A Happy Solution

Jack is fascinated by anything electronic (hmmm..... I wonder where he got that). In particular, he is obsessed by the computer. For Jack, everything is about the computer. If mommy is taking him down the stairs, he knows that the computer will be within sight. If he is riding around in his car, he inevitably ends up in front of the computer. If we sit with him in the big tan chair, he must stand up and look over our shoulders to see the.....you guessed it....computer! Basically, for Jack, all roads lead to the computer. It makes it very difficult to play with anything else or get anything done with him begging to be at the computer. He has even taken to crawling through the end table in order to reach the computer desk. So, today, I finally came up with the solution. You can see by the pictures that he is thrilled. He spent 45 minutes in this chair this afternoon. I got two loads of laundry done in that amount of time! The only reason why he left it is because he was getting bleary-eyed from looking at the screen and needed to take a nap. So he's napping now, but I expect he'll be back. Here are some other fun photos from the last few days.

What Do I Think?

Recently, I have been asked by several people what I think about what is happening at my alma mater. At first I really didn't understand what I was being asked. I knew that the president had stepped down for "personal" reasons, and while I was somewhat puzzled as to what those reasons were, I realized that it didn't really involve me personally and so I put it out of my mind. Yesterday and today I have come to realize what a huge thing is happening there and all around the nation regarding this incident. My first instinct was to dig for more information. I realized that I was not in possession of all the facts and could not make a real decision. I believe that I was given some very good information from Godly friends whose only goal is to serve Christ and see good come of this situation. I also feel that I received some very shocking information from the internet. After several hours of digging and sorting through this information and becoming more and more distressed over what I have been reading, I have come to this conclusion:

• God's Word is the only source of Truth in this world.
• God is not ignorant of this situation and was not surprised by it.
• My prayer and hope is that all parties involved would seek to give God glory. (Glory is defined as "giving the right opinion of God")
• The bottom line: I am not a part of this problem, nor do I believe that God would have me be a part of the solution. Therefore, with the exception of praying that glory is given to God through this situation, I'm out of it. Period. There are more important things (and that does not mean that it isn't important to those who are genuinely involved in the problem and the solution) that God wants me to accomplish today. Like laundry. Ugggh.

So, there you have it folks, my official thoughts on the matter.

Road Trip?

Is anyone interested in going up to Detroit for Ed's memorial service? I'm sure that it's going to be a very touching service. If you think you might want to go, leave a comment. I haven't made any final decisions yet, I'm just curious if anyone else is thinking of going.

This World Is Not My Home

Praise God these bodies are only temporary. Ed has been completely healed and given a new body as he looks upon our Savior face to face! Please pray for Kelley for sweet rest and comfort. The weight of grief is such a physical thing and she has already been going non-stop for months now. Pray that God will allow her to be carried on the strength of her Lord and her family.

Prayer

Please pray for my friend, Ed Horn, as today will most likely be his last day on this earth. I won't go into all the details, but if you have the time and want to receive a huge blessing, look at this website for Ed. He has been battling cancer for some time now, and it looks as though his body has so aggressively rejected the bone marrow transplant that he received just a short time ago that he will quickly pass into eternity. He leaves behind his young wife, Kelley, and their two children, Aiden and Kya. Throughout this trial they have modeled Christ in just about every way possible. They are friends of mine from college and although we have not actively communicated with each other in over a decade, I have read this website every day now for several months. I feel a great sense of grief for his loss, and for the pain that his family must be going through. Like them, I pray to Ed's heavenly Father to please take him quickly. Please pray with me that His will is done.

Face to face with Christ my Savior
Face to face--how can it be?
When with rapture I behold Him--Jesus Christ! Who died for me!
Face to face I shall behold Him
Far beyond the starry sky
Face to face in all His Glory
I shall see Him by and by

When my life work has ended, and I cross the swelling tide
And the bright and glorious morning I shall see
I shall know my Redeemer when I reach the other side
For His smile will be the first to welcome me
I shall know Him--I shall know Him
And redeemed by His side I shall stand
I shall know Him--I shall known Him
By the print of the nails in His hands

The Gray Family - New And Improved

I hesitate to put these up because there is something wrong with our scanner, but these turned out so well that I couldn't wait to share them. We love our little family. We miss Sissy and Bubba greatly and are counting the minutes until we can see them again. In the meantime, little Jack is doing his best to make us laugh and keep us busy. Thank you, God, for your incredible blessings!

The Tooth Has Arrived!

Tonight I was feeding Jack a little bit of peanut butter on the end of my finger and I felt it! It's really there! No wonder he was a little TURKEY all day yesterday and today. Sundays are hard on Jack with church coming right in the middle of his morning nap and lunchtime, but today he was especially cranky and cried alot. It wasn't until this evening that I realized the problem! The good news is that it is finally in--the bad news is that we have a whole mouthful to go! Now I'm freaking out about feeding him peanut butter. What was I thinking? What if he is allergic to peanuts? Can I get him to the ER in time? I don't even have any Benedryl in the house. Good grief. So far he is doing fine. But I keep watching for signs of blotchiness and tongue swelling. Hard to tell in an already drooling, mouth contorting baby, but I'm watching nevertheless.

I tried to get a picture but he wasn't cooperating with me. By the way, he is also sitting up and doing the army crawl across the floor! He'll be 8 months old in a few days.

Yo Ho! Pirate Bry Bry

Here is Bryan (or "Bubba, Bubby or Bu" as Jack calls him) striking his best pirate pose. Both Sissy and Bubby went to VBS this summer and the last night was Pirate night. Check out the cool tattoo!

Busy Boy

Our little boy is coming out of his skin! It is no longer acceptable that he is unable to crawl, walk or run. He is frustrated ALL the time because he can't reach anything. His arm is always out, reaching toward something. Today we put him in the walker and his little feet were running before they even hit the ground. He has also figured out how to open the kitchen cabinets, and that if he gets real close to the stove there is another little boy in a walker just like his, staring back at him. I have a feeling that my life will never be the same. And I haven't even adjusted to this "normal" yet!

First For Everything

My son gave me a bloody nose. My infant son. You might have thought that the 11 year-old would be more likely, but no, it was the 7 month old. He has been very irritated today. He's been "yelling" at me very loudly, crying alot, not interested in his ba ba, and generally pretty cantankerous. I was holding him and trying to calm him down some when he reared back his head and just head-butted me right in the nose. I had the sense to put him down on the floor before I sank down beside him, holding my injured member, fighting back tears, and feeling rather dizzy. After my mother-in-law wheeled into the living room to find me on my hands and knees, I wiped my nose with a kleenex and observed bright red blood! Wow, it hurt. Jack just kept fussing as if nothing had happened. It's the first nosebleed I've ever had.

Project #2 on the list of things to do.

My brother in law sent me this video and I just couldn't resist posting it here. Maybe I will have my version completed by the time Jack has his drivers license. If only I could hook a mower up to the back!

Random pictures

Poor sick baby--still has a smile!

Happy Father's Day!

The pictures say it all! I have had these two finish nailers in hiding for a couple of months now. I have been so fearful that he would somehow find out--but he didn't. It was a total surprise and he LOVES them! Yippppeeee for me! And Happy Father's Day to Jeff! You're the best and you deserve your special surprise!

Nice Milky Latte

Just a word on the "milky latte" video clip. It is one of Jeff's favorites, and since he was loading videos for me, he included this one. I think that Jack may have been a week old. Aunt Gigi had called to say that she was coming over and bringing me Starbucks. I was so excited! I had been laying off the Starbucks since I was breastfeeding, but I was determined to drink this one. Obviously I was so excited that I talked to Jack about it upstairs. Unknown to me, the baby monitor was on and Jeff caught it on tape. It's a sweet reminder of his early days, breastfeeding and his sweet newborn baby cry. Sigh. Oh well, now I drink all the Starbucks I want!

Jack saying DaDa

Six Months

The last few weeks have been full ones, to be sure! Not only have there been changes in Jack, but there have been many changes in our house as well. The biggest change, of course, is the fact that Anne and Bryan are home! When they come home our little lives get a boost of energy and the house practically cannot hold us. We worked incredibly hard getting their rooms ready for them--new drywall and texturing, paint, new furniture, some decorating touches. They were finally done and the kids helped move their furniture in the day they came home! There are a few little finishing touches here and there that need to be done, but it was exciting to see them come in and rummage around in the attic for little treasures that they used to have in their rooms and had to leave behind when they moved to Florida. It has been a great challenge having two 11 year-old children around full-time, but it has also been extremely gratifying and rewarding. We are working on the Four Rules of Communication (yea verily, a fifth has been added). In case you don't know what they are, they are as follows:
1. Be Honest
2. Keep Current
3. Act, Don't React
4. Attack the Problem, Not the Person
(5. When in doubt, just shut up)

Anne and Bryan are absolutely each others' best friend. They are also each others' worst enemy. The fued over rooms, property, who said what and when, etc., are ENDLESS, but we are trying to teach them problem-solving skills that they can apply to ANY situation to end the problem without screaming, slamming doors or punching inanimate objects! So far they have done well. It was hard at first, but I can't tell you the feeling of pride in them that I have when I see them knocking heads over something, and then sitting down in the floor to discuss the problem and possible solutions to the problem. We are also learning the difference between "I'm sorry" and "please forgive me". We pray that they will continue this wonderful process of biblical communication even after they return home and we are no longer there to referee.

The changes in Jack are too numerous to count! He absolutely ADORES his brother and sister. We call them Bubba and Sissy. Bryan can be standing beside him and make a noise and Jack will just burst in to a fit of laughter. Anne has a special touch with Jack and takes extremely good care of him. She is able to rock him to sleep when I am unable to and he sit entranced when she sings to him. When Bry and Anne wrestle around in the floor he watches them and squeals as if he is just waiting to jump in there with them. He can roll over each way now and even gets up on hands and knees and scoots around. He is no longer left on the bed because he could be off the edge before I have time to turn around! He says "Da Da", "La La", and "Blah Blah" quite distinctly. No "Ma Ma" yet, but that's ok. At first we weren't sure that he was really saying "Da Da" and meaning Jeff, but now we are positive that he is asking for or talking about his Daddy. He will sit in his little walker and if Jeff is not looking at him he will say, "da da da da da da" with increasing intensity until Da Da finally looks at him!

Right now he is very sick. I had to take him to urgent care yesterday before he had a fever and there was gunk coming out of his eyes and nose. I was worried that he was getting an ear infection, but the doc said his ears were clear. They gave me some baby decongestant and some eye drops, so we're hoping that he gets better soon. He is pretty miserable right now, as you will see from the pictures I took yesterday and this morning. However, he is smiling this morning and although he is sticky, he is still very sweet. We love him so much.

He had his 6 month check up last week. The doctor has proclaimed him perfect! He is ahead of the game in many areas. He weight 17 lbs, 4 oz, and he is 27 1/2 inches long! What a big boy! I hope to have another post up today with some video footage for Father's Day.

Well, that kind of brings us up to speed. Our days are busy and the kids start VBS next week, so it's going to be crazy, but I'll try to do better with posting. Anne is a little computer bug too, so I am in competition for my desk!

Love to all!

PS. I'll have to try the pictures later since there is something wrong with Blogger and they will not upload!!!

When Girls Come To Play

This morning a bunch of mommy's friends came to visit. This is what happens when a bunch of girls get around a baby. Soon Jack-Jack was surrounded with ALL of his little stuffed animals. Is Jack really in this picture? Can you see him? There he is!

Happy Half Birthday!

Jack is 6 months old today! We celebrated by taking some pictures outside and with Grandma Poo.

Busy Days

This is going to have to be quick--it's late, I'm tired, and I've got to get up early! We have been going non-stop for a couple of weeks now. Here are some updates:

Sharon is doing great! She is getting around great with her walker and wheelchair. She still needs my help with a few things, but she's becoming quite self-sufficient. Jeff has teased her that we will have to hide her car keys in case she tries to run away. She has a doctor's appointment tomorrow to get the staples removed, so please pray for her. Pray that I can get her in the car and down to Indy and back without trauma. Aunt Laurie has graciously agreed to take Jack, so he's going to have fun, fun, fun!

My grandmother is not doing very well. Her kidneys are failing, she has fluid around her heart and lungs, and her blood pressure keeps rising. On Sunday, Jeff, Jack and I made the trip down to Henderson to see her. I kissed her little mouth that was all droopy and paralyzed and told her that I love her. It was Mother's Day. I don't think that I've ever spent Mother's Day with my grandmother. I doubt that I ever will again. Please pray for her and also for my Bampy. This is absolutely heartbreaking for him.

My sister is coming on Tuesday of next week. She decided to make the trip all the way from Temuco, Chile. She is praying that she makes it in time to see Mamaw alive. It is hard for her to be so far away. It costs close to $2,500 for her and my 2 year-old nephew, Joshua to fly to the states.

My brother Jason had his back surgery today. Everything went well and he is recovering. Pray for my mother as she cares for him. Pray that she doesn't smother him with a pillow in his sleep (hee hee), and vice versa as soon as Jason is strong enough to move around!

Pray for me because Jeff is leaving tomorrow and will be gone for four days. He is helping his cousin Nick build a bathroom in their home near Chicago. It will be the longest that we've ever been away from each other. I am afraid that Mamaw will die while he is gone and I will have to go alone to the funeral. I know, Philippians 4:8. Trust me, I'm trying to think right about it. Why borrow trouble, right? It's just there in the back of my mind, you know.

Jack is doing great. He is SO growing up. He just moves around and laughs big belly laughs and plays with toys and is just the cutest thing that I've ever seen. I love him so much.

Good night, friends! Pray for our little family!

House Guest

Jeff's mom is home from the hospital and is staying with us indefinitely. Please keep praying for her, as this has been quite an adjustment. She is a very active lady and an expert in her field of nursing. Her hospital will no doubt feel her loss, and she is already missing her busy life with patients, co-workers and new learning opportunities. She has also had to put her masters' program on hold since she will be unable to travel to Indy several times a week to attend classes. She is doing great and being a trooper, but it is hard for her. I am hoping that her friends and co-workers visit her often, and any of them that might be reading this blog (as I know that some of you do) please consider this an open invitation to visit her anytime.

On another note, please also pray for my grandmother, Boots Cummings. She had a stroke this last week and is in the hospital. She is paralyzed on her right side and unable to communicate very clearly. It appears that she will need to go to a nursing home, and since my grandfather is blind and relies on her greatly, he too will have to go the nursing home. My mother and her sisters have been making arrangements for them to be together. My grandfather is very upset and extremely emotional. My grandparents are the greatest example of two people who have been in love with each their whole lives, and it is especially sad to think that there might have to be a time when one lives without the other. As hard as it may seem for the rest of the family to lose them both at the same time, I hope that when God calls them home that He takes them both together.

For now, God has definitely increased my ministry to others and I am thrilled to be able to take on this new role of caring for such an incredibly caring and loving lady!

Happy Birthday To Me

Today is my 36th birthday. I never really liked to do "big" birthdays, but I had a friend who was excellent at making my birthday a "big deal", and I kinda got used to it. I've been thinking that a person as old as me probably shouldn't have "big" birthdays (too many over-the-hill gag gifts, the increasing fire hazard, and now, the difficulty of finding a babysitter) but my husband thinks differently. He made my birthday so special. It lasted for 2 1/2 days! It started the night before last when he took the baby from me and gave him a bath and put him to bed so that I could go and take a nap or just lay on my bed and watch TV. The next morning he made a special trip into town to buy me a bottle of my favorite coffee fru fru, and then he made me coffee. We spent the day working together around the house. At 3:30 p.m. we got all dolled up and went to town. First we went to a bird store where Jeff bought me the mother of all bird feeders and a bird book to go with it. We have a lot of birds out here on our property, and I'm getting excited about learning their names and songs. Then we took a quick trip to Home Depot since it was close by and Jeff just couldn't resist. Then we went to dinner at Mountain Jacks. YUM. It was great and romantic (Aunt Gi Gi was at home with Jack) and totally tasty. THEN.....we saw Mission Impossible III. Awesome! We loved it! I think it's the best one yet. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Definitely a fun flick. We got home and were in bed by 11:00 p.m. And that was the end of the day before my birthday! Today is actually my birthday, but we had church this morning and Jeff's mom came home from the hospital this afternoon, so we planned most of our fun for yesterday. I did get a nice lunch out with the Gray side of the family and the choir sang a very goofy rendition of Happy Birthday to me during practice. Gaylene made me a rockin' Margarita cheesecake that was yummmy yum yum. Of course, any day that I can wake up next to the most wonderful man of my dreams and go in the next room to see my smiling, lovely baby boy is a spectacularly special day! Thanks everyone, for making this birthday wonderful!

Our Fallen Hero

Last evening we received a call from a very teary Grandma Poo saying that she had fallen and hurt her knee. Uncle Jason and Aunt Ashley came to the rescue and took her down to Indy to her fabulous hospital to be evaluated. Several hours later the call came in--she had broken her leg just below her knee. Ouch! They admitted her to the hospital and she will be having surgery sometime soon. They would like to do it right away, but there are evidentally 11 surgeries scheduled ahead of her, so it could be a bit of a wait. In the meantime they have her souped up on some yummy drugs and so she is stable. We'll update more as time goes by. For now, pray for our Grandma Poo! We're happy to have the opportunity to get to take care of her instead of her taking care of us!

Hmmmm.....

My fellow blogger Beth got me interested in this quiz. Here are my results.

You Are a Jam Cookie

On the outside, you project a straight-laced, innocent vibe. But on the inside, you're complex, exotic, and full of flavor.

What Kind of Cookie Are You?

I'm just not sure what to say.

Run The Race

I judged a vocal competition at FCS yesterday and there met a lady who attends church with an old college buddy of mine, Warren Brokering. I was shocked and devastated to hear that Warren is battling colon cancer. He has evidentally had some success with surgery, but I really don't know more than that. I jotted him a note with my email address, so hopefully I will hear more soon. This is the second college friend that I have recently learned is dealing with cancer, the first being Ed Horn. While it greatly saddens me, I know the character of these two men well, and know that in this trial they will seek to please God. It is comforting to know that when such hardships and trials come at us unexpectedly, we can see through the examples of godly people around us that God's word truly is sufficient for our every need. God bless you, Ed and Warren. Keep running the race!

Running The Race
--by Laurie Dutton

I'm running the race
I'm pressing ahead
I'm striving to reach the goal which God has set
I'll focus my eyes
I'm setting my sites
Obeying the call in order to win the prize

And I'll press on
Running the Race
And I'll press on
'Til I see His face
He's run the race before me
He knows what lies ahead
He gives me grace and wisdom and strength
He's by my side
My Faithful Guide
I'm running the race
I'm running for the prize

I'm turning from my sin
And the weights that slow me down
I'm pressing toward the mark
So I can win the crown

I'm pressing ahead
Not looking behind
I'm staying on course
No matter what turns I find
There's no need to fear
For my God is near
Directing each step and making my pathway clear

And I'll press on
Running the race
And I'll press on
'Til I see His face
He's run the race before me
He knows what lies ahead
He gives me grace and wisdom and strength
He's by my side
My Faithful Guide
I'm running the race
I'm running for the prize

I'll run 'til I see Christ!
'Til I see Christ

Night Out

Last night Mommy and Daddy got to go out! Jeff's company hosts a "year end" party every year in Indianapolis, so last night Aunt Gi Gi (Gaylene) watched little Jack while we went and had some stimulating "adult" conversation (adult as opposed to infant, not indecent) and some yummy food. It was fun to be all dressed up and driving down the road towards a fun evening. Made us feel like the "old" Jeff and Betty.

Just A Spoonful Of Sugar

Today is a different day! Yippeeee! Already Jack was doing better, but my sister just called me and shared with me that her son did the same thing to her! She put a half a teaspoon of sugar in his bottle until he got to drinking it good and then started weaning him off the sugar. So I tried it and he sucked down a 6 oz bottle without blinking an eye. So I think we're on the right track. The best part is that after he takes a good bottle he likes to take a long nap! So I think I will do the same. Nitey nite!

Triumph

Well, it took more than an hour, but I managed to force down 4 oz. Don't worry, I'm not going to update you everytime he takes a bottle. Let's just assume the best and that the eating trend is going to continue.

Round Two

It's now more than 4 hours since the last "ba ba" attempt (a successful one) and we are currently head to head for round two of the match. He is hungrily chewing on his bunny but will not take the bottle. So we will wait 30 minutes and try again!

One Down, Several To Go

Hey! I know that the first blog only just published because something was up with blogger, but I am happy to report that after a two hour nap, Jack woke up HUNGRY and ate 5 oz of formula with 2 scoops of cereal in it! I've decided to spend the next few days getting him re-adjusted to just the bottle and then we'll try the spoon-fed route again later. At any rate, I'm very relieved that after 12 hours of a hunger strike, he has finally drank his bottle!

In The Battle

I think I've created a monster. Remember how I said that Jack was just loving eating cereal from a spoon and drinking from a cup? Well, yesterday it was cute, but today it is downright ugly. I have only been nursing Jack in the middle of the night, so last night when he woke up at 1:00 a.m. I nursed him and put him back in bed. That was the last time that he ate. That was 10 hours ago. He refuses to take his bottle. He has done everything from laughing and giggling with it in his mouth to throwing a crying fit and gagging on it. I was concerned that he might be unwell, or that some reasonable problem was causing him to not want his bottle. But in every other way he is FINE. He is laughing, playing, watching his aquarium toy, peeing, burping....everything normal....except eating. I can only conclude that he doesn't want to and so he is exerting an unbelievable amount of will (where the heck did he get that from?). At this point I have put him in his bed to "cry it out". My plan is to continue to offer him the bottle every half hour until he takes it. I'm not going to give him spoon-fed cereal. I think that he would eat that, but he needs to drink his bottle. There is nothing nourishing about just eating cereal from a spoon. I have also definitely concluded that last night was the last night of nursing. And it may be the last night of eating in the middle of the night. Obviously, he is able to go for LONG periods of time without eating, so it is ridiculous for me to be getting up (sometimes) twice in the middle of the night. So, please pray for me today, and pray that Jack makes a good choice, and if you have any suggestions, PLEASE give them to me! I know that there are mothers out there right now reading this blog. You know who you are and so do I. Please weigh in. If you don't want to post, then email me or call me! I'll update you all later on in the day!

Growing Up

Today we celebrated Jack's grand old age by drinking water from a cup! I noticed that as I was drinking my Frapaccino today that his gaze was following my drink all the way up to my mouth. So we tried it! (not with the Frap!) He did REALLY well! And he loved it. I was really surprised but after the first few little dribbles he actually got the hang of swallowing the water as it went in his mouth. My little baby!

Happy Five Months, Jack

It's hard to believe, but another month has passed. Where does the time go? In one month Jack has progressed to playing with toys, eating from a spoon, turning over onto his back and giggling with a vengeance. If every month is this packed, Mommy and Daddy better hold on tight!

Wha'cha doin?

Here's what I did today! What did you do?

Happy Day

Today is a much better day for Jack! Thank you to everyone who said a little prayer for my boy. We ran the vaporizer in his room last night and that seemed to really help his breathing. I went in once to turn his head so he could breathe better, but that was all. I sleep with the monitor beside my bed and can really hear him well in the night. Nothing woke me up, and usually if he is having a bad night I will be aware of it. I don't really understand why the vaporizer helps, if his breathing is hindered by the trachial malasia. It shouldn't make a difference. Jeff and I both think that there is more going on there with his breathing than just the malasia. For now, we wait until our May 8 appointment with the ped ENT and we'll ask her all of our questions! But just so you know, he's having a great day--completely different from yesterday!

As a side note, I bought him two toys today. One is an exerciser/walker and the other is a toy that dangles toys in front of him while he lays on his back. He loves both of them, but especially the walker. He has to work at sitting up in it (he has a tendency to fall forward when he gets tired) but that just adds to the fun since the little turkey has been trying to sit up on his own since he was 2 months old!

Catch Your Breath

Today started out like any other day. Jack woke up at 4:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. for feedings. He went back to sleep and woke up around 9:30 this morning. It's not a bad schedule, really. I am very thankful that he sleeps so well. It's true that he still gets up in the middle of the night, but when he sleeps until 9-9:30 a.m., it's easy to catch up on my sleep. At any rate, this morning was normal, until around 10:00 a.m. That's when I noticed that he was having a lot of trouble breathing. He had just had a bottle and was very active, and his breathing is worse then. I watched him struggle for an hour, rasping and gasping, alternating being on his back and then his tummy. It was really kind of scary. He hasn't been like that since he was tiny and I had hoped that by now he would be growing out of it. He was actually distracted by his own breathing and refused to play with me. It's very disconcerting to see his chest caving in as he tries to take in air. So, I called the Pediatric ENT in Indy and got him an appointment for May 8. I didn't really want to take him down there, because I know that they will run tests on him that will be uncomfortable for him, but it can't be any more uncomfortable than not being able to take a breath when you need to. He may just have some congestion that is making it worse today, but I really was kind of frightened this morning. He's still struggling this afternoon, but not as badly. I'm planning to try and catch it on video so that the doctor can see when he is really bad. It really makes you think--there is so much we take for granted--like breathing. You don't know just how precious it is until you sit and watch your little one fight just to take one breath. Please pray for little Jack that he will get better soon!

Hi!

Easter pictures!

Mommy dressed me up and took some pictures of me and my bunny. Mmmmmm.....bunny.......

A Spoonful of Fun

Jack is eating cereal from a spoon! And loving it! After the first day of not really getting the hang of things, he came back with a vengeance and is now attacking his spoon as it comes toward his mouth. I hope to capture some video of it. It's just hillarious.

Sad Mommy

I've mentioned before that I have started weaning Jack from breastfeeding. Today I am feeling quite sad about the whole thing. I had not anticipated weaning him at just 4 months. When Jack was born I was fiercely dedicated to the whole idea of nursing, and not even cracked, bleeding nipples or pain that took my breath away stopped me from feeding him. I knew that if I was going to make it work it would at times be very hard, but that it was worth it. I stuck with it and have to say that it is probably the most rewarding thing about being a mother that I have yet to experience. It's a very intimate thing between mother and baby, and for Jack and me, it's over. Today I gave him cereal with a spoon (since the doctor said it was ok) and I experienced a kind of grim satisfaction in seeing him try to "latch on" to the spoon and then spit out the cereal when he realized that it was not what he thought it was. He still has the baby reflex to force his tongue out when food is in his mouth, and I know that it means that he is still too young. I would just rather go on nursing him.

Like other things in life, sometimes we don't get what we want. Sometimes what we want is a good thing, and so it's confusing to understand why we might not be getting it. Ultimately, we have to trust that a heavenly Father knows the difference between a good thing and the best thing. For some reason I am being allowed to go through what some might consider a very minor trial of weaning my child. For me, it's much more than minor, but I have to trust that it is the best thing for me, and for Jack. So I will do that, also knowing that the same Father allowing the trial also understands the lump in my throat and the tears that come unbidden when no one is looking.

Jack in action!

Things Happening

The last few weeks have been incredibly busy. So much so that blogging has become a low priority. But, a few amazing things have been happening with Jack that just have to be recorded. After all, this is first and foremost my "baby book" of Jack's life, and he is definitely doing some record worthy things.

First of all, last Friday night I went to a Pampered Chef party with some friends. When I came home my husband informed me that Jack was in bed (and that he had cried most of the night for daddy!) and that he had been playing with his toy in his crib. I didn't really think much of it, because I had never really seen him play with this toy and I thought that it was just daddy talking up the baby boy genius. I was sitting in the living room when, to my surprise, over the monitor came this music! I just looked at it and turned to Jeff, who was smiling proudly. "He's playing with his toy again," he said. I could not believe it. Not only was he playing with it, but he had learned how to push the button to turn the music on and off! You have to realize that up until this time he had never even played with a toy. I sneaked upstairs and took a peek. There was my son, laying on his back, staring up at the aquarium toy attached to his bed, listening to Brahm's Lullaby and watching little sea horses float by making bubbly noises. By the way, kudos to Nana for buying Jack the coolest toy ever! The next day I did get video of Jack playing with his toy during nap time and as soon as my hubby has a minute to call his own, he will post it for your viewing pleasure.

Monumental thing no. 2. Jack turned over all by himself. A couple of days after the toy incident, I put him down for a nap, on his tummy, and when I went to pick him up he was turned over on his back! So far he's only done it once, but we were pretty impressed.

No. 3. Jack had his 4 month checkup on Monday. He is now 14 lbs and 4 oz, and is 24 1/2 inches long. The doctor says he is doing beautifully. She is a little concerned still about the noise that he makes in his throat and suggested that he see a pediatric ENT in Indy. So we are considering that. It seems like a waste of time now....he's doing so well and I'm not sure that they could really do anything for him at this point, but it would be nice to know if everything is still ok in there and find out when he might grow out of it.

No. 4. Mommy's milk is drying up. I cannot tell you how sad this makes me. I had hoped to be able to nurse Jack, or at least pump and feed him breast milk until he was closer to one year, but it would seem that my body is not cut out for it. The will is there, believe me, on both of our parts. Jack loves to nurse and hates a bottle, but the milk is just not there. I've tried two rounds of Reglan to boost my supply, but it keeps dwindling. I pretty much just feed him in the middle of the night now, and even then sometimes it doesn't let down. Every time I feed him I cry a little, knowing that it might be the last time. On a lighter note, daddy is excited about finally being able to feed his baby. If he could have lactated, I think he would have.

No. 5. He seems to be having some separation anxiety when I leave him with daddy and sometimes in the nursery too. This has made daddy very sad, so he is spending some extra time with him each night (Jack is still not on "Indiana time" yet) trying to get him used to him again. So far it's working and tonight the things that transpired can only be labeled as our silly little boy cutting loose and just being his happy little self. It was so cute.

Noteworthy: Jack loves to be nakey. He will cackle with delight as soon as I start pulling his clothes off.

Noteworthy 2: He has taken to peeing on me again. I think he knows he's doing it. Little turkey.

Big Boy

It's hard to believe, but our tiny newborn baby turned 4 months old yesterday (sniff, sniff). Oh, how I long for the days of endless screaming, 2 hours of sleep a night, and genuine terror over the horrible breathing sounds that he made. NOT! Way to go, Jack! You survived being a newborn and are finally a regular old baby!

Disaster Relief

Finally! I am able to get some "disaster" pictures online. It has been a long road, one that we are still continuing to travel, but it is getting better all the time. The drywall is up and being finished, we are planning to paint on Saturday, and the carpet will be delivered sometime next week! It will look better than it did before and has allowed us to do some "unexpected" spring cleaning, so it hasn't all been bad. On top of it, with our house looking so dismal, we were still able to have a visit from my mom and the kids! Here are some pictures of the night we discovered our little "problem". Thanks to everyone who helped!

The water really wasn't that high.

It's hard to believe that so little water could cause so much damage, but the drywall sucked it up more than 2 feet, so it had to be replaced. Of course the carpet had to be ripped up as well.


Matt and Scott helped haul everything upstairs.

Lee directed the cleanup!

Melisa worked tirelessly and came later to help again!

Fiances Matt and Kerri. What a bonding experience!

Our beautiful home theatre room, reduced to cement floor and stick framing.

My current dining room. Will it ever be the same?

Sweet baby Jack

Always reminding us how thankful we are that we have each other.

Snow!

The long prayed for snow has arrived! Anne and Bryan have been wanting snow since Thanksgiving, and this morning, it happened! It's great to see them out there playing and having fun. It's hard to believe that our time together has passed and tomorrow they will be going home. It will be two months before they come back, but then it will be for seven weeks! Yeah! Anne and Bryan, we love having you here!!!!

Under Construction

It has been a while since I blogged, but for a good reason. We are in a war zone right now with our house. On Sunday afternoon we came home to standing water in our basement. The basement is finished and houses most of our computer, television and exercise equipment. The sump pump failed and the water that was pooling everywhere was wastewater. Yes, folks, it was poo water. So, we called in the troops and our good friends came over and went beyond the call of friendship to bring all of our basement belongings upstairs. We disinfected each piece as it came up the stairs and it is now sitting in the dining room and foyer area. I have been taking pictures, but right now I can't get them from the camera to the computer because we can't find the card reader or the cord! The basement that Jeff worked so hard to finish is now back to cement floor and framing. It is a huge setback and expense, but it needs to be done, so Jeff has been working like a dog trying to put it all back together. It's one of those things that you just have to look at and say, "I have no idea what the reason is, but I know there is one, and that God will show us what to do". It also brings home the thought that all of that stuff is just "things" and the most important thing is that we have each other.

On a much happier note, the kids are flying in today! We have been so excited, and yet nervous about them coming home to such a wreck. But they are good kids and I fully expect them to jump into the work with their characteristic exuberance and sweet spirit. Basically, they don't care what we do as long as they are with their dad! I can't wait for them to see Jack--they are going to be amazed!

More later........

The Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth

I am so happy to report that Jack finally appears to be out of his "colic" stage. It was just like everyone said, one day he woke up and he was just. . .better! He does still have some "meltdown" times during the day, but they have definite triggers that I can look at and say, "He's crying because he's tired and needs to sleep (or eat, or has poopy pants, etc.). It makes our day so much easier because now I know how to deal with him (for the most part). I believe him to be a very intelligent, sensitive little boy with a HUGE stubborn streak! I see some clashes of will in our future. But he is also extremely lovable, very snuggly and affectionate, and laughs at everything, sometimes even when he is crying! He is an absolute joy and I love him very much. I believe that he is currently working on a tooth. Now, I know that he is only almost 4 months old, but there's no other reason for the faces that he is making. I took a little video of him that I'm going to ask Jeff to put up here and you can see for yourself. For the last two days he has sucked, chewed, stuck his hand in his mouth and all around made the most hillarious little faces. He must be cutting a tooth. At least I think he's forming it. It may not be coming through, but something about his gum is definitely bothering him. He literally looks like he has chewing gum in his mouth. I've stuck my finger in there but I feel nothing. I guess time will tell.

The Cows Come Home

This past weekend we went up north to Milwaukee and the area in which I lived for 12 years. While Jeff worked on computers at the northern branch of his company, I ran around the countryside, visiting old haunts, eating Kopp's custard, and seeing the many changes that have taken place at my alma mater. Jack did GREAT traveling this time! He slept pretty much any time we got in the car, and when he was awake, he was mostly smiling and happy. There were a couple of meltdowns, but there was always a helping hand (or shoulder) nearby for him to drool on, and I think he was a big hit. Not only did we see a lot of familiar places, but we also so many familiar faces! I took Jack around Old Main and introduced him to many people that I've known for years. On Saturday, we were invited over to "Auntie Carol" Senn Ruffin's house to visit with some very close friends and to catch up on the "happenings" of our lives. There was lots to say! Jeff and I had a great time with the Ruffins and the Vegters (and wish that we could have seen the Nicholson's as well, but alas for poor planning on my part). Later that evening we went to the Machine Shed for dinner with some very special family members--and it was wonderful to see them and to introduce them to my new family. Now that Jack is becoming such a good travel bug, we hope to visit others on the list of people to see!