Monday, February 28, 2011

This Weekend

This weekend, we finished up basketball...




Cooper and Grey double checking the plays for Jacob's team, cracks me up...

 Coaches and Referees praying with the players before the start of each game...




SK cheering her brothers on from the sidelines...


This weekend we started baseball practices.  

This weekend we had some fun with our cousins who were in town visiting from Atlanta.


And here they are youngest to oldest...


SK with Aunt Aimee





A boy and his daddy, I love the look on his face.


This weekend we played ball, played outside and played with family and friends.  This weekend we spent time together,  ate some good food and laugh out loud a lot.  This weekend went by way too fast.

Thanks for checking in on us.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Baby Clothes

I have been digging around in some of Sophie Kate's baby clothes lately preparing for a local consignment sale.  I have avoided it now for over 3 years b/c I just wasn't ready to revisit the memories those clothes had for me.  I knew I didn't need to keep all of them but up until now I just haven't been able to let any of them go.  So I decided I would go through them and if I picked up an outfit and became so moved by it then I would keep it but if I picked up one and really didn't feel strongly about it then it would go in the sale pile.


To my surprise it went really well, instead of getting caught up in the memories I thought those clothes would trigger for me, I only remembered how cute our baby girl looked wearing them.  These were newborn size up to about 12 months size onesies, sleepers, play clothes and dresses...you name it, it was in there.  I even found some of the premie clothes we bought for SK right after she was born.  


It's kind of funny the huge array of preemie clothes we have...there is everything from short sleeve onesies to full on thick, warm, fuzzy sleepers.  When we were finally given the go ahead to put our own clothes on SK in the NICU she was still in what we called the "incubator."  The temperature was regulated in there so we were told to get preemie clothes that were light weight, short sleeves, etc. So off we went returning with newly bought and freshly laundered onesies and what I called her yoga pants.  They were the tiniest yoga pants you have ever seen...precious.  


About a week or so later, SK was maintaining her temperature for longer periods of time outside of the incubator so it was time for her to try the open crib.  We were then told that she would need long sleeve footie pajama sleepers that snapped closed.  We couldn't get the sleepers with zippers due to all the lines and cords that were still running from our baby girl to different machines.  Once again we had our orders and off we went, returning that time with newly bought and freshly laundered warm winter sleepers that would keep our girl snugly when we weren't there holding her.  


So now you see that we have this vast array of preemie clothes that can literally span the seasons.  Sophie Kate and I explored these clothes together, she has been home this week not feeling well.  We picked them up, touched them and smelled them.  Not surprisingly, they were infused with the smell of my girl and a little bit infused with the smell of the garage.  After they had a good washing though, they were just infused with the smell of my girl.  


I chose the ones I was going to sell and washed them and as I was hanging them up I noticed that one of them was missing a snap.  Well b/c of the location of said snap this one piece was not suitable for resale but let me show you what it is suitable for...




It's one of those pieces that gets softer and softer the more it is washed, why can't they make grownup clothes like that?  It seems like mine just get more and more uncomfortable.  It smells like her...a combination of baby and toddler, Dreft and baby wash, hospital and home, but all sweet sweet aromas to this mama's senses.

Thanks for checking in on us.

Monday, February 21, 2011

A Picture

If a picture is worth a thousand words then this picture speaks volumes about our weekend...


enough said.

More to come later, thanks for checking in on us.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Not Feeling Very Bionic

We have had a beautiful weather here this week and the weekend is calling for more of the same.  We have spent everyday outside either at home, at the park or at the ballpark.  Yep, preseason baseball practices are in full swing and the temps have been fueling our spring fever.


Sophie Kate has been outside as well swinging at the park and enjoying the weather spread out on a blanket watching baseball practices.  We have had the back door open this week listening to the sounds of our children playing in the backyard and not being able to resist getting out there ourselves too.  It has been a welcome change from all the snow, sleet, freezing rain and bitterly cold temperatures that had been surrounding us for the past 2 months.


I usually use this place to keep everyone updated on our girl...her comings and goings, appointments, therapies, etc.  So it is a little bit strange to be sharing some recent news about one of our boys.  Our middle son Jacob, as many of you know has had lots of problems with his ears (infections, multiple tubes, etc).  You may also remember that he had two surgeries last year, one to remove a huge cyst along with the bones in his ear and another to place a titanium bone back in his ear in order to conduct sound so that he can hear in that ear.


Well, last May he had a fairly normal hearing test and his doctor was quite pleased b/c he didn't expect him to be able to hear that well out of that ear, his right ear.  Two weeks ago at a routine checkup the hearing test showed hearing loss in that right ear.  His hearing has actually become worse since last May.  At this point they are calling it a mild conductive hearing loss.  The titanium bone that we refer to as Jacob's "bionic ear" is not consistently conducting sound now.  Not real sure what this means, we will be repeating another hearing test in 3 months to see if there is further hearing loss at that time. 


So when you say "Hi" to Jacob out and about around town, don't think he's ignoring you when he doesn't respond, he may not be able to hear you unless you are talking into his "good ear."  His "bionic" ear isn't so "bionic" these days.


We don't do "normal" or "typical" very well around here, it's always something.  Thanks for checking in on us.   

Monday, February 14, 2011

His Valentine

I think we are probably all in agreement over here that our little princess is our very own living breathing tiny sweet Valentine, but her oldest brother took that one step further this weekend.  Cooper has had it in his mind for about 2 weeks that he wanted to get Sophie Kate a Valentine bear from Build-A-Bear workshop.  We are not able to do stuff like this all time but we really wanted to do this with him and for him this time.

SK in anticipation of her first Build-A-Bear experience...
Having 3 boys, you know we needed to stop off at the food court first b/c they were "so hungry" by the time we got there.  SK waited patiently.

Decisions, decisions...


Grey letting SK hear the sound they picked to go with her bear, it says "I love you."



Our boy with his girl...


Each of the boys got to put a heart inside of SK's bear...





Cooper helping Grey give his new puppy a bath, Grey got a new pet too.  He had never been to Build-A-Bear either.



Cooper did it all, this was his thing.  He gave SK's bear a bath and then picked out the clothes and then dressed her.  What 10 year old boy would do this?  He really will do anything for her, next to her daddy, he's her hero.



All done...




 Princess bear is quite the hit with our girl, but it doesn't even come close to how she feels about her big brother.



Each time I have spoken about our oldest and the things he says and does for his baby sister, I have always followed it with how shocked or surprised I was.  Not this time, I'm not surprised at all.  This is who he is, this is his heart.  

I have been told that this life we are living with this precious girl will change our boys.  I have been told that they will learn to be so tender and compassionate toward others.  No one really wants to hear that, b/c who wants something like this to happen in their family to bring about compassion in the hearts of their children...no one;  but here we are, this has happened.  This is part of the "good" that God promises us will come out of unimaginable pain and difficulty.  This, not Build-A-Bear, but the compassion in my sons is another one of the treasures to come out of this darkness.

Isaiah 45:3 " I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel who summons you by name."

Happy Valentine's Day.  Thanks for checking in on us.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Our Way Maker

God has revealed himself to me in so many ways over the past three years.  I have come to know Him in such a deeper and more abundant way that I ever had in all my years prior.  On November 3rd, 2007 our world crumbled, four days after that the rubble that was left fell out from underneath us.  There were no options only grim medical diagnoses and terminology...there was no way. 

To our human eyes there was no way through this or around this. To our human eyes there is no way we can exist, deal or live with something like this without God, without faith and hope.  I honestly don't know how families have picked themselves back up without the hope we have in Christ.  The assurance that this is not all there is, the knowledge that this life is temporary.  The things my eyes can see, the things my hands can touch, the things that this world tells me are real are all temporary.

This is a daily thing for me.  There are times when I feel that I shouldn't still be struggling so, that I still shouldn't be so sad and so torn up by all this.  God has given us the ultimate gift of love in His Son Jesus Christ...salvation from a life of sin so that we may spend eternity with the One who loves us more than words can describe. 

When I get bogged down in the weight of things and I start in on the "whys" of all this, I think of the day when we will be home truly home, with our Creator, the lover of our souls.  This verse has fallen fresh on me this week and I want to share it with y'all, it comes from 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verses 17 & 18.  "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Like the song says, "God will make a way when there seems to be no way.  Thanks for checking in on us.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Sunshine

Glorious sunshine filled our Sunday and we took full advantage of it. It was still cold in the shade but fabulous to feel the sun shining down on us once again.  Between cloudy skies, cold temperatures, a wintry mix falling from the sky and then a week of sickness that took hold of the house (and all those within), we were getting outside whether anyone wanted to or not...it really wasn't an option.





Thankfully, I never have to push these boys out the door, they are drawn to the outdoors like boys are drawn to dirt, literally...


First Middle...



Then Big...




Then Little...


And here's how the littlest spent part of her afternoon...


I know that chair has a lot going on but it needed to be padded, comfy and warm so it ain't pretty but it is all of those things...sister was happy.  Did you notice that Grey left her in charge of pony?  She's taking care of brother's stuffed animal for him.

One last thing I have to share before wrapping this one up, Sophie Kate's hair before church this morning...


It's getting long enough for me to french braid now.  I have no doubt that the bob will be back this summer b/c it is a fan favorite around here, but I am having a lot of fun with the length it is at right now too.


Beautiful girl...



Our weather is supposed to be all funky again this week.  These pictures of the wonderful sunshine will make me smile when we are in a wintry mix mess once again.  

Thanks for checking in on us.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Sick of Being Sick

The virus of 2011 has struck and hit us hard, everyone one of us.  First Sophie Kate,  a week ago I might add, then Grey, Jacob, Cooper, Chad and just when I thought I was going to be the last one standing it got me too.  It seemed that it was holding onto SK the strongest, she certainly wasn't herself last weekend or the first part of this week, but over the past couple of days we have been seeing her sweet smile emerge once again.  I guess she just needed some extra days of recovery.  

Whenever our girl gets violently sick with vomiting, retching and the like there is always a concern that something could have happened to her fundo surgery.  It was the surgery she had done 2 years ago (for the second time) that prevents her stomach contents from coming up.  Yes, you can now see everyone's concern when she starts something like this b/c she's really not supposed to be bringing anything up, it can seriously mess things up in there.  She had an upper GI this week just to take a look at everything and thankfully everything with the surgery still looks good, all is intact and functioning properly.  

She's been missing a lot of school lately and with the weather turning cold again and all the sickness going around the school, it makes me nervous to send her back right now.  I just don't know what to do...keep her home and have her miss all her therapies, friends and fun activities or send her and just take our chances.  This happens to us each winter season, it's so difficult on her. 

Please hurry Spring!!