and please tell Grandma and Grandpa that I'll send them and Aunt Liz some too. Love you all!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
My "To-Do" List
After reading my friend Ellen's blog post about what she wanted to accomplish before her third baby is born, I thought that's what I need to do also. Definitely NOT have a third child (I'm barely scraping by these days as it is!) but type up a to-do list. I think I'm so busy because I never write anything down and just keep everything in my head causing myself to feel half crazy all the time. Does anyone out there sympathize with me?! Anyway here goes...
1. Keep up with the kitchen dishes on a DAILY basis. (like Flylady has been telling me for years!)
2. Wake up at 6:00am DAILY no matter what time I went to bed or what happens through the night so I have that time to myself for Bible study.
3. Keep up with my Bible study. (Philip and I just started a new year of BSF and we are studying the book of Matthew. This week's lesson asked us to read the ENTIRE book of Matthew so I'm already behind. Thankfully from here on out, we'll studying only one chapter a week.)
4. Begin work on my October MOPS newsletter.
5. Mail my list of guests to my Premier Designs Jewelry consultant.
6. Finish washing the clothes we bought on consignment, pack away the kids' small clothes, and reorganize their closet and dresser.
7. Exercise 3 times a week (at least! now, it's about once maybe!) by either walking, working out with my Denise Austin video or using the Orbitrek.
8. Creating a meal menu.
That's enough for now. I'm already beginning to feel overwhelmed. Matthew, I'm getting off the computer now, exercising with Philip (i.e. trying not to trip over him while I exercise), taking a shower and getting us all ready for church before you come home! See you soon, sweetie.
1. Keep up with the kitchen dishes on a DAILY basis. (like Flylady has been telling me for years!)
2. Wake up at 6:00am DAILY no matter what time I went to bed or what happens through the night so I have that time to myself for Bible study.
3. Keep up with my Bible study. (Philip and I just started a new year of BSF and we are studying the book of Matthew. This week's lesson asked us to read the ENTIRE book of Matthew so I'm already behind. Thankfully from here on out, we'll studying only one chapter a week.)
4. Begin work on my October MOPS newsletter.
5. Mail my list of guests to my Premier Designs Jewelry consultant.
6. Finish washing the clothes we bought on consignment, pack away the kids' small clothes, and reorganize their closet and dresser.
7. Exercise 3 times a week (at least! now, it's about once maybe!) by either walking, working out with my Denise Austin video or using the Orbitrek.
8. Creating a meal menu.
That's enough for now. I'm already beginning to feel overwhelmed. Matthew, I'm getting off the computer now, exercising with Philip (i.e. trying not to trip over him while I exercise), taking a shower and getting us all ready for church before you come home! See you soon, sweetie.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Please Remember Kellie and Paul
Matthew's cousin Paul's wife Kellie lost her mom today. Yesterday Paulette collasped and the doctors first thought it was a heart attack. After examining her, it was discovered that she had had a cerebral hemmorage. She remained on life support throughout the night, but sometime early this morning her heart stopped.
Please keep Paul, Kellie, her dad, her sister and the rest of the family in your prayers. I took the below picture last year at Paul and Kellie's wedding shower. This past July, they celebrated their first anniversary.
Please keep Paul, Kellie, her dad, her sister and the rest of the family in your prayers. I took the below picture last year at Paul and Kellie's wedding shower. This past July, they celebrated their first anniversary.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Prayers for Mom
For those of you who live near us and see Mom from time to time, she looks good and seems good. However, it's the times you don't see that would tell you she still needs our prayers. It's now been 16 months since Mom's ileostomy reversal. Her body has come a very long way, but she is still dealing with side effects of all it has been through. A good day would mean going to the bathroom 3 or 4 times for 15 minutes each and no pain. A bad day would mean going 8 or 9 times sometimes for as long as an hour with a much pain due to having eaten something that she didn't know would affect her in such a bad way.
Aside from the physical aspect, this all takes a large toll on her emotionally and there are days when she wonders how she could live the rest of her life like this. That's obviously hard on us too as none of us know when her body will be as recovered as it will get. I tell her all the time that she has come so far and regained the ability to go and do pretty much everything she wants to these days. I'm not in her shoes so I can only encourage and remind her that I'm not going anywhere. And to think positively. She told me today that sometimes she thinks her address should be 275 A (meaning her bathroom; 275 is my parents' house number). I told her her address could be Spartanburg Regional Hospital.
Please do remember to lift my mom up in prayer whenever you think about her. If this is the way her life will be until she leaves this world for Heaven, I pray God will help her come to a place of contentment with it. Mom has so much to offer others (which can still be done around bathroom visits!) including lots of Nana-time for years to come with Philip, Braewyn and their new cousin (he's due in just two months!). Also remember my Dad in your prayers who gets the brunt of Mom's frustration when having a bad day. I pray as I have before that God would give him extra patience, compassion and the right words to say to Mom.
Aside from the physical aspect, this all takes a large toll on her emotionally and there are days when she wonders how she could live the rest of her life like this. That's obviously hard on us too as none of us know when her body will be as recovered as it will get. I tell her all the time that she has come so far and regained the ability to go and do pretty much everything she wants to these days. I'm not in her shoes so I can only encourage and remind her that I'm not going anywhere. And to think positively. She told me today that sometimes she thinks her address should be 275 A (meaning her bathroom; 275 is my parents' house number). I told her her address could be Spartanburg Regional Hospital.
Please do remember to lift my mom up in prayer whenever you think about her. If this is the way her life will be until she leaves this world for Heaven, I pray God will help her come to a place of contentment with it. Mom has so much to offer others (which can still be done around bathroom visits!) including lots of Nana-time for years to come with Philip, Braewyn and their new cousin (he's due in just two months!). Also remember my Dad in your prayers who gets the brunt of Mom's frustration when having a bad day. I pray as I have before that God would give him extra patience, compassion and the right words to say to Mom.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Father Knows Best
I first want to thank Jessie and Alison for their words of encouragement as I rattled off our current dilemma of Braewyn's difficulty in sleeping soundly at night. I agree with you, Jessie, that it's important to find out why a baby is crying at night, and I am SO excited to announce that we have!!
Friday night, I had a MOPS steering retreat from 6pm until midnight. It was definitely what I needed as that day at noon, Matthew came home for lunch and I said, "I can't talk to you because if I talk, I'll cry." He could tell it was serious as he asked what he could do around the house while I was gone. Anyway, God blessed me so much just by talking with my girlfriends about how things were going and getting us all excited about the upcoming MOPS year (it's going to be good!!).
Meanwhile at home, Matthew bathed and dressed the kids for bed. He put Braewyn down in the bassinet in the office in her pajamas and swaddled in a blanket. He swaddles really well and she was like a little pig in a blanket! That was at 9:15pm.
I got home at 12:20am, Matthew and I talked about our evenings and went to bed a little after 1:00am. I check the kids before going to bed myself and Braewyn was still snuggly swaddled. I woke up after 6:00am and the girl was still asleep!! PRAISE GOD! I actually went back to sleep. Philip woke us up at 7:00am and that's when I found a smiling, still swaddled bundle in the bassinet. Her problem was not liking the freedom of movement provided in the sleep sacks.
Now that Braewyn slept just as good last night (9:10pm until 6:50am), I'm convinced that the swaddle is our answer to prayer! Matthew is a wonderful Daddy always, but this was an especially great move on his part. Since she will (Lord-willing) sleep so good through the night, I hope to be able to put her to bed by 9:00pm and then still pump around 10:30 or 11:00pm to stock up the milk supply since MOPS and BSF are beginning soon.
God is good... all the time!!
Friday night, I had a MOPS steering retreat from 6pm until midnight. It was definitely what I needed as that day at noon, Matthew came home for lunch and I said, "I can't talk to you because if I talk, I'll cry." He could tell it was serious as he asked what he could do around the house while I was gone. Anyway, God blessed me so much just by talking with my girlfriends about how things were going and getting us all excited about the upcoming MOPS year (it's going to be good!!).
Meanwhile at home, Matthew bathed and dressed the kids for bed. He put Braewyn down in the bassinet in the office in her pajamas and swaddled in a blanket. He swaddles really well and she was like a little pig in a blanket! That was at 9:15pm.
I got home at 12:20am, Matthew and I talked about our evenings and went to bed a little after 1:00am. I check the kids before going to bed myself and Braewyn was still snuggly swaddled. I woke up after 6:00am and the girl was still asleep!! PRAISE GOD! I actually went back to sleep. Philip woke us up at 7:00am and that's when I found a smiling, still swaddled bundle in the bassinet. Her problem was not liking the freedom of movement provided in the sleep sacks.
Now that Braewyn slept just as good last night (9:10pm until 6:50am), I'm convinced that the swaddle is our answer to prayer! Matthew is a wonderful Daddy always, but this was an especially great move on his part. Since she will (Lord-willing) sleep so good through the night, I hope to be able to put her to bed by 9:00pm and then still pump around 10:30 or 11:00pm to stock up the milk supply since MOPS and BSF are beginning soon.
God is good... all the time!!
Friday, September 07, 2007
And it gets worse...
(Read the below post first so this will make sense.)
Is there such a thing as night colic? Braewyn may have invented it. So tonight (yes, it's 6:08am and I'm blogging), Philip was in bed at 9:30pm and Braewyn in her crib at 10:05pm. Maybe they are overly tired by going to bed too late; one of those nights, we went to dinner with my parents while Matthew had a softball game and then we met him at the grocery store to return home at 8:45pm.
I'm in bed at 11:45pm after blogging the below post (yes, I know I'm not getting enough rest myself). At 1:49am, I wake up to Braewyn talking/crying in her crib. We let her go for 15 minutes and she's up to pretty hard crying. I go in with the pacifier. No luck. Mylicon gas drops and then the pacifier. No luck. I pick her up and walk her around the livingroom. While Philip was an infant, I never really got the whole idea behind some people up all night walking the floors with their babies. The idea is now making sense. As long as I was bouncing her and walking, Braewyn would settle down. I even tried to sit in our rocking chair and she began crying again. After more walking, I then tried to feed her. She ate a little and seemed to calm down. Praise the Lord, I finally laid her back in the crib with pacifier and she seemed to be sleeping! Back to bed for me around 2:30am.
Flash forward to 5:08am. More crying from Braewyn. Again wait 10 minutes but she gets louder. I get up to rescue Philip by removing his crying sister from their room. He doesn't seem to hear her. Back in the livingroom for more walking. I also change her diaper and switch her to a lighter weight sleep sack (maybe she was hot). Try to feed her but she's really not interested this time. Finally into the office in her bassinet she goes. I go back to bed to hear faint screaming for 10 more minutes and I had even left the bassinet on vibrate.
Now I'm in the office myself (obviously) and Braewyn finally seems to be asleep. I turned the bassinet's vibrator back on and gave her the pacifier. She got quiet and will possibly sleep for another hour. I've got to get a nap today as we are having our final MOPS steering team retreat/planning session for the upcoming year this evening from 6pm until midnight.
Hope you have a great day. And I'm still interested in any and all tips, suggestions, words of sympathy you might have.
Is there such a thing as night colic? Braewyn may have invented it. So tonight (yes, it's 6:08am and I'm blogging), Philip was in bed at 9:30pm and Braewyn in her crib at 10:05pm. Maybe they are overly tired by going to bed too late; one of those nights, we went to dinner with my parents while Matthew had a softball game and then we met him at the grocery store to return home at 8:45pm.
I'm in bed at 11:45pm after blogging the below post (yes, I know I'm not getting enough rest myself). At 1:49am, I wake up to Braewyn talking/crying in her crib. We let her go for 15 minutes and she's up to pretty hard crying. I go in with the pacifier. No luck. Mylicon gas drops and then the pacifier. No luck. I pick her up and walk her around the livingroom. While Philip was an infant, I never really got the whole idea behind some people up all night walking the floors with their babies. The idea is now making sense. As long as I was bouncing her and walking, Braewyn would settle down. I even tried to sit in our rocking chair and she began crying again. After more walking, I then tried to feed her. She ate a little and seemed to calm down. Praise the Lord, I finally laid her back in the crib with pacifier and she seemed to be sleeping! Back to bed for me around 2:30am.
Flash forward to 5:08am. More crying from Braewyn. Again wait 10 minutes but she gets louder. I get up to rescue Philip by removing his crying sister from their room. He doesn't seem to hear her. Back in the livingroom for more walking. I also change her diaper and switch her to a lighter weight sleep sack (maybe she was hot). Try to feed her but she's really not interested this time. Finally into the office in her bassinet she goes. I go back to bed to hear faint screaming for 10 more minutes and I had even left the bassinet on vibrate.
Now I'm in the office myself (obviously) and Braewyn finally seems to be asleep. I turned the bassinet's vibrator back on and gave her the pacifier. She got quiet and will possibly sleep for another hour. I've got to get a nap today as we are having our final MOPS steering team retreat/planning session for the upcoming year this evening from 6pm until midnight.
Hope you have a great day. And I'm still interested in any and all tips, suggestions, words of sympathy you might have.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
What's in store for us tonight?
Well, my last post said Braewyn and Philip were sleeping soundly in their new shared room. That was at 9:30pm on Tuesday night. Around 12:30am that night, I heard Braewyn begin softly crying over the baby monitor. I had put her to sleep in a gown and swaddled her legs in a blanket. I peeked in to check on her and saw the blanket had come loose. Why didn't I put her to bed in a sleep sack? I tried to give her the pacifier (sometimes she takes it, sometimes she hates it) with no luck. I then picked her up, took her to the living room, put her in a sleep sack (if you don't know, it's like a sleeping bag that zips up the front with arms), and tried to rock her a little to settle her down. A characteristic we've noticed about Braewyn, when tired she reaches an uncontrollable state with loud screeching crying. Horrible! I even tried to nurse her to sleep but she was still screaming with her mouth on me. Next attempt, the bouncy seat on vibrate, but again no success. After 45 minutes of nothing soothing her, I laid her in the bassinet which has now been in the office (our third bedroom) for several weeks and closed the door. She cried for about 20 more minutes before going to sleep. I was so stressed out that after laying back in bed for a few minutes, I returned to the living room and watched an episode of "Hogan Knows Best" (reality show about Hulk Hogan & family) on VH1. I fell asleep just after 2:00am. Woke around 6:15am to Braewyn's crying. That time she ate well and we started our day VERY sluggishly.
That brings us to last night. Home from church around 8:00pm. Matthew dressed Philip for bed while I bathed Braewyn. Prayers with Philip and he was in bed around 8:45pm. I fed Braewyn and she was in the crib around 9:20pm. Quiet at last. At 4:00am, she begins to cry. We enter "cry-it-out" mode. After 20 minutes, I silently walk into their room to make sure she's not stuck in the crib slats or something. Nope, the little girl was laying smack in the middle of her crib. After another length of crying with each minute going by hoping and praying she would go to sleep, I enter the room again and try to give her the paci. By now, she is to her screeching state and poor Philip sits up and says, "Mommy, is it wake up time?" Still dark outside, I say, "No, sweety, not yet. Go back to sleep." He's my angel at the moment and lays down without a word. I scoop Braewyn up and proceed to the livingroom.
I go ahead and try to feed her. She latches right on and eats away steadily. Well, there you go, if the girl's hungry she's gonna let us know. I changed her diaper which was pretty wet, finished feeding her, and now had my happy yet sleepy sweet baby Braewyn back. I laid her back in the crib without even a pacifier and she was content. She slept until 8:00am.
This is where is gets hard having two children... not comparing and doing things with one just because it worked the first time. I need to go to bed now as it's Russian Roulette as it when I'll be awoken. I'd love advice from readers about your bedtime experiences. Are there children who just begin one day sleeping through the night without having to go through this cry-it-out period? Maybe Braewyn is still in need of an extra feeding at night (although she was sleeping from 10pm until 6am for a week a while back!). What can I do about my feelings of guilt for throwing this screaming banshe into Philip's up 'til now peaceful bedroom? I want to create in Braewyn the great sleeping habits we helped foster in Philip. I just want to avoid any unnecessary stress in the meantime. Thanks for "listening."
That brings us to last night. Home from church around 8:00pm. Matthew dressed Philip for bed while I bathed Braewyn. Prayers with Philip and he was in bed around 8:45pm. I fed Braewyn and she was in the crib around 9:20pm. Quiet at last. At 4:00am, she begins to cry. We enter "cry-it-out" mode. After 20 minutes, I silently walk into their room to make sure she's not stuck in the crib slats or something. Nope, the little girl was laying smack in the middle of her crib. After another length of crying with each minute going by hoping and praying she would go to sleep, I enter the room again and try to give her the paci. By now, she is to her screeching state and poor Philip sits up and says, "Mommy, is it wake up time?" Still dark outside, I say, "No, sweety, not yet. Go back to sleep." He's my angel at the moment and lays down without a word. I scoop Braewyn up and proceed to the livingroom.
I go ahead and try to feed her. She latches right on and eats away steadily. Well, there you go, if the girl's hungry she's gonna let us know. I changed her diaper which was pretty wet, finished feeding her, and now had my happy yet sleepy sweet baby Braewyn back. I laid her back in the crib without even a pacifier and she was content. She slept until 8:00am.
This is where is gets hard having two children... not comparing and doing things with one just because it worked the first time. I need to go to bed now as it's Russian Roulette as it when I'll be awoken. I'd love advice from readers about your bedtime experiences. Are there children who just begin one day sleeping through the night without having to go through this cry-it-out period? Maybe Braewyn is still in need of an extra feeding at night (although she was sleeping from 10pm until 6am for a week a while back!). What can I do about my feelings of guilt for throwing this screaming banshe into Philip's up 'til now peaceful bedroom? I want to create in Braewyn the great sleeping habits we helped foster in Philip. I just want to avoid any unnecessary stress in the meantime. Thanks for "listening."
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Back in Blog World!
Yes, we're all still alive and kicking. Much to update about but not much time to do so. Matthew, the kids and I got home today from visiting my Grandma and Grandpa Diemer (Mom's parents), Aunt Cathy (Hey Aunt Cathy! Here's a new post just for you!) and Liz (Mom's sisters), and Bruce (Cathy's husband) over the weekend. We left Thursday after Matthew got off work so it was a nice 5 day visit. We had a really great time together and I really enjoyed watching Philip run through their house and yard where I have so many memories from my own childhood. Of course, everyone loved holding and cuddling Braewyn and miraculously, Grandma, Grandpa and Liz never heard her much during the night! She decided to give Matthew and I a run for our money in the parenting department during the visit but thankfully Philip didn't seem to mind too much (the four of us were sleeping in one room!).
That brings me to our latest news... Braewyn has officially moved into Philip's room. It's now "the kids' room"! Earlier this evening as I was getting them ready for bed both were screaming at the top of their lungs due to exhaustion (Philip never took at nap today and yes, we were in the car for 6 hours!). Currently all is quiet on the home front but we'll see what the remainder of the night holds.
Also, Braewyn was dedicated last Sunday at church. (I will add pics later. Wanted to include one of her and this one I took recently is just too cute.) It was a sweet time for our family and I'll post a separate blog about that. I feel so blessed to have my wonderful husband and two sweet children. I do cherish this stage in Braewyn's life and know it will go so fast. She can't talk back and is not yet blatantly disobeying, but yet I still enjoy the toddler stage moreso and look forward to that time in her life. Yes, Philip knows very well what happens when he doesn't listen to Mommy and Daddy ("Get a pop!") but nothing is better than interacting with him and watching him run and play!
That brings me to our latest news... Braewyn has officially moved into Philip's room. It's now "the kids' room"! Earlier this evening as I was getting them ready for bed both were screaming at the top of their lungs due to exhaustion (Philip never took at nap today and yes, we were in the car for 6 hours!). Currently all is quiet on the home front but we'll see what the remainder of the night holds.
Also, Braewyn was dedicated last Sunday at church. (I will add pics later. Wanted to include one of her and this one I took recently is just too cute.) It was a sweet time for our family and I'll post a separate blog about that. I feel so blessed to have my wonderful husband and two sweet children. I do cherish this stage in Braewyn's life and know it will go so fast. She can't talk back and is not yet blatantly disobeying, but yet I still enjoy the toddler stage moreso and look forward to that time in her life. Yes, Philip knows very well what happens when he doesn't listen to Mommy and Daddy ("Get a pop!") but nothing is better than interacting with him and watching him run and play!
Monday, August 20, 2007
Weekend Review
Friday night, Matthew had a softball game at 9:30pm and left the house a little after 8:00pm to go by his Mom's house first as her garage door was having a problem. I say this to let you know I had the house to myself! Yes the kids were here but Braewyn doesn't care what's going on yet and I worked hard on getting Philip to bed early (all summer it's been around 9:30pm by the time he got to bed, but I was closing his door at 8:09pm this night). I had an objective -- watch "High School Musical 2"!
If you're saying, "What's that?" just ask any girl age 7-17 who has The Disney Channel on her tv. Obviously, it's the sequel to "High School Musical" which I attempted to watch (very cheesy) at a girls' lock-in we had at the church last fall. My opinion of both movies is they are kind of cute with songs which unfortunately get stuck in your head for much longer than you want them there. You can experience that part for yourself by clicking here! Bottom line, the movie is the new generation's Grease but cleaner. I wanted to watch it because I teach the 11th grade girls' Sunday School class and I knew they'd all be watching it.
Saturday was full yet fun. Matthew had another softball game at 9:00am so I planned on taking the kids as the mornings are not too hot these days. We drove separately as it was a tournament so I didn't know if there would be more games to come. Unfortunately, his team lost the Friday night and that first game Saturday morning so it was over for them. We went over to Ruth Ann's house so Matthew could look at her computer and she bought Subway sandwiches for us for lunch. Home after that to get some rest as we were going out later that evening.
Our evening began with dinner at the new Pizza Inn here in town. We ran into Alison who teaches kindergarten at one of the elementary schools and who we know because Matthew's mom has been her assistant for the last few years. They began a new school year together today and if you want to hear how that went, check Alison's blog! Alison and "Mrs. Brooks", we prayed for you today!
Anyway, back to Saturday night... after dinner we drove over to our local community park for a Blue Grass concert. I think I posted about taking the kids to one a few months ago with Mollie, Michael and our friends Kelly and Don. Well, hearing about this one I really wanted to take Philip as he enjoyed the last one. I thought Matthew could stay home with Braewyn, but was really happy when he said we could all go for a family outting!! At dinner we were all together, but the concert ended up a little different.
When we got there, we sat our folding chairs near the back of the crowd. Matthew spotted Kelly and Don so I took Braewyn to Kelly as I knew she'd love holding her. She said to bring our chairs up near them so I did. Matthew began talking with Tyler, one of the youth guys from our church, and his dad Rocky so they stayed standing in the back of the crowd the whole time. Matthew didn't really come to hear bluegrass so I was glad he got to talk sports with the guys. Lastly, Philip saw that some other kids were dancing/playing on a little dance floor (i.e. plywood laying on the grass in front of the stage) and he wanted to go. Another friend from church, Mr. McDonald, took Philip up there. They came back after a few minutes and Philip wanted me to go with him instead. (Philip looked a little puzzled when I told him who had taken him before; I think he was trying to figure out if that was the man who owned McDonald's!). The rest of the concert, I sat on the edge of the dance floor while Philip ran around in circles, jumped up and down clapping, or tried to get Matthew's attention. The music was great and as I told some friends, it was a free something to do!
Philip relaxing in his chair. Mr. Don is behind him in the yellow shirt.
Braewyn is just taking it all in on Ms. Kelly's lap.
Mr. McDonald tries to get Philip to dance. This was just after we got there but before long Philip was running wild!
Finally, Sunday was Aloha Day at church. Everyone was invited to wear Hawaiian or casual clothes as it was promotion day in our Sunday school departments and just a fun way to welcome everyone back from summer with school beginning the next day. After church, my mom asked us to follow her to the daycare where she used to work. She will no longer be working there but is painting murals on their cafeteria walls. If you like her work and live in the area, she is taking orders!
Us in our Aloha-wear. Thanks, Mom, for taking our family portrait. It's a rarity!
One scene from Mom's mural.
And another.
If you're saying, "What's that?" just ask any girl age 7-17 who has The Disney Channel on her tv. Obviously, it's the sequel to "High School Musical" which I attempted to watch (very cheesy) at a girls' lock-in we had at the church last fall. My opinion of both movies is they are kind of cute with songs which unfortunately get stuck in your head for much longer than you want them there. You can experience that part for yourself by clicking here! Bottom line, the movie is the new generation's Grease but cleaner. I wanted to watch it because I teach the 11th grade girls' Sunday School class and I knew they'd all be watching it.
Saturday was full yet fun. Matthew had another softball game at 9:00am so I planned on taking the kids as the mornings are not too hot these days. We drove separately as it was a tournament so I didn't know if there would be more games to come. Unfortunately, his team lost the Friday night and that first game Saturday morning so it was over for them. We went over to Ruth Ann's house so Matthew could look at her computer and she bought Subway sandwiches for us for lunch. Home after that to get some rest as we were going out later that evening.
Our evening began with dinner at the new Pizza Inn here in town. We ran into Alison who teaches kindergarten at one of the elementary schools and who we know because Matthew's mom has been her assistant for the last few years. They began a new school year together today and if you want to hear how that went, check Alison's blog! Alison and "Mrs. Brooks", we prayed for you today!
Anyway, back to Saturday night... after dinner we drove over to our local community park for a Blue Grass concert. I think I posted about taking the kids to one a few months ago with Mollie, Michael and our friends Kelly and Don. Well, hearing about this one I really wanted to take Philip as he enjoyed the last one. I thought Matthew could stay home with Braewyn, but was really happy when he said we could all go for a family outting!! At dinner we were all together, but the concert ended up a little different.
When we got there, we sat our folding chairs near the back of the crowd. Matthew spotted Kelly and Don so I took Braewyn to Kelly as I knew she'd love holding her. She said to bring our chairs up near them so I did. Matthew began talking with Tyler, one of the youth guys from our church, and his dad Rocky so they stayed standing in the back of the crowd the whole time. Matthew didn't really come to hear bluegrass so I was glad he got to talk sports with the guys. Lastly, Philip saw that some other kids were dancing/playing on a little dance floor (i.e. plywood laying on the grass in front of the stage) and he wanted to go. Another friend from church, Mr. McDonald, took Philip up there. They came back after a few minutes and Philip wanted me to go with him instead. (Philip looked a little puzzled when I told him who had taken him before; I think he was trying to figure out if that was the man who owned McDonald's!). The rest of the concert, I sat on the edge of the dance floor while Philip ran around in circles, jumped up and down clapping, or tried to get Matthew's attention. The music was great and as I told some friends, it was a free something to do!
Philip relaxing in his chair. Mr. Don is behind him in the yellow shirt.
Braewyn is just taking it all in on Ms. Kelly's lap.
Mr. McDonald tries to get Philip to dance. This was just after we got there but before long Philip was running wild!
Finally, Sunday was Aloha Day at church. Everyone was invited to wear Hawaiian or casual clothes as it was promotion day in our Sunday school departments and just a fun way to welcome everyone back from summer with school beginning the next day. After church, my mom asked us to follow her to the daycare where she used to work. She will no longer be working there but is painting murals on their cafeteria walls. If you like her work and live in the area, she is taking orders!
Us in our Aloha-wear. Thanks, Mom, for taking our family portrait. It's a rarity!
One scene from Mom's mural.
And another.
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