Wichita visit

Hello, all! I made a little impromtu visit to Wichita this week. My niece, Jessica Lee, came into the world on Tuesday, the 29th. She weighed 8 lbs 8 oz and was 19 inches long. My sis-in-law went to the hospital at 10:45 and the baby was born at 12:24! Needless to say, I did not make it to Wichita by the time she was born. Here labor basically lasted from 8 that morning until 12:24...not even 4.5 hours! We are thrilled to have baby #8 in our family and couldn't be happier that they got their little baby girl and that she's so healthy! YAY!

On a different note, garage sale day is upon us. It's tomorrow, in fact! Hope it doesn't rain and hope we get lots of $$$! :) Wish us luck!

That's all I've got for the moment. I'm gonna go eat some ice cream! YAY!

Growing up too fast and various updates

Time goes by WAY too fast these days. While I am wishing for that first morning when I wake up only to realize that we slept through the entire night, I am already thinking that my baby boy is getting too big! Of course, this might be because of the fact that he looks so much older than he actually is! Most people think that he's 3-4 months and he's only 7 weeks! I have a feeling that will be the case for quite some time! :) He is ready for size 2 diapers (I'm trying to get rid of the rest of the 1's and they are quite snug on the little hamhocks...as my mom would put it). He is mainly wearing 3-6 month clothes unless they are rompers. He has rolled over 5-6 times. He turns circles and scoots like crazy in his crib. He is just getting so big!

Then, there is big sister. I do not even know what to say about that girl! She truly amazes me every day. I know that I'm quite redundant on that and I know that I brag a lot, but this is MY blog, so you have to endure it if you're going to visit! HA! :) :) :) She just is really quite bright and I give God all of the credit there. The things that she comes up with and remembers really amaze me! Yesterday morning, I got her cup ready to take to Bible class. I wrote her name on it in permanent marker. I said, "What does your cup say?" She looked down, then back up at me, and said, "C-A-S-I-E...that pells Tassie." Well, she missed an 's,' but imagine my surprise! She recognizes her 'c,' though she calls herself 'Tassie.' That's the only letter that she knows by sight to my knowledge, but I guess she figured if it started with a c, it must be her name. I just couldn't believe that she knew how to spell it, as I'm pretty sure I haven't talked about that in a long time...possibly since before brother came!

This just always makes me think how crucial the learning is at this stage of the game and how much you can squeeze into their little brains if you start right away and encourage them to love learning. The children in our country could have a much higher level of intelligence if parents, caregivers, other family members, etc. took the time to nurture their minds and curiosity!

NOW, for updates...or lack thereof.

I don't have an update on Baby Addison, though yesterday she was doing great considering.

Read my aunt's comment on the post below for an update on my cousin, Brooke's, situation.

Our house is on the market. We've had 1 showing. They came 40 minutes early, woke Cassie up by ringing the doorbell, and it all made me pretty irritated. Such is the life of keeping your house spotless and letting strangers roam through it. You're at their mercy to respect your home and to be curteous about the timing and all. It stinks. However, Lord willing, it will all bring about a sold house and a move to Wichita to be closer to family and friends...well, except for you northern cousins and all...you'll just have to all come visit ta-town! :)

My sister-in-law, Amanda, was due with baby Jessica yesterday. Apparently, she's pretty comfy in there. Her sonogram due date was yesterday, her "dates" due date is Thursday. Hopefully, she'll decide to come out sooner rather than later and will do so quickly and efficiently like her brother, J, rather than her oldest brother, L. That was a 23-1/2 hr labor and it was NOT pleasant. It's a wonder I ever HAD babies after that ordeal! :) Anyway, we're praying for them that this time might go quickly and that baby Jessie will come out safely and perfectly healthy!

I think that's all I know for now. Thanks for stopping by!

Baby Update

Well, my friend, Holly, had to be delivered by emergency Cesarean Section last night. The baby, Miss Addison Elizabeth, is doing amazingly well for not even being 28 weeks gestation. She weighed 1 lb 11 oz and was 13.5 inches. I can't even IMAGINE a baby that tiny. Her skin is not even developed yet and is as thin as wet paper, according to her daddy. Her head is the size of a tennis ball and when he put his wedding ring on her wrist, there was still room to spare. The doctors have given her an A+, but reminded them that that can change hour by hour, minute by minute. She has a looooooong road ahead of her, but God is taking care of baby Addison!

As for Holly, she had to have an old-school c-section with the vertical incision. Not only does this mean more pain, but a much longer recovery. She won't even be released from the hospital until at least Tuesday, which ironically is her birthday.

For those of you that live here, they will sadly not be returning here, but are now just moved to Longview sooner than expected. We are all sad by this turn of events, as we were looking forward to their going away party, but God was truly with them through this ordeal in letting baby Addison be born right there in Longview where they were scheduled to move in 2 weeks rather than here, where they would have to remain until Addison could go home in 2-3 months.

Thank you all for your continued prayers for this special little girl. I will keep updating as I'm able.

As for my cousin and her baby, I know nothing new, but if anyone out there does, please email me or leave it as a comment. If you don't have a blog, you can just comment with your name and you don't have to put a URL...you can just leave it blank. OR, you can put a fake name or nickname...just make sure I know who you are by it! :) Thanks everyone!

URGENT PRAYER REQUESTS

I have 2 prayer requests that are quite urgent...both involving innocent, unborn baby girls.

The first is my cousin, Brooke. They recently found out that there is lack of development in her baby's brainstem and part of her brain. I'm don't really know any other details, but please pray for this baby and this family. They have 3 sons and were thrilled to find out that this was a baby girl.

The second is my friend, Holly. She is actually in TX moving their possessions down there, as they are relocating in 2 weeks. They went to the dr with low fetal movement and were sent directly to the hospital, as she has very low amniotic fluid and could possibly have to have an emergency C-Section at not even 28 weeks gestation.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE lift these 2 precious baby girls up in your prayers. They are both wanted very, very badly and it breaks my heart that these mothers, fathers, and other family members are having to go through this difficult and scary time. Thanks in advance for your prayers.

What's in a name?

One more thing that I meant to post on the post 2 below...

Cassie started calling me "Mommy" yesterday and I LOVE IT! It is just precious and melts my heart!

THE listing

If you want to see our house listing, shoot me an email. I don't want to post it here, because...let's face it...there are some weirdos out there. However, if you're a regular reader/poster or a friend or family member (even you aunties that don't ever comment), email me or message me on facebook and I'll email it to you. Have a great day!

A post NOT about the house

My kids just remind me of God's goodness, of life's humor, and of the faith of a child. I feel so blessed every time I look at them, interact with them, and when I watch them sleep. Conrey is getting to be quite the butterball. That reminds me of God's wonderous workings of nature...my body supplies everything he needs right now. Cassie's vocabulary and grasp of language is ever increasing and making me appreciate the gift of speech and vocal chords. God is good.

If you are not a reader of my brothers' blog, I suggest you pop over here. I say "brothers'" because it is my brother, TacoDave's blog, but my brother, Doc, has been contributing. It is very insightful, inspirational, and encouraging to me. Sometimes, it is just plain funny. Right now, however, they are discussing media and what it can do to your mind and spirit. I just wanted to share a little story about my brother, Doc's, 6-year-old son, L. He was playing video games (namely, the Wii) with my dad. They were about to begin another round when he stopped Grandpa and said, "No, Grandpa...now we have to study the Bible and talk about God for as long as we've been playing video games." The simple faith of a child who has his priorities all worked out. Oh to be able to be that dedicated. It is a testament, also, to his parents for instilling those principles into their son. I only wish that L would stay a sweet, innocent child forever.

Well, Mr. Conrey is screaming up a blue streak, so I'd best go rescue him. Take care everyone...

OH, MY-LANTA!

So, we pretty much called off the whole moving thing last night and then re-instated it today. I am really DONE with this whole rollercoaster. Mark still does not have a job secured, but has a few offers/options available to him. Last night he pulls the whole "I don't think we should put our house on the market without me having a job said and done..." thing. NO, REALLY??? I guess he confirmed some things this morning (after some *ahem* words between us last night) and decided to NOT call the realtor to call it off. SO, why on earth am I posting when I should be getting the house ready for pictures, showings, etc? I'm not really sure. :) I guess because I truly cannot believe that we're going through with this. I guess because I truly cannot believe that before long I'll be living in ta-town once again. I guess because, though I completely trust God to do what is best for us, I am still not convinced that Mark is going to go through with moving. But, the house is going on the market. We've set a goal for the lowest we're willing to take for our house and trust that if we're meant to move, we'll make that or better. God is truly in control and we're just going to go along for the ride. Whoa... Now, if this ride would just level out and quit going up and down, we would all feel a little less nauseous...

Avoidance

Yeah, so, I've been avoiding this post. As of tomorrow, our house goes on the market and we begin our OFFICIAL journey of moving to Wichita. We are having an emotional time with this, but believe that God has great plans for us there. Mark truly misses working with his hands and the opportunities for that seem to be in Wichita at this point. The economy there is BOOMING and there are a multitude of jobs available. It is scary, it is emotional, but it is extremely exciting. I'll continue to keep you updated and try to do so more often. To those of you here, I am already missing you. That's all I can say for now.

Mourning with my baby girl...

Cassie's final paci broke last night. We knew that it was on the verge. She knew that it was about to break and then no more paci. That didn't make it any easier. I knew...I KNEW that I had a spare paci in my nightstand and wanted sooooooo badly to go get it and give it to her to make her feel better. I guess I know how God feels when things happen to us and He has to let us deal with stuff to make us stronger. He could make things "all better" at any time, but He allows us to suffer for our own good sometimes. This is definitely for her own good. She's over 2 and her teeth are just barely starting to be affected by the paci. She's only had it at bedtime and naptime for a long, long time, but it was her comfort and now that comfort is gone...for good. It really broke my heart and she just sobbed and clung to me for over an hour. Poor little thing. She kept saying, "Sing me a song, Momma!" I'd sing while she cried and then I'd finish the song and her crying would get louder. It was really tough!

In Conrey news, he is now sleeping about 3.5-4 hour stretches at night. It's really nice. He's done a few 5's, but not consistently yet. I am just waiting for that one morning when I wake up only to realize that he's slept straight through! :)

Well, I'm going to go comfort my little one. I hope that everyone has a great day! I'll keep you updated on the whole moving/not moving situation! :)

Postponed

Well, we're not putting our house on the market quite yet. We are going down to Wichita this weekend to figure some stuff out job-wise and house-wise (see if Mark is happy with the houses that we can afford there) and then we'll be more comfortable with the whole process. When I told him on Monday that he should probably have a secured job before our house went on the market, it went in 1 ear and out the other. When his dad told him the same thing last night, it stuck. HA! So, that's the most recent information. I'll keep you "posted..."

Sorry...bad pun.

Post 222

For those of you who know me well, I have a thing for numbers. It is part of the OCD that all 4 of us (my siblings and I) suffer from, though mine is not severe. Anyway, this is post 222...I like that. It makes me feel complete...

I was coming on here to do a vague update, but I figured that with such a good post number...222...I would go ahead and be more specific...it just feels right. Don't get me wrong, it's not a superstition, but rather a feeling of being complete or whole or something of the sort. 223 (which would be the next post) would not feel the same. And now you all think I'm crazy.

We are quite possibly putting our house on the market this weekend. With this possibility we would be moving...to Wichita. Yeah......

I've been debating whether to mention anything or not. We are calling the realtor to have her come take the pictures tomorrow. There are many reasons why we have made this decision...I will detail those at another time. I just wanted to let you know. I will update more later. Thanks for your continued prayers.

Clarification

"B" is my cousin...I was really just teasing her about coming, as I've been trying to get her to come see me. :)



HOWEVER, Bek...we'd LOVE for you to come over this way for the garage sale and we would all take turns sitting outside and/or being inside with the kids that were there vs. being with their daddies. :)



Sounds like several are interested. YAY!



I love going to garage sales...don't love HAVING garage sales. LOTS of work, but worth the effort as you see clutter fly away!!!

Post 220

I am always amazed at the sheer number of posts that I have posted. Some have been short, some have been pretty long. Lots of wasted time and lots of invaluable time that has allowed me to share stories, pictures, and life with so many people all in 1 whack. I am so thankful for modern technology that allows us to keep in contact with our loved ones.

For those of you who live in the area...in case you didn't get the email or didn't READ the email...I am wanting to do a garage sale some time pretty soon. Anyone interested?!? Anyone who lives in a better location interested in hosting it if Mark and I do a lot of the work? We're wanting to get rid of JUNK and do it NOW! :) I'm trying to pare down everything from room to room, as well as the junk in storage. SO, if you're in the mood to garage sale, give me a shout out. B...you're welcome to come, too! :) In fact, why don't you come be my babysitter while we have a garage sale. I'll pay you in chocolate! HA!

I haven't asked a random question in awhile. I'm not even sure if I've asked this before or not, but here it is: IF YOU COULD LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHERE WOULD IT BE? There's my question. My answer? Hmmm...I don't think that there is a perfect place with natural disasters and such. I guess I would pick somewhere with spring-like weather the majority of the time. I DO love Portland, OR too, though...where my brother lives. It's gorgeous. I guess I don't have a solid answer to my own question. Oh, crap...

I've got a lot on my mind right now. I can't give specifics at the moment, but if you all would just pray for decision making in our family right now...that would be appreciated. I guess that's why I'm kind of all over the place with this post. SO, I think I'm done for now. Hope you all have a good one and I'll try to post something more coherent later.

Picture info and such

First of all, the pictures were taken by a girl named Katie. I believe her company is called Kathryn Jenkins Photography. Anyway, it was a completely relaxing atmosphere in her apartment. She was not in any hurry and it was really laid back. We were there 2.5 hours and she just took her time, was really patient with the kids, cleaned up spit up, etc. I will DEFINITELY use her again in the future. If anyone is interested in pics, I can give you her number and/or the link to her pictures. She was just really fabulous. She specializes in black and whites, but does color photography, as well.

We're all hanging in there...we've had a cold...a nasty one at that. I started out with it and now the other 3 have it. Having an infant with a cold is no fun. Poor little buddy!

DANG! I gotta go attend to that little buddy. I'll update more when I can.

2 More pics--No words necessary

Potty Training

So, here I am back at this crossroads...once again, it is not initiated by myself, but rather by Cassie. That is what happened the last time, as well. She REALLY wants to wear big girl panties. She begs and pleads, but I've told her that she has to potty in her potty chair first. So, she'll go and sit and sit and sit. Then, she'll decide she's done and 1 of 3 things will happen. If she's taking a bath, she potties immediately in the bathtub. If we're putting on a diaper, she potties in the diaper within 10-15 minutes. The final option is she tries and tries and then gets up. As we're going to her room, she potties on the floor. Oh, my. She just still has anxiety about pottying in her potty. She loves reading books about pottying. There is one that talks about how you can be so proud of being a big girl once you potty on the potty and wear big girl panties. She absolutely BEAMS when we read that part. Hmmm... Oh, she also had a little adventure in pooping in the bathtub the other day and started screaming like there was a shark in the bath. Fun times, fun times...

I have kind of thought that this might be the BEST time to get it done while Conrey is still sleeping so much and she is wanting to prove her "Big Girl" status. Once he's to the point where he is awake a lot, it's going to be much more difficult to focus on her in that respect. Any thoughts about that? I know that many of you are experienced trainers, so give me some input.

Well, that was all I was gonna say. Hope you all have a fabulous 4th and I'll hopefully be catching up on blogs today!!! :) GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Pictures

This is Conrey at exactly 3 weeks and then his feet with momma's hands making a heart around them.
First is Cassie being silly and then Cassie not wanting to cooperate. STINKER! Could she have captured Cassie's eyes any more perfectly, though?

I'm quite the proud momma at the moment. These are the only 4 pics I've seen of our photoshoot that we did on Monday, but I'm quite impressed and excited. LOVE them!!!

Busy Life...passing me by...

PRECIOUS!!! Daddy and Conrey under 1 week old.

Life is just passing by so fast! Things have been a bit hectic. Holly and all, thanks for the concern. We had a rough night Saturday night, so we didn't make it to church. Conrey has had thrush (yeast infection of the mouth). He is already quite the puker and this has made him really tooty and burpy, on top of that. It hasn't been real fun.

We have been soooo blessed by the couples in our church group that have been bringing us meals. After having Conrey, I felt badly about accepting the meals because I was feeling so well. I have been truly thankful that we accepted them, as I've been so tired and Conrey has been very needy (hence my lack of postings). He's wanting to be held a lot and doesn't sleep very soundly most of the time. We have had lots of yummy food and are so thankful for good friends!

Anyway, I took Conrey to the dr yesterday and the little mister weighed in at 11 lbs 5 oz. WOW! Apparently, though we change clothes mulptiple times each day from the puking, he's still getting adequate nutrition. His thrush is better, but still bothersome. He HATES his medicine. Imagine this: You're an infant (less than 3 weeks) and you've only had breastmilk. You have to get medicine for your itchy, ouchy mouth. Suddenly, you taste something foreign. What is it? Why, it's CHERRY MINT, of course! WHAT? Why on earth would they give a tiny baby CHERRY MINT?!?

He is getting better, but still is not himself. He is getting really chubby, though. Sorry, but I don't have any recent pics uploaded as of yet, so I'll have to get some. The one at the top is one that my friend, Bek, took when she was here the weekend after he was born. I thought it was pretty fantastic and pretty precious.

Cassie has been saying funny things to him lately. Yesterday, he was focusing on her as she was talking to him. She said, "What do you think, buddy? What do you think?" Today, when I was burping him and finally got a burp, she said, "Atta boy, buddy!" She's enjoying him and is getting used to having him around and being such a great helper! One downside to things is that she's still afraid of going potty. I'm not really sure what to do to get her over her fear. I even bought Dora panties as incentive, as she has been asking for them. Any suggestions?