Pooped Little Boy!

Jacob is one of those kids who plays hard and sleeps hard. We have really been on the go lately and I guess it finally caught up with him. He was playing this morning will I was blogging about Olivia. He came and told me that he needed to lay down. I told him he could get in the big chair or on the couch if he wanted to. I knew it got pretty quiet. I walked in the den and this is how I found him at 10:00 this morning. Bless his heart!

Oh Baby Girls!

Ok, so nobody really ever told me how difficult baby girls can be. I had this laid back easy going little boy, and then came the storm. Don't get me wrong, I love my precious little Olivia, but where does the drama end. I guess I should know, NEVER, since I am still quite the drama queen myself. Olivia crawled for the first time Saturday. She proceeded to scream with each move. Not fuss, not happy screaming sounds, but ticked off screams of I want my mommy and I can't get there fast enough.

Another new and exciting thing that happened Saturday was that she figured out how to sit up in her bed and peer over the edge. It was kinda strange the first time I went in there and saw two little eyes staring at me through the rails of the crib. This new found game is so fun to her that it took an hour to get her to sleep last night, because she kept getting up to play.

You have to understand that Jacob didn't even crawl until he was 12 months old. No desire! He didn't mess with things, get into things, play in his bed, nothing! And he still doesn't for the most part. I do realize that he is pretty much not the norm. But Olivia, is the EXTREME opposite. Jacob even spends most of the day saying "No Ma'am". He's a little freak out at her mobility.

Has anyone ever raised a strong willed child? Please help me. When in her high chair, she pulls on the curtains. I have told her no, thumped her hand, even popped her hand a time or two. Now I just pull the high chair far enough away so that she can't even reach them, but if I forget it's the first thing that she grabs. Then she proceeds to stare at me with this "I dare you to tell me no" look on her face.

Needless to say, she keeps us hopping around here. She is however good when she is other places. They love her at church, and at Mother's Day Out she plays all day and never even lets out a whimper. My sweet little angel. The moment I arrive and she sees my face the screaming begins and never seems to cease. Again not fussing, screaming. Unless she is permanently glued to my hip for the rest of the day. Sweet baby girl.

For those of you who know me well, you are probably thinking this is great payback for me. I have been a mamma's baby my entire life. Never wanting to leave home or spend the night anywhere unless my mom came with me. She even had to come and get me from her own sister's house in the middle of the night because I wanted to come home. I was like 10 years old and it was a 20 minute drive to her house, one way! But my mom, of course, came. I guess I will have to be Olivia's rock like my mom has always been for me. Hopefully Olivia and I can have the same type of relationship. There were times when it seemed to be very love/hate, but I can honestly say that along side my sister, my mom is my best friend. I only pray that God will give that to me and my daughter.

I love you Olivia, and I know that just like everything else in this world, this too will pass. You are my sweet little baby girl!

Sweet Baby Isaac!

My sister just had these pictures taken of Isaac. He is so cute! They came for a visit a few weeks ago and I did not take one picture. My mom took some and I am planning on getting her camera chip so I can post some of the cousins together. Anyway, these will certainly do for now.

Jacob's Nap Mat

I just finished making Jacob a nap mat for Mother's Day Out. He has been so cute with it. He likes to practice using it, but when I ask him if he is goingto go night, night at Bible School, that's what he calls it, he says NO in a very matter of fact kind of way. It's pretty funny. The other day he let Livi lie down with him. They fit together perfectly. Sweet brother and sister love! (I promise Jacob does own other pajamas. He just happens to always be wearing these when we take pictures.)

Olivia's Latest

I guess when your child is 7 months old there is always something new to share. Livi's latest thing is to suck her sassy upside down. I'm not really sure why she likes this or how she even manages to keep it in her mouth.

The Days and Hours of Potty Training!

I know so many of you are experiencing this right now. Do you need to go potty? How many times a day do we ask that question? They go for days or weeks even with no accidents or problems, and then all of a sudden they hide in the pantry and tinkle all over the floor. (That was our morning!) Why couldn't we have just been born already knowing how to do this. I might ask God that question one day.

Creative Fun!

This is Jacob's new thing. I'm not sure why it is so much fun to dump his things out of the tub and wear it on his head, but it is to him. Livi's just watching and laughing. It never fails, whatever he does, she laughs! That's good I guess. Sometimes I don't think the same things are so funny!

Rain at Grandma and Grandpa's House

We went down to Grandma and Grandpa's house not long ago to enjoy some family time and swim. Unfortunately it rained! Jacob didn't seem to mind too much. He even found a little worm to help occupy his time.

Jacob and Mommy's Shoes

Jacob seems to love shoes. Especially Mommy's shoes. These are a few of my favorites.

Lovin' the Lake

We got to enjoy several weekends at the lake this summer. Jacob LOVES the lake. He loves driving in the boat, swimming, riding the Sea Doo, throwing rocks, etc. You name and he loves it at the lake. I think he would just pack up and move over there if he could. He is always asking to go to Grandpa's lake house and ride Grandpa's boat. Livi likes riding in the boat too. She is usually pretty mellow on the water. (We should take her there more often!)

Family Pictures

Ok so I have been a TERRIBLE blogger. Many people have informed me that I need to spend some time updating our blog. It may take me a few days to get completely caught up, but I will do my best . First off, in June, yes I said June, we had some family pictures taken. Here are a few of my favorites. Such sweet little faces. Please don't be offended by Jacob obscene gesture, but I just had to post that one in particular.

Still more from Savannah

Jacob had soooo much fun on the school bus. I think this could entertain him for hours everyday!

All the kid needs is a school bus and a sprinkler.

Vacation in Savannah!

We just got back from our vacation in Savannah, GA. We had a great time with Big Daddy and Honey. Jacob had a blast playing on the playground, swimming, driving the school bus, and just playing outside. It was such a relaxing week for Seth and me. Olivia was spoiled to death! She now thinks she needs to be held and talked to 24/7. Oh well, she'll get over that soon enough. Hope you enjoy all of the pictures from our trip!

Jacob's Scare!

Many of you already know this, but for those of you who we haven't spoken with here is our lastest scare. Jacob went to Children's Hospital Tuesday with fevers above 105 and complaining of back pains. After a series of test, blood work, and x-rays he was admitted. They found inflammation in his blood, which they said means infection. Normal inflammation levels are 1-10. Two different tests showed one of his at 16 and the other at 40. Obviously the one at 40 was of the greatest concern. That combined with the lower back pain and sensitivity to the touch was alarming. Wednesday he had an MRI which came back good. No bacteria or infection in his spine, spinal cord, or bones just in his body somewhere. They also found that his intestines were impacted. This was the cause of the pains, but not the infection. He was flushed out twice and started a laxative that we have to continue twice a day for one month. This was crazy to me because he poops everyday, and sometimes two or three times a day. Weird!! They said that he had been forcing poop around the impacted areas and he could have been like this for weeks. The pain just finally got so intense that he complained about it and was sensitive to someone touching his back. We stayed another night to continue antibiotics for the infection. We also had to stay because he hadn't eaten since Tuesday morning and due to a catheter he wasn't tinkling either. They had to give him something to stop bladder spasms and something for pain. Finally, by Thursday night he had tinkled, pooped, and eaten some. They treated him with one more round of antibiotics and let us come home. He is feeling much better today. He still complains when he tinkles and says hand hurts where IV was, but other than that seems normal. We have to go for follow-up this afternoon and monitor his fever for the next week. If it goes above 101 or he complains of pains in the head or back we have to return to the hospital because they still don't know the source of the infection. It has been one crazy week. Grandma took care Olivia most of the time with some help from Aunt Kristi and Aunt Donna the day Jacob had the MRI. What a blessing to have the help of your family. Thank you to those of you who have been praying for us. Please continue to pray that he continues to heal. God was so gracious in protecting his bones and spine from this infection. We also praise him and thank him for wonderful proactive doctors at Children's Hospital. What a great place He has provided here on Earth for hurting children. We pray that every family there can find answers and peace for their loved ones being treated.

Another Project!

The first thing that comes to my mind now that I am looking at these pictures is are we violating some sort of child labor laws? For those of you who know me well you know that I love projects! The latest one was the kitchen countertops. The people who lived here before us had tiled them. Some of you might be wondering what is wrong with that. Well, I'll tell you. They were tiled incorrectly, uneven, a few cracks here and there, and they were floor tiles not countertop tiles. So, another demolition began. Poor Seth! We busted off all of the tiles and removed the old countertops and backsplash. The walls were repaired, sanded and repainted red like the rest of the kitchen. Seth took off the old countertops and my dad helped him install the new ones. They look awesome. Yet again, like the bathroom, I don't have a finished picture. I guess I need to take a picture of both and post them. We still have to redo the kitchen floors and reface and paint the cabinets, but one thing at a time right!? Jacob had a great time again helping his dad. He loved cleaning up the mess. Seth even taught him to say "Mom's mess" as he was cleaning. It was pretty funny. I was worth all of the mess and work. I love my new countertops!!!! Thank-you Seth, your the best!

I love my babies!

I took this picture of the two of them a week or two ago. I thought it was really sweet! What sweet little faces, for the moment anyway!

My New Baby Nephew

My sister, Allison, just had her first baby boy, Isaac. He weighed 9 lbs and is 20 inches long. This seems monsterous compared to my little 6 lb babies, but I have to admit the rolls are pretty cute. My babies always looked like little rat or birds forever. I think he is precious and looks just like his mommy. I'm told he even has a dimple like hers. How cute! Lord thank you for the arrival of this sweet baby boy. Jacob is super excited about Baby Ike!