Busy Summer!

So many events in the last 3 months! Let's see if I can get them in the correct order. First, Laurance and Kimberly had their 2nd baby boy, Joshua, at home while Jonathan slept. The midwife barely made it in time. Then I met my college roommate in Columbia for a day at Riverbank Zoo. Oh, it was so hot, but it was great to catch up with Sarah and meet her newest addition (she now has 3 girls!). And Ella really enjoyed the lorikeets eating out of her hand. Next, it was off to RI for Charles and Sarah's beautiful wedding. The most touching part was when Charles sang "Yours Forever" to Sarah after she walked down the aisle.  We all enjoyed our rented 2009 Chrysler Town & Country-I could so get used to that-and getting to stop to visit with friends on the way there and back. Ella, of course, loved being a flower girl!



Soon after we got back, Jeff and Emily finally had their little baby girl, Lydia Aven.  She was able to be delivered at the birthing center on the last day possible before Emily would have had to be induced! Next, came Ella's 4th b-day and then Charles and Sarah came here to visit w/the family after their honeymoon. There was the 4th picnic, having lots of playdates w/Karanena and Gracie (yay, I have a friend in town who is not a relative!) and then my b-day. The summer won't be officially over for us until we go on our annual beach trip (3 nights to Surfside) in a few weeks. When we get back, it'll probably be time to close up the pool (sigh) and then I suppose it will be back to the treadmill for exercise. However,  I have located a Pilates instructor in the area who gives lessons at her home. I really want to try that out-we'll see. 

My little man has 4 full teeth and 3 half ones. Confused? So are we. His first 4 came in fine by 6 months, but the next 3 started coming in around 7.5  months and are still only halfway in. In fact since 8 months, they've been at the same spot and now Caleb is fast approaching 11 months old. Not sure if something's wrong. Usually it only takes teeth 2-3 weeks to come in once they break through. I'm actually taking him to the dentist this week just so he can get a quick peek and see what he thinks. Not that there's anything that they could really do about it right now, but if it puts my mind at ease, then it's worth the trip. 

Our Ella Belle has started taking dance! She actually did gymnastics this summer and is now taking ballet and tap and loves it! Just last night she put on a show in the kitchen for us. "And a tap, and a tap, and a tap, tap, tap!" She's just too cute. She said she likes tap better than ballet because "I can be loud in tap!" And of course, our sweetie is now 4! She had a princess pool party complete w/a princess castle cake. It was a homemade cake and worth saying the $40 I would've paid to buy a similar one, but let's just say you could tell it was homemade. :-) Ella was still so proud of it and that made everything okay. The kids enjoyed swimming, decorating their crowns, and waving their paper towel holders wands.







It was a great b-day party, but Will and I decided that for Ella's next one, we're taking the year off! It was just too much planning and stress, and I didn't get to really enjoy the day, so we're having her 5th b-day party at the lake at my parent's house. Pressure off me, yay!

Caleb is standing and cruising now. Actually he's been pulling up on things and cruising for several months now, but just in the last couple of weeks he can get to a standing position all on his own and push his walker around. I'm sure by his first birthday (how can that be coming up already?), he'll be walking. And Caleb loves to clap, for himself or others. When we were swimming the other day, Ella jumped off the diving board and I yelled, "Good job, Ella!" Immediately, Icee began clapping for her in his float. He's such a sweetheart! I was just telling my dear friend Sarah (who is due in Feb!) how I used to wonder how I'd be as a mom to a boy-I didn't even have brothers growing up to help me adjust to having a boy in the house. I even thought nursing a son might be weird. I know that's a crazy thing to think, but I did wonder about it. And then just as soon as I met him, it was as natural as could be. Not just nursing him, but loving him, getting to know him and providing for his needs. He is really my little man now. I love him to pieces and could not imagine my life without him. 



Caleb likes watching deer videos w/his daddy. He says "Duh, Duh, Duh!" when he sees the deer. However, that is also now his word for any creature-such as our dogs and cats, or Ella's Raggedy Ann doll. He gets so excited and pumps his arms up and down, "Duh! Duh!"  This morning, he said it while he was on our bed.  I couldn't figure out why he was saying it. Then I realized he was looking at Will's deer picture; as soon as I put him on the floor, he crawled over to the chest of drawers so he could see it better. He then wanted me to lift him up to give him a closer look.  Aww, just like his Daddy. I'm sure he'll be out in the woods by the time he's 2!



Ella's already asked Will about going out this year but it's just too hot to take her. He did get a hunting blind though and now that he has permission to hunt in the woods behind our house (yay!!!), she'll be accompanying him when the weather turns a little colder.  Just last night when we were coming home from Ma-ma's, a big buck ran across the dirt road in front of our car. "Did you see that, Ella?" "No, Daddy." Later she said, "Daddy, what I was thinking was (she loves saying that phrase), you should have had your bow so you could get him!" 

And I've been teaching Ella how to read using the How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. We're on Lesson 11 now and she is already reading "me, am, see, sat, mat," etc. She can write the words too. I'm so proud of her! 





Oh, and re: extreme couponing which I referenced in my last post; I'll just say, if you're at all interested in saving some money off your groceries/dipes, etc., go to www.southernsavers.com. All the info you need is there. In a nutshell, CVS is great because of their Extra Care Bucks. A few weeks ago, they had a deal where if you bought Pampers for $9.99 you got $5.00 in ECB. There was also a $1.50 off manufacturer coupon. So basically you paid $3.49 for a jumbo bag of diapers, which is much cheaper than even the Parent's Choice diapers at Wal-Mart. Just last week, I went to CVS and spent $1 (after the ECB) for 3 Aveeno sunscreen products.  Rite-Aid does single check rebates, instead of ECB. A couple weeks ago, I got Will two 45-count Zyrtec bottles for free at Rite-Aid. Grocery-wise, I save much more by shopping at Bi-lo than I ever did at Wal-mart. The key is to buy the buy one get one free products (you can just buy one-it rings up half off) and then use a coupon on top of that (coupons double up to .60 at Bi-lo). I got Will a 4-pack of Yoplait yogurts for 5 cents!  It does take some time to get it all organized, and I'm still trying to simplify things, but I think I've found a new hobby! I just don't want it to get all consuming!

Well, that's all I have time for now. Who knows when I'll post again. This seems to be turning into a quarterly blog. And Facebook is not much better. Oh well, I guess occasional updates are better than never blogging/updating at all. 

 Here's a video of Caleb making some cute sounds.

Playing Catch Up

Well, this update is long overdue! Between online grading, getting way too involved in extreme couponing (more on that in another post), and life in general, I've been too busy to sit down and post. But it's been bugging me every week that my blog is getting so outdated, so I'm finally up early and am determined to do it!

Ella has grown over 2 inches since Caleb's been born! She now looks as tall as a 3-year-old girl should. But then again, perhaps not, as she is about to turn 4! Some humorous incidents that have happened since February.... She stayed w/ Will's parents last month while I did some errands. Mom said nothing when I picked her up but several days later when she was keeping her for me to go to a homeschooling informational meeting, she said, "I need to tell you something when Ella's not listening." When we could finally talk, she said, "The other day when Ella was here she said something that really surprised me." "Oh no," I thought. Then Mom told me how Ella said proudly and loudly, "I'm a little pis*-as*." Mom was of course so shocked-where could she have learned that word and why would she be so delighted about calling herself that? Delores (the nurse who watches Ma-Ma sometimes) said, "Ms. Emily, kids just pick up things from places. My grandkids do all the time." But Mom said what she really couldn't understand is that Ella kept smiling so when she would point to herself and say it. Finally, that day that I was gone to the homeschooling meeting, Ella had pointed to something they were watching on TV and said it again and finally Mom understood. Ella was not a pis*-as*, she was a little PRINCESS. Oh, we got such a good laugh out of that one.



Another time, Will and I were explaining to Ella that nothing in this world was free, including water. She was listening intently, but suddenly spoke up. "Uh-huh, Mommy, kisses and hugs are free."

On another note, not too long ago, I was cleaning up and told Ella we needed to hurry and that I needed her help. She questioned innocently, "Who's coming over?" That's pretty bad when even my 3-year-old knows that Mama doesn't really clean unless she's expecting company.

And just this past weekend, when we were driving home from visiting at Ma-Ma's, we were talking about "why all churches have crosses on them," and she said, "Is Jesus the same as God?" I told Will he could feel free to tackle that one. But amazingly the Trinity didn't seem to faze her little mind at all. :-)

And our Ella's been drawing lots of pictures lately. Here's one she drew of Icee.

And here's what he had on when she drew it.



Now, on to Caleb. Wow-my boy is a big one. I swear, he's going to get bigger than I am before he's one! He's almost 22 lbs. and is 29.5 inches long. He's been sitting up by himself since 4.5 months and is trying his best to crawl now. He'll get up in a full push-up position, then get down and bring his legs all the way up to his bottom, push his bottom in the air, but then he just gets confused and settles back down on his tummy. Not a problem though-he can swivel anywhere he wants to go on his tummy and can inch himself forward to get fascinating objects like Ella's Thomas the Train Engine. His two bottom teeth are in (he got those by 6 months) and he's almost finished getting his top 2. Insert lots of grinding noises here! :-) I think he's trying to keep up w/Ella; she had 8 teeth by the time she was one.

Despite the discomfort he has to be feeling while teething, he continues to always have a smile. The only time he gets fussy is when he's overtired. He loves going outside and visiting w/the doggies-he giggles w/delight when they lick his hands. And we FINALLY got our pool cleared up and in swim condition-and to my total delight-Caleb loved his first time in the water. It was a little too cold for swimming, but he got in up to his waist and smiled and laughed. Other things he loves to do-bounce like crazy in his exersaucer, lick strawberries, and grab Mommy's and Ella's hair. Ella fell asleep in the car the other day and her head had fallen to the side-right w/in Caleb's reach-and he grabbed a handful out! She woke up but didn't cry; she just looked at him with a confused expression on her face!

Back to the strawberries he loves to lick and gnaw on. We recently went to a strawberry patch and Ella had fun feeding him one when we got home.

I didn't start Ella on any solids this early-she was pretty much 1 when she ate anything other than Mama's milk-save for some cheerios. That was convenient b/c she could go right to eating whatever we had-just mashed up slightly. However, Caleb has shown an interest in eating our food since 5 months! He tries to grab whatever I have in my hand. I held him off until almost 7 months and since then have let him have little tastes of things we're eating. Mainly it's at supper time when I'm trying to eat and he wants to nurse. (No, I can't do both at the same time-he's a crazy nurser and I'm a hungry Mama!) I'll give him some pieces of bread or mashed up sweet potato, etc. He still nurses every 2.5-3.5 hours and sometimes more at night. When Caleb was first born, I told Will that attachment parenting sounded so good, right, natural, to try this time around and that I wished I'd done it more w/Ella. But now that I'm still feeding Caleb 4 times at night and he won't sleep in his crib at all-even for naps-I'm wondering if he'll be sleeping w/us for the rest of his life! :-) Seriously though, I know he needs me right now, and all too soon, we'll wish he was still this little and snuggled up right beside us.

Now...other updates. Will had to take up the decking that leads to the pool b/c we had so many problems w/wasps last year. When he removed it all, he found over 40 wasp nests! We're planning on building the spot up w/more dirt and then planting grass there. Eventually we want to do a flagstone patio big enough to hold a table and chairs. We also planted a wildflower meadow in our front yard. The flowers coming up don't quite look like the seed packet picture (do they ever?) but it's still pretty. And we refinanced our house. So now we definitely can't move for at least 2 years. (Don't you love closing costs?) But I couldn't pass up the 4.375% rate for a 15-year mortgage.

(Ella took this pic-pretty good, huh?)

And several months ago, I decided to read The Shack after seeing it at Ma-Ma's house. I had heard about it but was skeptical. Mom had read it and said it was a little strange but that Dad had enjoyed a passage on forgiveness in the book. It is a work of fiction but has some awesome insights about God and how He is viewed and should be viewed. Too often, we see God as the Judge and not the Lover of our Souls. I've been feeling pretty inadequate lately about a lot of things-mainly about how do to this thing called parenting-and it was comforting to be reminded that God's plan is not for me to beat myself up w/guilt and condemnation (Romans 8:1). I sometimes forget how much our Father-our Papa-loves us. I could go on and on about the novel and take aways from it but I'd never actually publish this post. I'd just recommend pushing past any prejudgements you have about the book and reading it anyhow. I think it will provide some good discussion b/w you and your spouse, friends, etc. And hopefully some fresh dialog between you and the Lover of your soul.

Now to make you *smile*
A mini hoe down session at Laurance and Kimberly's.
(You'll need to pause my music on the sidebar first.)

Valentine's Day Treat

Will came home from work Saturday to tell me Jim had called him on his cell. Since Jim and Abbie were in Sumter visiting family, they were going to stop by on their way back to Florence to visit us. My first reaction, "Are you crazy?" "This house is a wreck!" But thankfully we had an hour to prepare, and Will cleaned while I nursed the baby, took a shower (I had gone 2 days without one!), and dressed in something other than sweats.

We had a wonderful time w/Jim, Abbie, Sam and Faith. It was the first time Abbie had seen Caleb; I hadn't seen her or the kids since Sam's party. Faith has grown so much-I think she looks just like her mama w/those big, brown eyes. And her hair is getting longer; it looks like it will be curly. It was so fun watching the kiddos play together. I wish I had a video of Abbie doing ring-around-the-rosie w/them or playing "We're going on a bear hunt." And Ella loved running around the den whenever Sam shouted "Ready, Set, Go!" and then coming to an abrupt halt when he yelled, "Stop!" Later that night I used this to teach her "Red Light, Green Light" and am planning on playing this often to tire her out!



Caleb is still congested; we all were sick but we're better. It'll be 3 weeks tomorrow for him. Poor guy-I know it would help if he could just blow it all out. As it is, I'm using the bulb syringe, and of course he hates that. Please pray he'll be able to breathe properly soon. Last time we went to the doctor it was $95 for them to say, "It's a viral infection (i.e. cold); there's nothing you can do for a baby but suction." Um, thanks. He's not running a fever and is still eating well though he continues to sleep a lot between feedings. And since I wrote last, Caleb had a first-he can now roll over! And our big boy is now over 18 pounds! We also have a new nickname for him; "Wide-mouthed Frog" because this is how you'll see him most of the day



And here's a couple more of my favorite pics!

Peek-a-boo!


My Little Tigers!

Unique

We were delighted to have some snow yesterday at our house! We got a dusting, about 1" but it was enough to make Ella squeal with delight! Right after breakfast we went out and helped her make a tiny snowman. The snow wouldn't pack very well because it was so powdery, but Ella was happy w/it.
She even threw her first snowballs! But after awhile, when I'd give her one to throw at me or Will, she'd say, "No, you throw it at me!" and hand it back to me. Funny girl!

As I enjoyed the snow falling down, some snowflakes landed on my gloves and jacket. Have you ever really studied one? Each one was so tiny, yet so intricate, detailed, and of course, unique. I could have stared at them all day-each one was so beautiful and different. I tried in vain to capture one with my camera.

Seeing the snowflakes reminded me of how each one of us is intricately designed by God for a unique purpose. Of course, ultimately all of us have the same purpose-to glorify God by loving Him and our neighbor. But He also has specific tasks for each of us based on our personalities and talents. I'm still asking Him to clarify mine. All I know right now is that I am to be a godly Mom to two wonderful children and a godly wife to my loving husband. And I'm still very much a work in progress.

The Truth

Sometimes it's hard for me to like my toddler. It's easier to like and love a newborn because they don't disobey you yet. They still seem so perfect. And when you compare that to a willful 3-year-old, it's hard sometimes to not choose favorites. Of course, this is all a stage-soon, Caleb will begin showing his sinful nature and hopefully my dear Ella will become less willful as she learns more about the Savior who died for her. And hopefully her Mommy will spend more time in the Word so she too can become more like Jesus. I am so very much not like Him most of the time.

My Aunt Miriam, my dad's sister, passed away Tuesday. She battled with cancer for years. We attended her funeral yesterday. What was impressed upon my heart was the simple but sobering truth that she has finished impacting lives for Christ. Her time on earth is finished. And I believe she now has her reward. And this made me think. What about the lives I have before me every day-my two precious children. How am I impacting them for Christ? Will they be drawn to Christ by my actions and even more telling, by my reactions or will they be pushed away? I only have now. Life is short. And I want mine to count. The only way to do that is to invest in people-nothing else matters.

I want to be fully here. Embracing this stage of life. Thankful for this wonderful opportunity and yet awesome responsibility I have to train my children up in the ways of the Lord. To not be weary in well doing. God's pointed out some changes I need to make to this end and I ask for your prayers that I would be faithful to make them. That I would be diligent in this most serious task of child-rearing.

And we're desperate for a church family. We so need the fellowship, the ministry of the Word, and the service to others. We have visited so many different churches and are getting weary thinking we'll never find where we're supposed to be. Please pray that we will be open to His direction in this and will find a church home very soon.

Now about how much my Caleb has grown! He'll be 14 weeks tomorrow and weighs over 17 pounds now and is 26 inches long! He's in the 90th percentile (according to the World Health Organization charts) while our Ella was always in the 5th. What a difference. We call him our "Chunky Monkey." And he's lost most of his hair and no longer has his Elvis sideburns. He does have a nice, big bald spot at the back of his head though! He gets it from turning his head from side to side at night when he wants to nurse. That and wiggling all around are how he wakes me. He nurses about every 2 hours but at night sometimes let's me sleep for 3 hours at a time. It's really not so bad since he's still sleeping with us. Though even rolling over to let him latch on seems to take so much energy when you're in a deep sleep. And speaking of nursing, I LOVE my bebe au lait nursing cover. Now I can feel totally comfortable nursing even with Dad K. in the room. :-)
Caleb loves to grab things now-the burp cloth, my shirt, my hair! I literally have to pry his fingers away one by one. And he's cooing so much; he'll carry on a conversation w/anyone who will listen. "Gu", "Ge", "Caaah", "Huu-aa" are just some of the sounds he enjoys making.



And Caleb lights up whenever Ella comes near-as long as she doesn't get too close to his face. :-) He loves to laugh at her while she's jumping on the bed singing the monkey song. You know, "5 little monkeys jumping on the bed; 1 fell off and bumped his head...." She is my little helper. And I don't seem to appreciate how much she helps until a day like today when she's gone duck hunting w/her daddy. Suddenly there's no one to bring me a cloth wipe when I'm done pottying the baby or a fresh diaper. And she has had to sacrifice a lot. She was the center of our world for 3 years-and now she has to compete for time with a newborn. That would be hard on anyone. One of the changes I realize I must make is carving out segments during the day that are just "Ella and Mommy time." Even if we only get 10 minutes together before the baby cries, it will be special for her. I also just bought this book and plan to begin it soon with her. Another important change is getting to bed earlier so I can wake up before she does in order to have some time with my husband before he goes to work and some time in the Word.

Ella ready to go hunting!


Ella and Caleb (6 weeks old)



And I am practicing infant potty training with Caleb though the ultimate goal is not to potty train my baby faster than someone else. It's more about communicating with him by learning and responding to his cues. I'm able to catch most of his poops (he latches off while nursing to let me know he's ready to go) and do catch some pees after his naps. But considering the child pees about 40 times a day, I don't get most of them. I probably could if I really went diaper free-it would make me pay attention to him more when he's in the bouncy seat or whatever. But honestly, then I feel like I'd really get nothing done around here. He's still on the potty about 10 times a day and seems to enjoy going on it. We got a toddler insert that fits on the toilet and though it was a little big for him at the beginning, now it fits him just fine. The only problem is it's too awkward taking that with me when we do errands and if I try to potty him without it, he makes a fuss. Even if I sit on the potty with him. But at least he gets to use the potty at home which is where we are most of the time. And at least I know when he is ready to go by himself, he won't be afraid to use it.

Caleb at 6 weeks.


At 12 weeks-now a little pro!

I'm also using cloth diapers though I do supplement sometimes w/disposables (White Cloud brand-why I ever thought I had to have Pampers, I'll never know. These are so much cheaper and work just as well. You were right, Cil!). Kimberly let me use her Fuzzi Bunz that she used for awhile on Jonathan and I love them. I have a couple Bum Genius as well and some prefolds but prefer the Fuzzi's. There's no toilet dunking-since he's just on breast milk now, they can just go straight into the wash-even with poop on them. When he starts on solids, I'll probably invest in a toilet sprayer. And I'm using cloth wipes-why not-I just throw them into the wash with the diapers. Since Kimberly is due with her 2nd in June, I'll have to look into getting some of my own Fuzzi's soon. Unless of course, Caleb decides to walk and take himself to the potty faithfully by the time he's 8 months old. Ha!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Happy New Year!

Life With Two

I'm slowly adjusting to life with 2 kids-and I thought one was hard!
:-) It must have taken me 30 minutes longer just to get out the door with both of them the other day. I kept forgetting something one of us would need. Caleb went to Grandma's and Ella to Kimberly's so I could get a much needed trim and go grocery shopping. Of course, after the haircut I had to stop at Grandma's so Caleb could nurse before I went to the grocery store. But soon the day will come when I have to take them both with me on errands-and I suppose by God's grace, I will survive.

I can't believe our Little Man will be 3 weeks tomorrow! Time is already flying by. I'm feeling great now (no more walking w/my legs together-wahoo!) and wanting to get out more. Today, we all went to a nearby farm with my MOPS group for a hayride, lunch, and pumpkin-picking. I think Ella's favorite part was petting a bunny and Caleb's? Nursing, of course. As Ella says, "Caleb is growing, growing, growing 'cause he's nursing, nursing, nursing." :-)

Ella continues to be a help by bringing diapers, wipes, etc. to me when I need it and likes to comfort "her baby" by patting and kissing his head. In fact, though most toddlers have a baby doll to play with, mine has "Spotty dog." She diapers him, wipes him, nurses him, burps him, and has tummy time w/him, just as she sees me do with Caleb.

However, I have been crying out to God for help in dealing with Ella especially when she wakes up the baby by running into the room singing at the top of her lungs. Let's just say I don't win the mom-of-the-year award for my controlled response. My verse to memorize and most importantly utilize this week is Ephesians 4:32: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. I know I don't show Ella as much grace as God has shown and continues to show me and by His power I want to get better at that. Mainly I don't want to make mountains out of molehills-something I'm famous for. The next time she spills her juice, I'd like to not get aggravated and yell but just say, "It's okay, honey, that happens. Next time, please hold it with both hands." Please pray for me in this area. With me just completing my first week having them both by myself (Will was off the first week and my Mom came up the 2nd-such a blessing!), the hardest part was getting frustrated with Ella and therefore not enjoying the time with her as I should have.

She really is such a precious child. And I can't even tell you how much BIGGER she seems to me now that Caleb is here. Holding her in my arms now, I feel like I'm holding a 10-year-old. After giving her a bath the other night, I just kept exclaiming, "Ella, you're HUGE!" which made her laugh and laugh. But I was serious. When did her legs get so long, her hands and feet so big? She's growing up right before my eyes and I want to be right in the moment with her and not wish the time away, longing for peace and quiet.

And she's already had a big adjustment to make-no more Mommy's milk. She got her last official feeding the day before Caleb's birth. I had gotten her down to one morning feeding every other day but the week before his birth, she was doing one morning feeding every day (anything to get the baby out!). I'm so proud of her for realizing it's Caleb's turn now. She still has comfort in pinching my underarms and sucking her two fingers. :-)

As for Caleb, he's quite the grunter. He grunts in his sleep, while he's nursing, basically all the time. And poor thing is still getting so much milk as it's letting down that he can't keep up. He gulps and gulps with very loud swallows and then chokes and coughs. But he is gaining weight. We took him to get weighed at 9 days old and he was 9 lb, 5 oz. (He had lost down to 8 lb. 8 oz.) And we can just look at his tummy and tell he's doing okay. Oh, and he has sideburns-ever seen a baby with those? Our little Elvis man. He loves his Native Baby Carrier (thank you Letisha and Sarah!), his bouncy seat, and sleeping on his Daddy's chest. And he does sleep a lot; I forgot how much newborns sleep. Sometimes his feedings take an hour because he drifts in and out of sleep; I usually wake him by changing his diaper-those cold wipes sometimes do the trick. Speaking of diapers, we're on our 4th pack already-our man poops A LOT! I bought some cloth diapers (hemp-they're sooo soft) and I'm going to try those this next week and see how it goes.

And my favorite thing that he does and has done since his first day? Flash that beautiful smile-we call it his "sleepy smile;" others call them "gassy smiles." I know he is not yet smiling because of us, but it's no matter to me. I love to see it. And he's laughed in his sleep a few times too-sweet dreams, I suppose. He's had several baths now too and seems to love the water, just like his sister.

Thank you all for loving on us and praying for us.

Enjoy some of my favorite photos.

Caleb's Birth Story

Giving birth is a time when I feel my Savior's presence with me in such a real way. During Ella's birth, the "wave" imagery worked until I reached transition. Then when I thought I couldn't do it any longer, I felt Jesus's presence with me and He spoke to me. "My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness." From that point until Ella came out, "My grace, my strength" become my mantra and helped me deal with the pain. With this birth, I started having some fears a couple weeks ago. I wasn't looking forward to the intensity of the contractions and was talking to God about this and playing some hymns to calm me down. That's when God let me find this hymn and I sang it repeatedly over the next couple days. I'm sure you've heard of it. It's entitled, "He giveth more grace" and the first verse reads,

He giveth more grace when the burdens are greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase.
To added affliction He addeth his mercy;
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.
Chorus
His love has no limit; His grace has no measure; His pow'r has no boundary known unto men.
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!

Then a few days later as I was looking through an old devotional from church, I found these verses and knew God was giving them to me to claim for my birth.

Isaiah 40:28-31.
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,they will walk and not be faint.

I felt better about the upcoming birth with these reassurances. I knew I wasn't going to be alone going through it-He'd be right there beside me.

Now here's a timeline for you as Caleb's birthday approached.

9 days before Caleb's birth, Ella got a stomach virus.

8 days before his birth, I caught it. You know when you're on the toilet w/a trash can-yep, that was me-it was horrible.

7 days before, I lost my mucus plug tinged w/blood and went outside to get Will off the lawn mower believing I would start labor in a few hours, as that's exactly what happened at Ella's birth. So, he came in, we cleaned up the house and then reluctantly went to bed several hours later.

6 days before, we went walking hoping to get something started as Ella and I were fully recovered now from the virus and I was ready to meet our little one. I had a couple contractions but they petered out.

5 days before Caleb's birth, Will finally caught the dreaded virus.

4 days before, I went to see Lisa for my 39th week prenatal visit. The baby's heart rate was good (it averaged in the 140's, which by the way reinforces my theory on predicting the sex of the baby) and Lisa said from her experiences, women usually go into labor w/in 2 days of losing their plug. I was on day 3 at this point. But she also said how glad she was that I hadn't gone into labor in the last few days as she had 3 births in 5 days and had gotten hardly any rest.

3 days before-Will finally feels better.

2 days before the birth, Will went into work late because I had a couple contractions but after an hour had passed and I had no more, he went on in.

1 day before the birth, we went to Mama's house. On the way there I had 2 contractions but once we arrived they had stopped and I had nothing else the rest of the day. By this point I was feeling pretty discouraged and thinking I might just stay pregnant until November! However, I indeed was thankful that I hadn't gone into labor while we were sick.

So now, we begin the real story. I was awakened from sleep at 3:45am Sunday morning with a contraction. It was stronger than I had been having during the week. When the next one came just 5 minutes later, I knew this was finally the real thing. I woke Will up at 4am to tell him I was in labor. For the next 30 min. in between contractions, I helped him sanitize our house, clean bathrooms, doorknobs etc, as we didn't want Lisa to catch the virus we'd all had. Pretty soon, I let Will take over and began leaning into the contractions using Will's chest of drawers for support. I knew I was going to wait until 5am to call Lisa to give her some extra time to sleep but as it got closer to 5, I started really questioning whether I wanted her or anyone to come at all. What effect would it have on me to have people "invade" my labor space? I was really quite content at that point with just having Will there with me. When I mentioned this to Will, he said very emphatically, "Call her!" So I did. After explaining to her that I was 4-6 min. apart lasting about 45 seconds in length, she said she could be on her way. I hesitated, still unsure if I wanted other people coming so soon and she said I could call her back at 6 and let her know. By 6, the contractions were much more intense and this time it was me telling Will, "Call Lisa NOW!" I was afraid if I waited much longer she wouldn't get her in time (she had almost an hour's drive) and we would be doing it ourselves whether we wanted to or not.

Backing up to 5am, it was then that we decided to start getting the pool ready. I had decided on this one after reading good things about it from people who had used it for a birth. Lisa also had the aqua doula which is what I used with Ella, but I wanted something w/softer sides that I could lean on. Ella was still sleeping in our room, but I was afraid that if we started pumping it up it would awaken her, so I asked Will to move her into her room. Sometimes this works and she'll stay asleep; this time it didn't. Will tried lying down beside her to get her to go back asleep but she was still crying. Finally, I called out, "Forget it. I need you in here. She'll just have to stay awake." Ella of course was thrilled to watch the pool being blown up in our room. When having contractions at this point, I was leaning into Will's chest of drawers and counting through them. God was also bringing to my mind those wonderful reassurances. It helped to speak truth to myself, "He understands. He gives strength and power to the weak. He gives-He has no limits." After having a few intense contractions while trying to drown out Ella's babbling in the background, I asked Will to call Kimberly to come over. She had agreed to watch Ella during the labor. Since it was Sunday, Laurance could keep Jonathan at home, so she'd just have Ella to focus on. Kimberly arrived around 6:45 and Julie, Lisa's apprentice, arrived shortly after at 7am. Lisa arrived around 7:30am and after checking the baby's heart rate and my blood pressure (both fine), she and Julie got some prep work done-putting new sheets on the bed, unloading the home birthing box kit I had ordered, arranging chux pads, etc. and left me alone to labor.

Will had already begun filling the pool up but of course ran out of hot water so they began boiling water and dumping it in. After the first go at the heater Will noticed some brown stuff in the water. By the time it was full enough to use, it was pretty cloudy. Lisa later asked had we drained our water heater completely before filling up the pool. We were supposed to do this a few days before but she had forgotten to mention this to us, and thus the brown stuff was sediment from the bottom of our heater. I still decided at one point to get into the water-even if I wouldn't birth in it, I was interested to see if it would help w/the pain. I stayed in through 2 contractions but couldn't get comfortable so decided to get out. Just like with Ella's birth, the only comfortable position for me was standing up or leaning through contractions. With Ella's, I leaned into Will the entire time (before getting in the water prior to pushing), but with this one, I moved from the chest of drawers to my dresser and put 2 pillows on top of it for comfort. When I would get a contraction, Will would stand behind me and move with me-it helped so much just knowing he was right there with me. Before the contractions got too close together, I would sit/bounce on my exercise ball while waiting for the next one.

During the really intense contractions, I felt Jesus with me in such a real way. I was still counting through them-if I could just make it to 30 seconds, it would start easing up. And I felt as if He was saying "Okay, Laura, here's another one, let's count together." And we did. However, after awhile, the contractions got less intense. I remember thinking at one point, "Wow, this isn't that bad." I had prayed for a pain-free birth or at least something close to that but I guess I didn't really think it could happen. (Oh, ye of little faith!) I even got scared thinking my labor was slowing down. I felt like I had to go to the bathroom and Will came with me. It was then that I asked him to ask Lisa and Julie to leave the room. They were both sitting on the bed at that point. I think Lisa was writing some things down, but I just started feeling like I was on show or something and that maybe that was why my labor was slowing down. Lisa listened really quickly to the baby's heart rate and then left w/Julie and stayed in the kitchen.

However, as it turns out I was in transition; my labor wasn't slowing down at all. In fact, I felt the baby moving down inside me-such an amazing feeling. And I had prayed specifically that God would let me feel that this time as I didn't w/Ella. About 30 minutes later I told Will, "Call Lisa back in here; I'm feeling pushy!" Lisa came in and asked me if she could check me-she had done no checks thus far as I hadn't wanted any. I still didn't. I told her there was no way I could lie down on a bed. She said I could stand and she would just see what she could feel or I could do it myself. I let her do it. She felt my bag of waters and said, "It's bulging-when it pops, it's really going to go." I quickly said, "Don't break it!" Of course she didn't and then said from what she could tell I was about a 9 and could start pushing if I felt like that was what my body was telling me to do. The amazing thing? That check didn't hurt at all! With Ella, Amy checked me when I got to the birthing center and I was laying down. I was an 8 then but that check was excruciating.

I saw that Lisa had the birthing stool set up and decided I would try pushing on that. Kimberly had told me how good squatting felt when she was pushing and I knew from Birthing From Within, that your pelvis opens 28% wider when you are squatting versus lying flat. The one thing I definitely wanted to do differently this time around was not to be in even a semi-lying position as I had in the water with Ella (Will was supporting me from behind in the pool). I think that's why the pushing hurt so much with her-it was 54 minutes long and much more painful than the whole time I was dilating because I didn't have gravity working with me. However, when I tried using the birthing stool at first, I couldn't get comfortable and standing wasn't helping either. I was starting to panic. I even considered getting in the water again on all fours but Lisa said she'd rather the baby not be born into water that murky w/sediment floating around and thus the water birth plan was finally nixed.

Finally I had to push and the really amazing, wonderful thing this time around? No one had to tell me how to push, how long to push, when to hold my breath-I just knew. I couldn't help but push. In fact, the intensity of it was so much bigger than myself-I finally understood what people were talking about. With Ella it was as if I was making it happen; with this one, I was just letting it take over me. At first I just had small grunts and pushes. But it was during this time, that I really felt the baby move down and I was shaking my head back and forth. I was thrilled to feel it but at the same time inwardly thinking, "No, I can't do this." It helped to hear Lisa say, "It's okay, Laura, let your baby come out. You want the baby out." Then I had an intense push and my water exploded and went all over Will and Lisa. (And our carpet was completely dry afterward as we had a tarp for the pool down and an extra shower curtain liner.) Now before this Lisa had been applying a warm compress of ginger root to my perineum and it felt wonderful. I think everyone was so surprised when my water broke that she just forgot to continue that. The next push was the most surreal thing-I couldn't stop pushing though I remember Will saying, "Slow down." But Lisa said, "It's okay." Of course, had we all known what would have happened next, everyone would have been saying, "Gentle pushes, baby pushes." Because that next push after the water broke produced the baby's head. In one push-I couldn't believe it! It took me forever to get Ella's head out. It would slide down a little and them move back up. Yes it was intense but there was no ring of fire like with Ella-just pressure. I felt his head a couple times with my hand and was amazed. I didn't do this with Ella though I did see it in the mirror. I remember Lisa saying, "Okay one more push and you'll have your baby." Will said it was just amazing to see him just "hanging out" there waiting so patiently-he didn't get such a close view w/Ella b/c he was sitting behind me in the pool.

Sure enough he wriggled out with that next push and Will caught him! He said he was quite slippery as he was completely covered in vernix, even more so than Ella was. He said he thought it was a boy at first but had to take a second look-he couldn't believe it. Then he handed him to me and I said, "You have a son!" Oh, what relief I felt-that it was over, that we had survived and thrived with our home birth. That I was holding a new miracle in my arms. But at the same time it was an out-of-body experience. It didn't seem real that it was over, that this was my son. Very surreal-I felt the same way after Ella was born. Thankfully, God had given me the clarity of mind to call Ella into the room when the head "popped out" so she got to see her baby brother being born. That was really important to me and I'm so glad it worked out that way. She wasn't scared at all seeing it or the blood, etc. I had prepared her by letting her watch her own birthing video. Of course, you all know her first words, "But I wanted a baby sister!" Thankfully, she's warming up to the little guy.

Oh, speaking of videos, I had my camcorder in the room but things happened too quickly and we failed to ever set it up on a tripod, so unfortunately, Caleb has no video or pictures for that matter. :-(
I think we all were surprised with how fast it happened-Julie knew she could take pictures of the baby being born but unfortunately we didn't get any. At least she took one after he was born. I'm still on the birthing stool and Will is on the birthing ball. That's another interesting point. When I started squatting I could tell Will was uncomfortable as he had nothing to rest on. I was just much more aware of things this time around-I was in total labor land state w/Ella by the time pushing came around, but this time, I had the clarity of mind to say, "Will, go get a chair to sit on so you don't hurt your back." He found the birthing ball and used that instead. I think it helped as well that I had gotten a few hours of sleep before going into labor-with Ella I was up all night.



I moved to the bed with Caleb and he began nursing. A few minutes later (about 20 minutes after he was born) I delivered the placenta while standing-all was intact thankfully. After the cord stopped pulsating, Will cut it and we all lay in the bed and bonded with our newest miracle.

So would I do a home birth again? Absolutely. I prefer it over a birthing center because for one I don't have to drive while in labor or after labor and two I'm more relaxed in my own home. I would make it a matter of prayer though just as I did this one should we have another little one. God gave me the assurance that this was good and right for us this time around. I would want the same for each time because as we all know, each pregnancy is different and could produce different concerns. One neat thing is that Lisa had 3 births still to attend the last week in Sept. and 4 ladies due in October by the 16th. Had any of those women gone into labor when I did, we would've had to go into the birthing center (or else do it by ourselves at home) b/c she would be with them there. I had prayed God's will be done b/c if He wanted me at the birthing center, closer to the hospital (and a better one I might add), then I would want to be there. As it turned out, Lisa finished all her September deliveries by Sept. 30 and I was the first October one; I don't consider that a coincidence at all.

I most likely will use Lisa again if we have another one. I think it was just hard for me to get used to her and her way of doing things after having such a close relationship with Amy, my midwife w/Ella. However, now that I've given birth with Lisa attending, I can truly say she's wonderful and does a great job at offering competent care in a non-invasive way. She only checked the baby's heart rate about 3 times, and only the 1st time was for about 30 sec-the others were quick, 5-10 sec. checks. And she checked my blood pressure twice and did a quick check when it was time to push. But it was my call. That's another good thing about home birth-you have even more of a say so on what happens and what doesn't. After the birth, she checked me for tears and unfortunately I had somewhere b/w a 1st and 2nd degree tear at my perineum-I'm sure I got that when I pushed the baby's head out. She said the tear lay together nicely and should heal fine on its own, so of course, I opted for not going to the hospital for stitches. What I would love is for SC to change their ridiculous law about midwives being able to do everything but stitch a woman up if she needs it. Lisa knows how to do it and could in most any state but this one. Anyway, so now, like with Ella, I'm walking around the house w/my legs together-such fun.

There are a few things I would have done differently. First I would set my tripod up for the camcorder beforehand and also designate someone to take pictures and somehow make sure it happens. :-) Second, I would have drained our water heater down so that I could have gotten in the pool for pushing if I so desired. Who knows-maybe that would have helped w/the tearing. I do like though that now I have had both experiences-a water and a land birth. I think I prefer to stay on land until the pushing stage for sure. My body just can't handle contractions as well in any position but standing or leaning. But squatting in the water might be an option for pushing if we have another one. Third, I would try to remember that if I have a land birth again, someone should be applying the warm compress to my perineum at all times during pushing-it's just no fun to tear. And I would do perineal massage a couple weeks before birth. I would also try to remember that once my water goes, I need to try my hardest to go slow on the next push. Honestly, I don't know if I could have this time-I felt as if I had no control over that push when Caleb's head emerged-it just took over me.

So that's it. It really was an easier, faster labor than with Ella. 5 hours and 21 minutes versus 14. Of course, with this one, I know now that I had probably been in the beginning stages of labor for a week and when I awoke I was heading towards active labor pretty quickly. Ella's really didn't start at all until the night before she was born. I prefer Caleb's way. :-) The only downside was the tearing and the afterbirth pains. I had hardly any with Ella but tons with this one. For awhile, I was wondering if there might be another baby in there that needed to come out. They finally subsided on day 3 or 4. I've heard they get worse with each one. Fun, Fun!

We're truly blessed to have our little man and I give God all the glory for his safe and wonderful birth. Thank you all for your prayers as well!

IT'S A BOY!

Caleb William arrived this morning at 9:06 am.
8 lbs. 15 oz.
22 inches
And soooo laid-back. Which is nice-so different from Ella's first day. He's cried enough to let us know that he's okay but other than that, he's been quiet. And what a champ at nursing! Also different than Ella. He latched on for one session for an hour! (switching sides in b/w)

More to come later about the actual birth story. We're all doing fine and Ella is adjusting to having a little baby brother. However, when she found out he was a boy, she said, "But I wanted a baby sister!" Maybe next time. Yet, she's already been showering him with kisses and telling him she loves him. So I suppose all will be well. :-)

Thank you all for your prayers!

And by the way, it's so hard to call him Caleb! We keep saying, "Icee!"

It's Time....

.....Please pray.

Thank you!

Beach Trip

We just returned from a wonderful mini-vacation (3 nights) to Surfside Beach. We planned our trip in order to be there the same time as the Fisher family whom we met last year. Ella and Casey had a ball together. Casey celebrated her 3rd birthday while we were there, and Ella was thrilled to go to her party. And Leigh, Casey's mom, is expecting her 2nd as well. She's due in January and Casey's getting a baby brother.

Here's a short video of them doing "Ring around the Rosie." Sorry for the noise in the background (I guess it's the wind/waves or just a bad videographer :-)) ,but if you listen closely, you can hear them singing. Oh, and you'll need to scroll down and pause the music first, so you can hear the video.



It was just wonderful for me to watch Ella run and play on the beach. It was important for me that we do this for her as this will be her last vacation getting all the attention-occasionally it's good to spoil your child. :-)

And yes, I was praying the whole time, "Lord, please don't let me go into labor," especially considering I had to walk 3 flights of stairs to get to our condo. Great exercise, just not when you're so close to delivery. And Will said I got some interesting looks as we took walks down the beach. I'm sure people were expecting me to double over in pain at any moment, but all went well and baby's still safe inside. :-)

Oh, by the way, I got my hair cut short. I knew I would do it when the baby came, so I figured I might as well get it done now when I had a little more time to decide on the cut and style. The choice? A layered bob. I was supposed to leave the salon looking just like Katie Holmes...okay, so no stylist can work magic. And my hair is rather wind-blown in the beach pictures, so you'll just have to wait to see what it really looks like. :-) Overall, I'm pleased though, and it's pretty easy to style, which is always a plus.

Oh, and here's my belly shot at 36 weeks.

The Perfect Place to Give Birth

Will and I went to the mountains for a babymoon last weekend. It was our first time leaving Ella for 2 nights. And yes, it was harder on me than her. Especially considering that the mountain cabin is so well-equipped for kids-there are toys, books, swings, and even a huge playhouse. So, everywhere I looked, I kept thinking, "Ella would love playing with this or reading this."

There was only one time during the trip that I was glad she wasn't there. And that was when we took our "hike" to the waterfall. Actually there's a new path directly from the mountain cabin so you don't have to go through Aunt Joan and Uncle Will's yard, and it is more of a hike-especially when you're very pregnant (34 weeks). Upon arriving there and sitting on a huge rock, I felt such calm. And I was thankful there wasn't a 3-year-old vying for my attention. As I listened to the water cascading down and talked to my littlest one, I couldn't help thinking, "This would be the perfect place to give birth." When I voiced it to Will, he actually said, "You're right-how can we make this work?" Hmm...."Aunt Barbara, Uncle Langdon, can I camp out in your cabin for a few weeks-I'm planning on giving birth at the waterfall." Somehow I don't think it would fly. And I certainly won't be able to drive 5 hours once I'm in labor to birth there. So it was just a dream. A wonderful birthing dream. I just couldn't imagine feeling any pain if I was in such beautiful surroundings and hearing the falls. But I'm sure that's a dream too. I'm sure there would still be pain, though probably quite lessened. Instead, I suppose we'll settle for listening to a CD which has waterfalls and ocean sounds. :-)




Before we went to the mountains, Will had a conference in Alabama and we went with him. We were able to see Letisha, Daniel, and their 5 kids and it was such fun. Ella especially loved the Birmingham Zoo. "I saw a baby raffe and baby zebra," she'll tell you. But I think the kids had the most fun with the monkeys-I never tire of their antics either. And Ella did so well with Joshua and Caleb-usually she's terrified of older boys. Joshua would hold her hand and she went happily along. When she sees his picture now, she'll ask, "What's his name 'gain?" I'll tell her and then she'll say, "He's oldest." At their house, Ella enjoyed the steps the most-so now I know-our next house will be a 2-story and I'll have an automatic built-in toy for the kiddos. :-)







On the way back from Alabama we stayed a night with Em and Jeff. And of course Ella enjoyed seeing Benjamin and now can't stop telling everyone how he's walking now. "But sometimes he falls down, but that's otay." :-) We had a wonderful visit to Tribble Mill Park. Ella asks about going there all the time now. And she so enjoyed reading All the Place to Love to Benjamin.






This pic is blurry but I think it's so cute. As if Benjamin is saying, "Eh? Read a little louder, Ella."


Before the Alabama trip my dad, his fiancee, Marna, Marcelo and their 4 kids came up to see our house for the first time. Here's some cute pics from that visit.

Kaitlyn looks more and more like Marna, I think.


Ice cream and summertime-what could be better?


Dad and Nancy


As far as baby goes, I'm fine but just really tired and have been pretty much the whole pregnancy-so much for that boost of energy you're supposed to get during the
2nd trimester. I suppose being 4 years older and having a toddler to look after has something to do with it. I found out a few appointments ago that my blood sugar is high and hemoglobin very low (a 9-I was a 14 at 20 weeks). So, I'm watching even more carefully my sugar intake-so hard to do!, especially when I need to cut out most fruits too-and taking some food-based iron supplements. At my last visit I was up to a 10.9 for my hemoglobin but I really can't tell a difference in my energy level. I'm hoping I will have a great energy boost after the baby's born-ha!

We're still deciding on names-let's see, we've narrowed it down to 4 boy names and about 15 girl names. That's actually good-if you could have only seen my list when I started. Hopefully, in the next few weeks I can narrow the girls' names down some more and then when the baby comes, we'll just have a few to decide upon based on how the baby looks. Hmm, not sure how that will go. When Ella came out, she was quite purple, screaming very loudly and rather funny looking :-); I don't think based on that I would have decided on Ella had it not already been chosen.

Thank you all for your prayers as we prepare for our newest arrival.