Well, I wrote "update blog" on my to do list for today, and I won't feel like I've accomplished everything for the day until I can mark that off, so here goes!
Of course Levi is getting way too big way too fast! He has brought our family so much joy! You just can't help smiling when he's around. He's even cute when he cries! We love him so much! He's a good eater and already over 16 pounds - whew! He loves to smile and giggle and blow spit bubbles! :)
Jared is well into his 2nd grade year of A Beka video school. It's going very well. We still have him do additional reading assignments to keep him challenged, and he's doing great with those as well.
Our little Laynie girl is doing fabulous! Full of spunk and drama! We love it that she's such a girlie-girl!
We're gearing up for some crazy times schedule-wise. Michael got an assignment with the army that will require quite a bit of traveling, so we're looking forward to going with him as much as possible. (One of the countless benefits of home-schooling!)
I'm very excited about getting to go to the 2010 Christian Womanhood Spectacular in Hammond, IN. My pastor's wife is speaking at one of the mini-sessions, and I always look forward to hearing her speak! It's always such a treat to get to go!
Well, that's our life right now in a teeeeeny tiny little nutshell. Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to elaborate a little more in the near future!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Oh my!!!
So, obviously it's been way too long since I last posted here. I haven't neglected it intentionally, mind you - it just happened that way! Obviously MUCH has happened since mid-March (the last time I posted here.) To put it in a nutshell, I've had another niece born (Kyleigh Alyse), the fifth member of our family made his grand appearance (Levi Grant), and my best friend, Bethany had her 2nd baby girl - Claire Elizabeth! It's baby central around here! I also have 3 more friends who are expecting, as well as my sister! Add in there, VBS, and a trip to Missouri (Michael had a class at Ft. Leonard Wood, so the kids and I stayed w/my parents) and you have our summer! I have so many pictures I could post, but for now I think I'm going to limit them to our family's new arrival.
.
Headed out the door!
All ready to go!
He's here!
Levi Grant
Mommy and Baby Levi
Daddy with Levi
Levi and big brother Jared
Levi with big sister Laynie
Daddy with all 3 kids
Family pic!
On June 25th, I began having relatively regular contractions - nothing too painful, just a bit uncomfortable. So Saturday morning we went to the hospital - around 9 a.m. the contractions began coming much closer together (about every 4-5 minutes) and they were definitely getting painful! At about 12:30 or so I was allowed to get into the tub to labor there for a while - I HIGHLY recommend this for anyone who is trying to give birth without an epidural. I really wish I could have been in it longer. The hospital where I gave birth is not approved for water births (bummer!), so the nurse was very clear with me that as soon as I started feeling pressure to push, that I needed to get out. Well, I'd only had about 3 contractions before I started feeling pressure, so I didn't get to stay in too long. At that point, they were telling me I was only dilated to a 7-8 which seriously upset me because I REALLY was ready to push! I breathed through a few more contractions then told the nurse she really needed to call the doctor because my body was pushing even though I was doing all I could to stop it. The doctor came running in basically in time to catch Levi! He was out in one big push (praise the Lord - good baby!). At 1:07 p.m. June 26th 2010 he was born - 9 lbs, 5 oz!!! I could not BELIEVE how big he was!! Jared and Laynie were 7 lb. 13 oz, and 7 lb. 9 oz., so I was NOT expecting anything much bigger than that. Also, I actually gained less weight with Levi than I did with either Jared or Laynie, so I had no reason to think he would be so big - I was just in shock! Needless to say it was love at first sight - he is absolutely precious beyond words. Something interesting - there was a "true knot" in his umbilical cord! The doctor said he must have been doing somersaults in there! Obviously it did not hinder his growth, thank goodness! Jared and Laynie just love their little baby brother - they're so sweet with him! He is by far my most laid back baby - very content! Here are a few pictures.
.Headed out the door!
All ready to go!
He's here!
Levi Grant
Mommy and Baby Levi
Daddy with Levi
Levi and big brother Jared
Levi with big sister Laynie
Daddy with all 3 kids
Family pic!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Recent News
Well, things have been crazy at our house as usual! First, my niece was born! Little Jasmine Celeste made her appearance on February 10th with a BEAUTIFUL head full of hair!! She is just the sweetest little thing! The week after that, Michael and I got to go to a marriage retreat sponsored by the Army - it was in Coronado, CA - completely beautiful! We had a great time, learned a few things, and truly enjoyed a short trip away, just the two of us. We got back from CA late on a Sunday night, then the following Wednesday afternoon, we headed out on a roadtrip with the kids. We went up to Indiana first - we got to see my.........PREGNANT!!!!! sister, Holly!! (Yippee!!!!! Soooooooooo excited that I get to be pregnant with my baby sister!!!!) She is due on October 16th, and gets to go to the same OB that I had with Jared and Laynie. Yay! :) We also got to visit some good friends while we were there, as well as visit our old church - First Baptist Church in Hammond. It was good to see everyone and get to hear a great message from one of our favorite preachers. While we were there, we got to see the 2 girls from our church here in GA who are up there for Bible College. It was so good to see them!
From Indiana, we went down to MO and got to spend a couple of days with my in-laws, and then a couple of days with my parents. We had a really great time, and I got to see my brand new niece, which was wonderful! She is even more beautiful in person than she is in the pictures I had seen!
On our way back, we got to stop just outside of Nashville, and meet up with Michaels VERY pregnant sister, Angel. She is due any day now! We cant wait to meet little baby Kyleigh! Hopefully I will have some news to report soon! :)
We got back from our trip and just a few short days later, the kids and I took Michael to SC for a training course he has to do for the Army. Thank God he only has to be gone for 2 weeks! We miss him a lot, and the kids and I are counting down the days! Thankfully for him, he said so far the material he is learning is pretty interesting, so I think that is helping the time go by a little faster for him.
A huge blessing for our family is that my very close friend, Joanna, has been able to move in with us. Michael is going to be gone a LOT over the next several months :( :( :( - and with me being pregnant, then over the summer, gaining a newborn, Michael didn't want me to be completely alone. The timing worked out perfectly for her to just move in here and stay with us for a while. She is a huge help and of course it helps me not feel quite so lonely too!
For now Ive been working on getting the house all cleaned out (I suppose its the closest thing to spring cleaning that I do!). I think it may be early nesting! I just like for things to look nice, and be CLEAN!! Since we have been gone so much over the past few weeks, things have gotten kinda crazy with my housekeeping. I can make things look pretty presentable, but I know what is behind closed doors, and under rugs - lol!! Of course it doesnt help that I dont really have the stamina that I normally have, plus I get really severe back pain and simply canNOT keep moving! Slowly but surely things are getting put back in order though!
From Indiana, we went down to MO and got to spend a couple of days with my in-laws, and then a couple of days with my parents. We had a really great time, and I got to see my brand new niece, which was wonderful! She is even more beautiful in person than she is in the pictures I had seen!
On our way back, we got to stop just outside of Nashville, and meet up with Michaels VERY pregnant sister, Angel. She is due any day now! We cant wait to meet little baby Kyleigh! Hopefully I will have some news to report soon! :)
We got back from our trip and just a few short days later, the kids and I took Michael to SC for a training course he has to do for the Army. Thank God he only has to be gone for 2 weeks! We miss him a lot, and the kids and I are counting down the days! Thankfully for him, he said so far the material he is learning is pretty interesting, so I think that is helping the time go by a little faster for him.
A huge blessing for our family is that my very close friend, Joanna, has been able to move in with us. Michael is going to be gone a LOT over the next several months :( :( :( - and with me being pregnant, then over the summer, gaining a newborn, Michael didn't want me to be completely alone. The timing worked out perfectly for her to just move in here and stay with us for a while. She is a huge help and of course it helps me not feel quite so lonely too!
For now Ive been working on getting the house all cleaned out (I suppose its the closest thing to spring cleaning that I do!). I think it may be early nesting! I just like for things to look nice, and be CLEAN!! Since we have been gone so much over the past few weeks, things have gotten kinda crazy with my housekeeping. I can make things look pretty presentable, but I know what is behind closed doors, and under rugs - lol!! Of course it doesnt help that I dont really have the stamina that I normally have, plus I get really severe back pain and simply canNOT keep moving! Slowly but surely things are getting put back in order though!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Drum roll please..........................................................
It's a....................BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Honestly, I wasn't necessarily hoping for one or the other, I was just so so excited to FIND OUT!! Lol!! I was just itching to buy some baby stuff! (We have gotten rid of EVERYTHING!) We're not ones to do "gender neutral" things, so I wanted to wait till we knew the gender before we bought anything. I got some super cute little outfits at the consignment stores this weekend - OH! Also, I got an ADORABLE maternity dress (extremely comfy too!) for just $6.00!!!!
I did end up having to have 3 LOOOOOOOOOONG ultrasounds this past Friday. The first ultrasound showed some fluid on the baby's kidneys, so I had to go to a perinatal specialist (at least I think that was her title - lol!) to have an additional ultrasound done. The sonographer there couldn't get him to move the way she needed him to, so the actual doctor had to come in and do the 3rd and final ultrasound. They were all very long ultrasounds, but I wasn't complaining!! We got to watch our little baby the whole time, and it was amazing!!
They did confirm that he has fluid on both of his kidneys. Apparently this occasionally happens to little boys - the doctor is not overly concerned at this point. I will have to have a few additional ultrasounds so they can monitor it (darn! - hehehe!). I guess sometimes this problem fixes itself, but if it doesn't fix itself by the time he is born, he will have to go on antibiotics for the first week of his life, and that will fix it. We're praying that we don't have to do that - I'm not too keen on the idea of him having to be on antibiotics so soon. I'm not completely against them, I believe at times they're necessary, but it just seems so soon!! Anyway, the Lord knows, and in the meantime, I'll be doing some research of my own to make sure I'm educated about it.
Well, I think that's about it for now!
I did end up having to have 3 LOOOOOOOOOONG ultrasounds this past Friday. The first ultrasound showed some fluid on the baby's kidneys, so I had to go to a perinatal specialist (at least I think that was her title - lol!) to have an additional ultrasound done. The sonographer there couldn't get him to move the way she needed him to, so the actual doctor had to come in and do the 3rd and final ultrasound. They were all very long ultrasounds, but I wasn't complaining!! We got to watch our little baby the whole time, and it was amazing!!
They did confirm that he has fluid on both of his kidneys. Apparently this occasionally happens to little boys - the doctor is not overly concerned at this point. I will have to have a few additional ultrasounds so they can monitor it (darn! - hehehe!). I guess sometimes this problem fixes itself, but if it doesn't fix itself by the time he is born, he will have to go on antibiotics for the first week of his life, and that will fix it. We're praying that we don't have to do that - I'm not too keen on the idea of him having to be on antibiotics so soon. I'm not completely against them, I believe at times they're necessary, but it just seems so soon!! Anyway, the Lord knows, and in the meantime, I'll be doing some research of my own to make sure I'm educated about it.
Well, I think that's about it for now!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Happy New Year!
I noticed these last few months that there are a LOT of people saying things like, "When is 2009 going to be over?!?" And boo-hooing about how awful their year has been. Now don't get me wrong - I understand that a few people truly did have horrible years. But for MOST people, it could have been so much worse! I just hate all of the negativity!! We had a tough 2009, but it was far from "horrible" or our "worst year ever." Goodness!! Just goes to show that people (myself included) need to count their blessings more often!
Anyway...off of that soapbox now! For those who are interested, the pregnancy is going fine. I've definitely been sicker w/this one than w/the other 3 pregnancies combined. I'm just now, at 16 weeks, starting to feel like "normal" again. (Normal for me anyway - lol!) Honestly though, I can't complain - I do realize that there are many many pregnant ladies who are very sick during the entire pregnancy, and it has not been THAT bad for me - definitely bearable! I am glad to be feeling a bit better though! We should be able to find out the gender in the next month or so, so we're excited about that.
We just got the FANTASTIC news that my best friend, Bethany is expecting their 2nd baby!! So my adorable little Chloe girl will have a baby brother or sister not long after our baby is born! Beth and I have been best friends since we were tiny (our moms were best friends before we were even born, so we've literally grown up together since day one!), and we've always done everything together. We went to the same Bible college, got married the same summer, bought our first houses within weeks of each other, but when it came to having babies, God had other plans! I thought sure we'd get to be pregnant together MUCH sooner than this! I was just thinking that in a total of 7 pregnancies (including a miscarriage for each of us) this is the FIRST time we've gotten to be pregnant together! So exciting!!
In other baby news...my sister-in-law, Jacqueline is due in just 5 1/2 short weeks!!! They know they are having a baby girl, and we're VERY excited about it!! Since she is an identical twin, and there are several sets of twins in our extended family, we were definitely hoping for twins (at least, *I* was!), but it is definitely just one baby! :)
Also, Michael's sister, Angel, is due in about 10 1/2 more weeks! They're also having a baby girl, and are pretty sure they've decided on the name Kyleigh - I think that's so pretty!! Of course, my two nieces, Kaitlin and Kinsey, are very excited about having a new baby sister soon!!
I'm hoping to get to see both babies not too long after they're born - I'll be needing to get brushed up!! :)
Our Christmas was fantastic. Our church's program was great - such an awesome Christ themed message to it (it was Majesty Music's "Christmas at Home"). We also got to be at my parents' church for their Christmas program. Bethany headed it up and was able to include every child in the church in some way or another - even the babies! It was so cute! They told the entire Christmas story with several songs incorporated into it! It was precious!
Of course, the kids got spoiled rotten! I was pleased this year that Laynie is finally old enough to somewhat understand the concept of GIVING gifts, and not just receiving. Jared was so excited to give the gifts he had picked out for everyone! We take turns at our big family Christmas w/my side of the family, starting from youngest to oldest, GIVING gifts one at a time - he kept asking, "Is it my turn yet mommy?" He was so eager to give his gifts! I won't lie though - they both enjoyed GETTING gifts too - lol!!
With our little family Christmas (Michael, me and the kids), I tried my hand at making cinnamon rolls for breakfast - uh....they turned out OK..but definitely room for improvement! I'm going to try out Jessica's recipe next time, and hopefully they'll turn out better. One of the things I think could have been better is MORE butter (that you spread on the rolled-out dough, before you sprinkle on the cinnamon/sugar) and MORE cinnamon/sugar. They weren't "cinnamony" enough. Also, there wasn't nearly enough glaze. So, lessons learned - hopefully the next batch will turn out better!
Well, I think that's all for now. Hopefully all is well with everyone!
Anyway...off of that soapbox now! For those who are interested, the pregnancy is going fine. I've definitely been sicker w/this one than w/the other 3 pregnancies combined. I'm just now, at 16 weeks, starting to feel like "normal" again. (Normal for me anyway - lol!) Honestly though, I can't complain - I do realize that there are many many pregnant ladies who are very sick during the entire pregnancy, and it has not been THAT bad for me - definitely bearable! I am glad to be feeling a bit better though! We should be able to find out the gender in the next month or so, so we're excited about that.
We just got the FANTASTIC news that my best friend, Bethany is expecting their 2nd baby!! So my adorable little Chloe girl will have a baby brother or sister not long after our baby is born! Beth and I have been best friends since we were tiny (our moms were best friends before we were even born, so we've literally grown up together since day one!), and we've always done everything together. We went to the same Bible college, got married the same summer, bought our first houses within weeks of each other, but when it came to having babies, God had other plans! I thought sure we'd get to be pregnant together MUCH sooner than this! I was just thinking that in a total of 7 pregnancies (including a miscarriage for each of us) this is the FIRST time we've gotten to be pregnant together! So exciting!!
In other baby news...my sister-in-law, Jacqueline is due in just 5 1/2 short weeks!!! They know they are having a baby girl, and we're VERY excited about it!! Since she is an identical twin, and there are several sets of twins in our extended family, we were definitely hoping for twins (at least, *I* was!), but it is definitely just one baby! :)
Also, Michael's sister, Angel, is due in about 10 1/2 more weeks! They're also having a baby girl, and are pretty sure they've decided on the name Kyleigh - I think that's so pretty!! Of course, my two nieces, Kaitlin and Kinsey, are very excited about having a new baby sister soon!!
I'm hoping to get to see both babies not too long after they're born - I'll be needing to get brushed up!! :)
Our Christmas was fantastic. Our church's program was great - such an awesome Christ themed message to it (it was Majesty Music's "Christmas at Home"). We also got to be at my parents' church for their Christmas program. Bethany headed it up and was able to include every child in the church in some way or another - even the babies! It was so cute! They told the entire Christmas story with several songs incorporated into it! It was precious!
Of course, the kids got spoiled rotten! I was pleased this year that Laynie is finally old enough to somewhat understand the concept of GIVING gifts, and not just receiving. Jared was so excited to give the gifts he had picked out for everyone! We take turns at our big family Christmas w/my side of the family, starting from youngest to oldest, GIVING gifts one at a time - he kept asking, "Is it my turn yet mommy?" He was so eager to give his gifts! I won't lie though - they both enjoyed GETTING gifts too - lol!!
With our little family Christmas (Michael, me and the kids), I tried my hand at making cinnamon rolls for breakfast - uh....they turned out OK..but definitely room for improvement! I'm going to try out Jessica's recipe next time, and hopefully they'll turn out better. One of the things I think could have been better is MORE butter (that you spread on the rolled-out dough, before you sprinkle on the cinnamon/sugar) and MORE cinnamon/sugar. They weren't "cinnamony" enough. Also, there wasn't nearly enough glaze. So, lessons learned - hopefully the next batch will turn out better!
Well, I think that's all for now. Hopefully all is well with everyone!
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