Big sister getting "icky" drool off his face. She's very helpful! 

Almost 2 months old!!! Isn't he handsome! Gotta love those cheeks! 

A New Posting!!!

It's about time, I know. I'm going to use having two kiddos to look after as my excuse for lack of posting. Right now I have about an hour a day when both of them are sleeping. During this time I have two choices...take a nap or take a shower. The change from one to two isn't too terribly difficult. William is a very easy baby so far, as was Kayleigh. I think God knows I wouldn't handle a difficult baby too well, so he gives me easy babes.

Kayleigh Update
Kayleigh is still a pretty easy kiddo; I just can't be as laid back as my nature wants to be. She's watching Barney right now...it's about the only time she's still for more that two seconds. The other day I read a book to her and Tre (the little boy I watch). Tre quietly sat beside me and listened. Kayleigh, however, did not stop moving and was constantly talking. It's amazing how different they are, even at their young age.

I am loving this stage with Kayleigh, though. Yes, she keeps me on my toes, but she is learning so much right now! She sings her ABCs....well, some parts are a bit slurred still, but the tune is recognizable. She has about five of her books memorized and will sit and "read" them to herself or William.

We are beginning to work on potty training. I'm not going all out yet, but she's getting the concept down. She's done No. 1 and No. 2 in the potty!

William Update
Let's see....William is growing so fast. He's already 14 pounds! For reference Kayleigh was about 5 months before she weighed that much and he's only 2 months old. He's smiling and "talking" now! He can follow objects with he eyes. He is even trying to roll over from tummy to back! Oh, and he's sleeping about 8 hours most nights.....totally awesome for me! William is my cuddle-bug! He is perfectly content to just sit in my lap or lay on my shoulder. I love it!

Well, Barney is over, so my time is up!

Do you ever have one of those life events that seem to change how the world feels? I mean you know that nothing is really that different and life is going on just the same as did the day before, but something just feels odd. For example, my grandfather passed away this February and although I wasn't close to him, the whole day felt just weird. Or after I found out I was pregnant with Kayleigh every once in a while the realization of what was happening inside would hit, and things felt strange. Well, the world has felt different lately. Something happened in our church family on Sunday, and though I am not intimatly involved, I am still feeling a bit bewildered. Mostly, I think I am just grieving...for myself, my church, but mainly the persons most affected. It will never be as it used to be and as a person who isn't so crazy about change, this is kinda scary. Yet I know God is able to use anything for good, and I know He will bring healing in the situation. I am hopeful about the future of our church. I trust the leadership and rest in the knowledge that they are seeking God's wisdom in all of this. We will survive...in fact we will overcome!

No pictures please! 

Justin and kiddos 

Now I know the parallel bars are a men's gymnastic event, but that could change in 15 years or so. 

Monkey girl trying to climb a tree! 

Big sister Kayleigh! She seems so big now that he's here. 

Father and son. Justin was a little more comfortable this time around! 

Here's proof!!! 

Here he is!!! William James made his appearance at 5:54 pm on August 29th. He weighed a whopping 9 lbs 6 1/2 oz and is 21 1/2 in long! This picture was taken shortly after birth.....he found that thumb right away! 

And he's overdue! I'm not surprised, but I sure was hoping to have this one early! We are scheduled to induce Tuesday the 29th if he doesn't come before then. I'm really hoping he comes this weekend, that way my mom, mother-in-law and sister can be there for the birth. Not to mention Justin starts summer classes next week, so it would be nice for him to be here before then. I'm a little scared of being induced. I've heard the pain is so much worse and I would really like to do this without an epidural this time. Not that I would be totally disappointed if I end up requesting one...I figure, I'll give it a go, but I'm not going to make myself miserable.

Still preggo! Only 12 more days until the due date! Of course, that means nothing....Kayleigh was four days late. Although this time around I'm not going past 41 weeks, so he'll be here by the 30th! My doctor did say he would induce anytime after the 15th....very tempting! I figure I'll give William a chance to come on his own though.

Just in case anyone is wondering, pregnancy and 100 degree temperatures do not mix very well. I'm seeing more swelling this time around.. especially my feet. None of my shoes fit! I have a wedding to go to tonight and I think I'm going to have to wear flip flops! Thank goodness for air conditioning!

Here's Kayleigh helping Ame ice her birthday cake. I think she ate more than she iced!  

Baby William Update!

Apparently Little William isn't so little. He's weighing in at 4lbs 4 oz with 10 more weeks of growth to go. That's only 3lbs less than Kayleigh was at birth! Oh, and he's fat....his femur is measuring 30 weeks, his belly is 33 weeks. Oh well....guess I'll have a baby with some meat on him this time.

Daddy and me! Aren't we adorable?! 

Baby William Update!

I had another sonogram yesterday and everything is looking good. Baby William is growing like a weed! He's already in the 88th percentile for size (whatever that means...I never have quite understood the concept). That doesn't surprise me one bit, since boys tend to run big in mine and Justin's families. I'm not setting my hopes on another 7 pounder. I'm thinking he'll be over 9 pounds if he comes when he's supposed to. Anyways! Doctor told me to start working my way to acting like a normal person again....like anyone whose pregnant can act normal. This is awesome news!!! As fun as "taking it easy" sounds, I am happy I can start doing more again.

Here we go again.....

I experienced yet another episode of bleeding last night. After two weeks of nothing, I thought maybe this stuff was over. I have a sonogram scheduled for Thursday. My doctor thinks my placenta is low and that is what is causing the bleeding. I don't know if it's my activity level (which is like a 3 on a scale of 1-10) or just randomness. I felt the little bugger moving around yesterday, so me thinks he just gave the placenta a good kick. Hopefully, the doctor can tell me something concrete on Thursday. They always say not to stress and there is nothing that you can really do to ensure the baby stays healthy, but I'm a little frustrated. Mostly because I feel like I'm not able to enjoy this pregnancy...which probably will be my last. I know as soon as this little one is born all of this will be forgotten, but right now August 23 seems so far away. I keep thinking, "I can't be only 15 weeks....I must be farther along than that". Well that's enough of the pity party!

There seems to be so much piling on right now and Justin feels the brunt of it. I feel so useless in easing his burden. Pray for wisdom as we decide where to go from here and what will be best for us.

I think we have a trouble maker on our hands. Wednesday I had yet another episode of bleeding, but like the other times baby is just fine and they can't find anything wrong. My doctor said some women just do this....why do I have to be one of those. Many people have told they have known someone who did this same thing and they delivered a healthy baby. While I know that should give me some comfort, I still worries me some. Anyways....doctor said to take it easy...no heavy lifting...stay off your feet...blah, blah, blah. The fact that no one can find anything wrong is a good thing, but an explanation sure would be nice.

All this being said, we have decided to cancel the cruise we had planned for April. If everything is looking peachy then we might still be able to find space, but I'm not holding my breath. I think we are still going to do something...maybe go camping somewhere.

Oh, last week we had Kayleigh's Ame cut her some bangs. She was getting so frustrated about her hair being in her face, and she wouldn't keep clips in. Now my little baby looks like a little girl.....so cute! I'll post pictures as soon as I can take some.

The other day I was showing sonogram pictures to Justin's mom (Ame) and Kayleigh pointed to one and said "baby". I haven't even started to explain anything to her, so I thought is was pretty cool that she figured it out. She can also point to and say many body parts...it's especially humorous when she does it to Sheena (the dog). Right now we are fighting the "blankie" war. I didn't realize it was becoming an issue until it was too late. Now she's just not happy unless blankie is with her. I think we are making some progress though.

So, I think I might have solved the whole feeling like doo-doo problem I was having. I haven't had any milk for two days now and I have felt just fine. I'm not sure if it's really the milk, or my body is finally getting used to the hormones, but I'm not taking any chances. I am so sad though, I LOVE milk. I usually drink at least three, sometimes four, glasses a day. It's my favorite drink in the whole world, and while I do find chocolate soy milk very tasty, it just isn't the same! Hopefully this isn't a entire pregnancy thing....I might have to cry if it is!

I'm slowly taking back my childcare kiddos. I think the plan is to have them all back in two weeks. The break was nice, but Kayleigh is dying for some company. She is such a social creature and staying at home with mom just isn't cutting it. Not to mention, our backyard is still wet from the rain on Saturday. That's the bad thing about having a lot of shade.

Well, I best go take a nap before the kiddos wake up!

Crazy Week!

So, here's a recap of this past week....

Sunday and Monday--nothing out of the ordinary

Tuesday PM--I had quite a bit of bleeding and the doctor ordered me off my feet.

Wednesday-- Had another sonogram and baby is fine. Doctor doesn't know why I continue to have bleeding, but he put me on bedrest. That of course means I had to ask my childcare parents to make other plans...I hate doing that. Oh, and have you ever tried staying off your feet when you have an 18-month old.

Thursday AM-- Took Kayleigh to the doctor (supposed to be off my feet). Found she had yet another ear infection and that we need to start breathing treatments. Luckily insurance covered the nebulizer 100%. So, between the doctor visit and getting medications, I really wasn't off my feet all that much.

Thursday PM--Woke Kayleigh up for a breathing treatment at about 9 pm. About half was through I felt her forhead and about flipped out. She was burning up! I took her temp and she had a 105.5 temperature. Needless to say we went to the ER. (again, I'm supposed to be off my feet and relaxing). Four and half hours later we went home. Kayleigh has a little pneumonia in her right lung.

Friday and Saturday were pretty normal and I was able to rest finally! I haven't had anymore bleeding, but I'm kinda worried about getting my kiddos back. I'm on my feet so much more with this job than my previous one with the school district. Plus, I am constantly having to lift and carry the kiddos. We'll just see what the doctor recommends on Thursday.

It's all coming back to me...

The wonderful first trimester symptoms that is. And it's about to get worse because my doctor is putting me on progesterone. Seems my levels are just below what he would like them to be...and I say just below because 11 is good and mine are 10.9. So, since I'm a measly .1 off I get to be miserable for the next 4 weeks...at least that's what I've heard. Not that it won't be totally worth it in the end, but I'm not looking forward to this. Not only do I have Kayleigh to keep up with, but I also have the three other kiddos I watch during the week. I would appreciate all the prayers you can throw my way....maybe just maybe it won't affect me like it has some of my friends that have taken it.

That aside I'm super siked about having another! Although being preggers all summer is kind of a bummer, but I know plenty of people with pools. Justin and I were completely shocked by this. There have been a few concerns....the hormone levels and some bleeding. Thursday I had a sonogram and saw the heartbeat, so baby is doing fine. With this beginning I can only wonder if this one is going to keep me on my toes for his/her whole life. We should find out the sex in April (only 3 months away!). I'm thinking boy because I'm craving salty foods and with Kayleigh all I wanted was chocolate.

My first co-ed dance (no, mommy didn't make me do it)

more dancing 

and some more

She's already picking up our habits! 

I took Kayleigh to the doctor yesterday because her eyes have been watery and such. I thought it was allergies, seeing as the last time this happened that is what the doctor told me. Come to find out the little bugger has pink eye and an ear infection in both ears! This is the second ear infection in a month. Not that anyone would guess she has one. She doesn't even tug at her ears or anything. The last time she ran a high fever and that's how I knew something was up. Guess she has a high pain tolerance. Anyways....I feel like a bad mom....I mean who knows how long her little ears have bothered her. Maybe I should teach her the signs for "ears" and "hurts".

Kayleigh is really picking up sign language. The Flower Mound Library carries the Signing Time videos, which I am totally siked about. We watched the first one last week and now Kayleigh can sign "bird", "ball", "eat", "banana", and "shoes". It's so cute! I'm working on "please" and "thank you". She can actually say "please", well it's more like "peese". Gotta start early on those manners. Well, I'd better go...Kayleigh is awake and I need to make her breakfast before I get her out of bed.

Just think this is funny.  

My new hairstylist 

Eating at the table for the first time! 

Using a spoon!!! I'm so big!! 

Long time, no post....I know. Wish I had a good excuse, but the reason for last of posting is simple...I'm addicted to The Sims. Every chance I get I'm on the computer playing the silly game. Although now that I found the cheats, it isn't has much fun. Guess I can't get on to Justin about his game time anymore.

The Christmas tree is up and so far Kayleigh really hasn't messed with it too much. She loves the lights though. Can't wait till Christmas...this year will be so much fun. Last Christmas she just drooled all over her presents, but hopefully this year we'll get some paper ripping!

Well I don't really have anything to blog about...just wanted everyone to know we are still alive!

Pictures are on the way!

1. Five things I plan to do before I die:
a. Visit Europe
b. Get a Degree
c. Raise our child (maybe children) and hopefully get her out of the house before she's 30.
d. Travel up the East Coast....and West Coast
c. Influence someone positively

2. Five things I can do:
a. Math...love it...want to major in it one day.
b. Be flexible
c. Get along with just about anybody...don't know if that' s good or bad.
d. Feel enormous amounts of compassion for people fooled by the world's lies.
e. Teach my daughter animal noises and parts of her body!

3. Five things I can't do:
a. Anything creative! Well....anything without specific directions.
b. Talk on the phone for long periods of time
c. Come up with meals out of my head....again, require specific directions.
d. Keep the house as clean as I would like it.
e. Trust God as much as I know He deserves to be

4. Five things that attract me to the opposite sex:
a. Confidence
b. Stability
c. Responsibility
d. A sense of humor
e. A nice smile

5. Five things I say most often:
a. Ya know?
b. For crying out loud
c. Honest to Pete (thanks, mom)
d. "Turn it off"---as in little child screaming for no reason.
e. "That's enough!" Can you tell I work with kiddos?

6. Five celebrity crushes:
a. Superman (don't know his name....the guy on Smallville)
b. Christian Bale
c. Colin Firth
d. Dr. Phil....the man just makes sense!
e. Micheal Jackson (when I was five....couldn't think of another)

7. Five people I want to do this:
a. Kendra
b. Brenda
That's all I could think of at the moment....don't know who else reads this thing.

Wow! A month without postings! Our hard drive crashed and because it was four years old we couldn't just replace it. So, Justin built a new computer and did an excellent job!

Something amazing has happened!! This past Thursday, Kayleigh actually looked at me and said "Mama"!!! I never thought I would get so excited about a simple little word! I just melted! I wanted to hug and kiss her forever! Finally, some reward for all those months of tough work.

Kayleigh is my little routine baby. Justin usually gives her a bath at night and gets her dressed for bed. The second he is done brushing her hair she starts reaching for me because I brush her teeth and read to her before laying her down. And if I forget a step, she is sure to remind me. We started saying our prayers at night right after I read from her little kid Bible. Our prayers are only about 20 seconds long, but she gets the picture.

I am completely spoiled by her! Then again she is pretty stubborn and adventuresome. She does things I would never imagine a child thinking of. For example, she knows she is not supposed to go into a corner behind one of our chairs, so she has started sitting on the edge of the hearth and purposefully falling to the side to get behind it. The little sneak! And I can't have the windows open in the living room unless I'm in there with her. One day she popped out the screen and climbed out! I didn't think she would actually climb out the window! I'm struggling with this part of her personality a bit. My personality wants to be laid back, but with her I need to be more attentive and consistent. Really I'm just being selfish. I want to be able to tell her once and that's it. I don't want to have to continually redirect her from something she isn't supposed to do. And I've learned that redirection and time out are probably going to be my tools with her. I've tried smacks on the hand and on the back of the leg, but they don't phase her. It's like she thinks whatever the punishment the forbidden thing is worth doing. I think she gets that from me, I'm sorry to say.

Well there's the update!

Can't sleep...made the mistake of drinking a Dr. Pepper with dinner.

The other day, while shopping at Target, I happened to overhear a cell phone conversation. The man said "f***ing" so many times I began to wonder if that was the only adjective in his vocabulary. I just do not understand the prolific use of curse words. Now I used to be one of those prolific cursers, so don't see this as a holier-than-thou sort of rant. I simply feel there are better ways to express one’s self than by using profanity. That being said, I do believe there are times when a profanity is appropriate.

Take this little tale for example. While teaching Vacation Bible School, my mom and I had quite an experience one year. A little girl in the class thought wearing a Pull-Up was license to use the bathroom in her pants. These were four-year olds mind you. Well, the poor thing must have ingested something that did not agree with her because the Pull-Up was inadequate for the task. Needless to say we discovered a pile of poop on the floor and some children had already managed to walk through it. Thankfully, we did not have any budding painters in the room. Later on that day, someone asked my mom how her day went and she answered, "It was a shitty day".

Other times profanity might be appropriate could be when talking about any animal fecal matter, a female dog, or a donkey....although there are other terms that could be substituted.

For the life of me I cannot think of when the "f" word would be appropriate. If you have a situation, please enlighten me. There is not a word I despise more than this one. Some really good movies are totally ruined to me because of its constant use. Call me old-fashioned or stuck in the mud, but that's just the way it is!

On a different note.....I came across a web-site for home-schooling a couple weeks ago. The thought has entered my mind to home-school, but seeing as I have about four more years to decide it's not that high on the list. Anyhow! I started reading on the different methods and one struck my fancy, the Charlotte Mason method. I picked up a couple books from the library to learn more about it. The more I read, the more I like. Still, I have so many reservations about home-schooling. The main one is I know very few social and well rounded home-schooled children...well, I don't know that many home-schooled kids to begin with. Another, I not really sure I have the patience to be the educator of my child(ren). Plus it's not like I have a choice to give money to the public school system and it seems like a waste of money to not take advantage of the free education. Yet, a part of me wants to control the learning environment, especially in the grade school years. Like I said, I have four more years to mull it over.

Still not tired, but don't really have much else to write about. Oh, wait just thought everyone would like to know that Kayleigh is becoming a drama queen. It's so hard not to laugh! She flings herself to the ground and wails if she doesn't get her way. What is even funnier is after the initial flinging she stands up and tries to keep the fit going. She walks around flinging herself on the couch, into pillows, or whatever else is close by. I really should borrow a video camera to tape it sometime. A part of me wonders if it is something I'm doing or not doing. My biggest struggle is remaining consistent. Sometimes it is just easier to let her do the thing I've told her a hundred times not to, but I know that totally confuses her. And now I'm starting to see an issue I might have because I am watching other people's children. I do use spanking as a disciple method with Kayleigh, but I do not, nor will I, spank the other children. So, do I need to not spank Kayleigh or will she even notice the difference?

Well, I think this is long enough....thanks for reading my "can't sleep" rambles!

And a very serious musician!

Kayleigh is a very serious reader!  

Water Fun! 

Don't really have anything to write about...nothing new and exciting on the home front. I'm not a great writer so I can't just write. I remember in school when they made us keep journals. We could write about anything we wanted to and I hated it! I need direction, which also means I am incredibly predictable and boring. Now I don't know if this is something I can change, but I sure would like to. Of course others might call me stable...that puts it in better light. I've become a fuddy-dud! I listen to talk radio for crying out loud. My parents listen to talk radio! Justin at least knows all the new songs and artist out there. I haven't a clue who is the latest and greatest. Not to mention my closet....I think my mom has moved in! Not that I don't like how my mom dresses...but she's my mom....I'm not supposed to own clothes that she would. Okay that's enough!

I went grocery shopping on Sunday and was needing some moisterizer for my face. Did you know that every single one has some anti-aging or anti-wrinkle stuff in it? I don't need anti-aging! I'm only 26! Honestly, I'm not the least bit worried about wrinkles at the moment. That may change in a couple years, but what is so bad about looking your age? Of course I'm going to look really old when I'm 40, because every other 40 year old will look 25. So, that's really all I had to write about!

Finally had time to read something other than a test book this week, so I began reading a book that a friend lent me. It's called The Body Project and it's a great read if you have girls. The author takes the reader from Victorian Era to now explaining the relationship between a girl and her body. Must say....it kinda freaked me out. How does one combat a culture that tells girls their worth is in their appearance? I know my mom tried, but I still spent most of my adolescence completely focused on my outside. The next to last chapter is title "The Disappearance of Virginity" and boy does it make me want to lock Kayleigh up until she's thirty. Now I realize that this is not possible, nor is it healthy, and I know that I can't protect her from the world....but I sure wish I could. I remember is middle school when a boy classmate told me to meet him in the lost and found closet (wink, wink), and instead of feeling totally appauled, I laughed. I thought it was funny and never thought about it as harrassment. Boys walked down the halls grabbing girls butts and we thought it was a compliment! Mom told me this stuff wasn't acceptable...but what 13-year old actually thinks mom knows what she's talking about. How does one raise a daughter to be confindent enough in who she is to not crave the attention of hormone-charged teenage boys?

After the pigtails came out! She looks like a mad scientist! 

Ain't I just adorable!