Trying not to throw up.

I'm trying to avoid the ever growing knot in the pit of my stomach. In approximately 38 hours I will start training for my new job. The actual work part is not what's bugging me- I can do any amount of work, any day of the week! It's leaving my sweet little baby girl for any given amount of time that is getting me down. Don't get me wrong- I'm super thankful to have this job and so glad this training is only temporary before I will work from home. But any amount of time I don't get to see her just means someone else is enjoying that sweet smile and deep belly laugh. UGH. I keep telling myself that this will be good for the both of us -to have some time apart- but I'm doing a very good job of convincing myself.

It's okay though. I know God will watch over her when I can't. And I'm so thankful that I've had several offers from so many people (people I TRUST) to help out while I'm training. I know moms work all the time and leave their babies so I do feel blessed that I will be able to work from home.

And on Wednesday I'm only training from 9a to 3p and my mom is coming in town to watch her Wednesday and Friday. But the thought of leaving her for six hours is hard. Sound pathetic? Probably....

But I don't care. She's my little mini-me and counts on me more than anyone. I know what each cry means, what she's trying to communicate with each grunt, what she's pointing at, when she's ready for her nap, what she wants to eat and when she wants it, and that if she's quiet for longer than a minute then you better go check on her to see what she's doing!!!! Someday I'll tell her I'm doing this so mommy and daddy can get a bigger house so she can have a little brother or sister! (I told her that today but she insisted on feeding me a Cheerio in the middle of my sentence, so I don't think she cared much)

It's okay....everything will be fine....keep it together.....she'll be fine....I'll be fine....moms do it all the time....don't cry.....

That's what I keep repeating to myself!!!

I'm so glad...

I'm so glad that I can leave hurtful situations in God's hands. I don't have to worry about the future or what will happen.....all I have to do is give it to God and forget about it. His will is best and He knows what we need and don't need. I'm learning that submitting and praying is all I can do and the rest is up to Him!

It's almost here!

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all my family and friends!! I love you all! Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday.

LOTS OF PROGRESS!

I have some good news to report regarding Adilynn's sleeping. We have definitely made progress! Last night she slept from 6:45 pm to 6 am this morning. Then Orrin brought her in bed with us where she fell asleep for another hour. Then I just now laid her down for her morning nap and she only cried for two minutes and she was out! This is even far better than Saturdays nap where she cried / fussed for 40 minutes before falling asleep.

The earlier bedtime is working out great. We used to have her in bed between 8 and 8:30, but I didn't realize how tired she was getting before that. 6:45 pm is earlier than what we actually want to put her in bed, but she was so sleepy last night. But I am shooting for a bedtime of 7, no later than 7:30. It seems so early and we miss having that extra time with her at night, but it is doing her a world of good!

IN SOME OTHER NEWS: I am going back to work!!! I have had mixed feelings about it, but the closer it gets the more excited I become! When I had Adilynn, the plan was for me to stay at home with her for at least a year. God has truly provided for us over the past 13 months and there have definitely been some tough times! I think anytime you go from two salaries to one sacrifices have to be made. It was definitely worth it! Neither Orrin or I would trade any of the past year for any amount of money.

God has truly blessed me with a great job opportunity. I actually interviewed and was offered this same job back in January of this year, but I turned it down and hoped and prayed that the job would still be available when I was ready to return to work.

I will be a Service Coordinator for adults who have disabilites. I was a Case Manager for the same population of individuals before I had Adilynn, so this is definitely where my heart is. Put me in a room full of autistic or down syndrome adults and I am right at home!

The great thing about the job is that it is WORKING FROM HOME! I will STILL get to be here with Adilynn! The only thing I have to be away from the home is for reviews (which happen anywhere every 1 to 3 months), a monthly home check for the client, or any other occasional meeting that might pop up. Another great thing is that I am the one to set my schedule. I can do my home checks in the evenings or on the weekends so that Orrin can be here with Adilynn when I need to be gone. If I have a meeting during the day, I have a great mother in law who will gladly watch Adilynn for a couple of hours, and my sister will be available all summer. So- things will be pretty much the same for Adilynn, which is what matters the most to us. I can do my work in the evenings or during the day when she's napping. They have a huge office on Battlefield where I will have my own cubby and phone line and I can go there and work anytime I need to. But there are no rules on reporting to the office at any certain time.

Another perk is that I only have to log 30 hours a week! And again, I get to make my own schedule, so I can get it all done and overwith the first few days of the week, or I can space it out over the course of seven days.

I also get a membership to Cox fitness for $25 a year, a cell phone and a laptop. And my health benefits are covered almost 100%.

I know God provided this job for me again even though I turned them down the first time. He knew my hearts desire to keep things normal for Adilynn, but still bring in money for the family. Orrin and I would like to put our house on the market within the next year to year and a half, so this gives us plently of time to set money aside for that.

Life is good! :)

Project Sleep Day.....(I don't know what day)

I've been slacking on documenting my progress with helping Adilynn sleep better. I'm too tired (well, lazy really) to figure out what day I'm on. It's because I've been so physically and emotionally exhausted this week! Today for her nap she fussed/cried for 40 minutes and has been sleeping for 1 1/2 hours (she's still snoozing). However, now that we're getting naptime under control, nighttime seems to be getting a bit worse! Last night she went to bed at 7:15 (we are shooting for a bedtime of around 7:30 pm) and she woke up at 11:00. We let her cry for about 20 minutes and then I went in and nursed her. After I laid her down she cried for an additional 30 minutes and then Orrin went in. I guess she let out a huge burp when he picked her up, and after he laid her down she fussed for about 5 minutes then went right back to sleep. I felt horrible that she was laying there with a big gas bubble she just needed to get out. Way to go mom.

I'm reading "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby" (thanks to my sister-in-law's recommendation) and they make very valid points about nighttime waking in your little one. The one we are having trouble with is "If you let them cry for a predetermined amount of time each night (like 15 min, 30 min, etc) then they will learn to cry that amount of time till you come in and get them." And like the book says- the baby will ALWAYS outlast you if they know you'll come in and rescue them! I'm thinking that we are just going to have to just her cry it out at night and not go in there. Otherwise we're teaching her that if she cries we'll eventually come in.

Sooooooo.....what to do. I know we need to stop going in there at night. However, I'm always so worried that she's woken up hungry or cold. She's not a big eater when it comes to regular foods so I always lay there thinking she's half starved and that's why she's crying. So I continue the cycle and I go in and nurse her. HOWEVER- she doesn't have a strong suck like she's hungry (sorry for the details), it's more of a suck like a pacifier to comfort her to go back to sleep. So she can't be THAT hungry.

UGH. Poor baby girl. And poor mom and dad! It's horrible to lay there and listen to the crying, especially in the middle of the night.

Yesterday and today's naptime was MUCH BETTER though than it was on Monday. So I have to keep at it, keep with the consistency and I know it will get better. My ultimate goal is for her to sleep 7:30-ish to 7:30-ish and then take a long afternoon nap from 1-3, possibly 1-4.

A girl can dream, right?

Boy, do I have a long way to go....

What a sweet post from a husband to his wife. (thanks C. George!) :)

http://biohazard-blog.blogspot.com/2008/12/momzoo.html

I so have room for improvement.

RELIEF.

Oh my goodness....I could do a cartwheel. I just laid Adilynn down for her morning nap and she only cried for FIVE MINUTES before falling asleep on her own!!! This is such a drastic change from Monday when she cried (off and on, and with me checking on her of course!) for two hours!! I guess this whole cry-it-out method really does work!! I am so proud of her....this has been a long week for both of us. I think she is really feeling attachment issues with me weaning her! She wants me to hug her and hold her all day long, which I glady pass out as many hugs and kisses as she needs. And she has been following me everywhere in the house, and has not been playing as independently as she normally does! I didn't think it would be so hard on me emotionally either! It's difficult to give up something you've done with your child for the past 13 months....what a bond it has created between us. I will miss it, but that just means we get to find other ways to bond!

Here's a picture of those sweet little cheeks I can't wait to go in and smother with kisses after naptime!!!!

My sweet baby.

I just had to brag....

Adilynn has made it big! We had her pictures taken at four months of age and one is posted on the Owen's Photography website. If you to the website, http://www.owensportfolio.com/, go to the "Children" tab. She's the third one down on the first column. (just look for the naked baby with the big head!)

Project Sleep Day 3

Today was slightly better. She only nursed four-five times (which is a major cutback), and I was only letting her nurse for approximately ten minutes. And let me just say that I never thought I would be nursing her this long, and at almost 13 months old. It truly is a comfort thing for her!

So this morning she wanted to nurse right away. I could not distract her with oatmeal, cheerios, ANYTHING, so I gave in. Plus she's had a slight fever the past couple of days (I think due to teething) so I thought nursing might do her some good. I even bought her first bag of baby cookies in hopes that she'd like those over nursing. (they are whole grain animal crackers, so it's not like i'm giving her cookies loaded with sugar or chocolate). But no....she doesn't even like the cookies!!! Apparently she does not take after her daddy in regards to cookies. (When I told Orrin she didn't like them he goes "oh good, I'll eat them.)

For her morning nap, I held her until she fell asleep, then put her in her crib. I KNOW. I'm substituting one bad habit for another. I'm trying to keep in mind that the goal is for her to fall asleep on her own, in her crib.

But did I like holding her warm little body, rubbing her little back and watching her eyes get heavier and heavier? Absolutely. I took those few minutes to say a fervent prayer to God about her life and her future. If I had a dollar for every prayer I said for her throughout the day I'd be a millionaire.

And I'm justifying it in my head that "once she's weaned, she'll start to fall asleep on her own." *fingers crossed*

I guess the good thing is that even though I held her till she fell asleep, at least she didn't fall asleep while nursing.....right?!?!

OH....and last night.....she woke up at 11:30. Orrin went in and tried putting her back down. But she cried for about 15 minutes and finally I went in and nursed her back to sleep. Then she was awake again at 5.

It's amazing what can make you feel like you aren't doing a good job as a parent. I've talked to several moms who've said "yeah I lay my child down awake and they go right to sleep." Or "she shouldn't be waking up in the night at this age to nurse." UGH...man. It stings to think I've done something in the past 12 1/2 months that have led up to her sleep issues now.

So tomorrow is another day. I'm going to start letting her cry longer periods at night, all the while laying there praying she goes to sleep.

I know one person who'll be sleeping soundly thru everything (unless I wake him up!)....ORRIN. That guy doesn't wake up for anything!!!!

Project Sleep Day 2

Today did not go well. I laid her down for her nap around 10:45 am and of course, she started crying. For an hour, I went in there in the 5 and 10 minute increments. After an hour, I just decided to get her up. Orrin came home for lunch and she got all excited to see him, so I knew she'd be up for awhile. After he went back to work, I decided to nurse her till she fell asleep.

I KNOW....I'm failing miserably at this.

Just to reiterate: My goal is to have Adilynn fall asleep on her own at naptime, instead of falling asleep while nursing. I'm also trying to wean her from nursing.

This is more difficult than I thought.

My question is this- how long are you supposed to let your little one cry it out? I felt an hour was long enough today so I went in and scooped her up. She was holding onto me for dear life and I wiped away her big alligator tears. Poor little muffin.

I will try again tomorrow, although this time I think I'm going to wait longer before putting her down for a nap. That way she's nice and sleepy.

She will get it...I just need to be consistent, or else that's not fair to her.

Oh yeah- and she's back to calling everything "bob" these days. It's so cute.

Project Sleep Day 1

Today was the first day of Project Sleep. It was a disaster. First off, Adilynn didn't wake up until 7:45, which is unlike her. I thought maybe she was tired from our busy weekend, so I let her sleep in a little bit. So the day kind of started a bit off our usual routine. She nursed once around 9 am, and then started getting sleepy around 10:30. I nursed her for just a few minutes when she started to fall asleep. It was at that time I decided to lay her down in her crib.


This unleashed a fit of crying and screaming like I'd never heard before from this child!! To make an incredibly loooong story short, she cried for TWO HOURS! And there's no need to call Child Protective Services on me....I did NOT leave her in her crib to cry it out alone for two hours. That would just be cruel, nor would I ever do that. I did however, go in there in 5 and 10 minute increments. And finally, when the two hour mark rolled around at 12:30 pm, I decided to just get her up. I figured at that point she was probably hungry for lunch anyways.

So after lunch, she seemed to catch a second wind and was all over the house playing. Long about 2:15 she wanted to nurse. I GAVE IN AND NURSED HER TO SLEEP. I know that's exactly what I'm trying NOT to do, but I felt that she had gone thru enough earlier in the day.

I am so hoping tomorrow is better. It's getting easier to distract her from nursing at times, so maybe that's the beginning of weaning her completely. If I can just get her to fall asleep on her own during naptime- that will be awesome!

As for now, our sweet little angel is tucked away in her warm crib, probably wedged up in the top left corner of her crib. Is there anything worse than letting your baby cry it out?

I don't think so.

Project Sleep 2

Okay, so tomorrow is my first day of Project Sleep. This is my plan: I'm thinking that she will wake up as usual between 6:30 am and 7 am. We'll have breakfast, which for her is usually oatmeal and toast. I will most likely nurse her since I don't want to cut her off cold turkey. (I read that if that happens it can actually be traumatic for the child). So if she wants to nurse beyond one time in the morning, I have some snack distractions including granola bars, blueberry muffins, apples, bananas, etc. (that's assuming Orrin and I don't eat the blueberry muffins tonight). She'll probably go down for a nap between 10 and 10:30. THIS IS WHERE IT GETS TRICKY PEOPLE. I will be starting the "cry it out" method. UGH. My heart is already breaking. However, I can't keep letting her fall asleep while she's nursing. If she cries, I'll go into her room every 5, 10 and 15 minutes until she falls asleep. (let's hope it's less than 5 minutes). I'll also do that with her late afternoon nap as well.

Oh man. I have a knot in my stomach already. I think I'm more sad thinking about weaning her from nursing.....because that means she won't need me as much. :(

I know....I need to get a grip.

So anyways, that will be my day tomorrow. SIDENOTE: Orrin and I and my parents have been praying that she will gradually start weaning herself from nursing. On friday, she only nursed TWICE, except for once at bedtime!!! She didn't seem interested at all! Even over the weekend I didn't nurse her as much. I think God knows how hard this will be for me, so He's helping me out!

Where's Jesus?

A trashy tale.

Adilynn has developed an interest in the trash can. In the beginning, she would just go over and lift the lid while looking in it. Then it went to trying to take things out of it. I figured since she was interested in it, I would teach her that we only put things IN it. So the last few days I've been working with her on throwing stuff away. This seems to be her new favorite thing.

Well, this morning I couldn't find the TV remote. I looked EVERYWHERE. In her room, in her toybox, in the bathroom drawer (where I've found it once before)....everywhere. (I knew we should have stuck with keeping the remote out of her reach). I just went in a few minutes ago to throw something away and guess what was laying there right on top, in a little puddle of ketchup.......

The remote.

Along with a pair of her black gloves, one pink glove and three magnet letters from the fridge.

Stephanie.

For those of you that have been following the story of Stephanie Vest, please click on her name to read the entry stating that she passed away last night. I prayed so hard for her yesterday, as did thousands of others. I don't understand why God decided to take her home when she had three little ones here on earth. What a reminder that His ways are not our ways. Please take the time out to pray for her husband Eric, and her children- Cole, Zach and Gracie. My heart especially breaks for Gracie who is only seven months old and will now grow up without a mother who no doubt loved her until her last breath. It's never easy to lose someone, but I am glad that she is no longer suffering. And as someone commented on her blog "our loss is heaven's gain."

Project Sleep.

Adilynn has always been a great sleeper. I can count on one hand the number of times Orrin and I have been up with her at night trying to get her back to sleep. Even when we brought her home from the hospital, she would wake up every 4 hours or so to eat, then go back down with no problems. However....that has changed!!! She has recently started waking up anywhere between 2-4 times a night and can only fall back asleep if I nurse her. Last night she woke up at 10 pm (but she put herself back to sleep at that time), 1:30 am, 2:30 am and 6 am. And again, the only way she goes back to sleep is if she nurses. I can lay her down at night when she's awake, and she'll go right to sleep with no problems. But it seems she is unable to get herself back to sleep if she wakes up in the middle of the night.

I do have a theory on this though. She is still nursing, so when she is ready for her naps during the day, she'll nurse and fall asleep during the middle of it. So I think that I have started a BAD habit with her by letting her fall asleep while nursing. But it's strange because at night I lay her down awake and she'll go to sleep on her own.

So starting Monday, I'm going to have to start doing things differently. First off, I'm going to try to start weaning her from nursing. Now, let me just say that I had planned on nursing her only for her first year. (just a sidenote that she does get regular food in addition to nursing) However, this girl loves to nurse!!! She will nurse even when I know she's not hungry. I think it is just a comfort and security thing for her. I have started distracting her when she wants to nurse with apples, cucumbers, wheat thins, etc. That has seemed to help a little. I'm hoping that once she is completely weaned, then she'll start sleeping better at night.

The second thing I'm going to start Monday is laying her down for her naptime when she's awake, but sleepy. I went thru a period of time when she was around 6 months old that I would let her cry it out. She did great for awhile, but somehow over the course of time everything got all messed up. So, I think she's going to have to relearn how to fall asleep on her own.

I am not looking forward to starting all this but I can't keep getting up with her 2-4 times a night. And in all honesty, I will miss her nursing! Like Adilynn, I have immensely enjoyed the bond it has created, and I have never even minded getting up with her in the night to nurse (until recently!).

I have named this whole weaning / naptime thing "Project Sleep" so we'll see how it goes. Wish me luck!!!

PLEASE PRAY!!

Please stop right now and say a prayer for Stephanie Vest. Click here to read the latest blog entry. I have followed her blog to a tee and read every entry at least twice!! She is fighting for her life and needs a touch from God! Please say a prayer for her, her husband and her three young children.

Christmas is coming.......

On Saturday, Orrin and I decided to go ahead and put up our Christmas tree. We usually wait till after Thanksgiving but we didn't want to wait this year! We will be busy this weekend so we knew we wouldn't have time. So we arranged furniture and vacuumed, trying to find the perfect spot for the tree. We (and by "we" I mean "Orrin") kept moving the tree from corner to corner and finally made a decision. Within the first five minutes of getting out the decorations, Adilynn had already broken one of the glass christmas tree balls and was taking out the hooks and trying to put them in her mouth. Hmmm. Not good. So we decided to forego those this year....I could just imagine me being in the next room, her breaking one and slicing open her tiny little finger. So with that being said, our Christmas tree is a little bare this year, but it'll do. We are big on teaching her to leave things alone that she can't play with, but having those ornaments up this year was just too risky. Oh...and she loves the tree. She'll stand and point at it and babble away like she's having some in depth conversation with the tree.

We snapped a few pictures yesterday morning before church of her by the tree. We were already running late to church (we didn't get to church till 8:45 am! yikes!!) so we thought...hey, what's the harm in taking a few minutes for some cute pictures?

And we most defintely will NOT be telling Adilynn that there is a Santa Claus. Why any parent would intentionally deceive their child is beyond me. I grew up without ever believing in one and look how great I turned out. Ha. Anyways- no believing in Santa in this house.

Wow..I can't believe I'm posting about Christmas.....where has the time gone?

Just a side note that I love the fact that I have a husband who does everything he can to make me happy. Friday night I grabbed a pen and paper and excitedly told him "let's make a to-do list for the weekend." He was all about it, and giving serious thought into what we should do. I think all he came up with was vacuuming, but that's GREAT. We ALWAYS need the living room rug and bedrooms vacuumed! He also worked his tail off in our utility room / office! He moved the washer and dryer and vacuumed the floors. He moved our big storage cabinet and vacuumed. He repaired a small hole in the wall and cleaned off his desk. Wow. What a dude. OH....AND he scrubbed the tile floors. He knows that a clean home = a happy wife!! :) I don't function well in a mess and he knows that and helps out to get things done. We've definitely had our moments of ive-done-everything-today-what-have-you-done? But when it comes down to it, we both enjoy a clean and organized home. And he did all of this on Saturday with extreme pain in his right shoulder and neck.

Well, the little miss has just awoken from her beauty sleep. I had Parents As Teachers come again this morning and she said Adilynn is doing great. She has very good eye-hand coordination and problem solving skills!! That's my girl! :)

Caught red-handed!!!

(Is "red-handed" hyphenated? I'm not sure....)

Okay, on with the post......

Yesterday I was doing some cleaning and Adilynn was wandering around. She's become quite independent lately and since she's walking now she explores every inch of the house. Anyways, I knew she was in the kitchen and she was quiet for a couple of minutes. I peeked around the corner and this is what I found......

She decided she was going to help herself to some Cheerios! She couldn't actually get to them because the bag was folded down but she sure did try! Awhile back Orrin and I bought some of the cabinet lock things but we decided against using them. We decided we were going to teach her to stay out of the cabinets (most of them anyways) instead of locking them. She actually caught on pretty quickly. She's not allowed to get under the sink and in the one with our big pots and pans, but she can get into the tupperware one and a couple of others. We never really addressed the pantry with her but it looks like now we might need to! *note to self: throw away some of those Wal-Mart bags!

Saturday Orrin and I are going to put up our Christmas tree. We figured we might as well go ahead and do it. Why wait till the day after Thanksgiving? We'd rather go shopping.....

Speaking of Orrin- he's seeing the physical therapist twice a week now. The accident messed him up more than he likes to admit! He is unable to work out his upper body at this time, but can work out his legs. It's hard on him because he loves working out and it's a good stress reliever for him. He's in quite a bit of pain so hopefully after all this PT he'll be back to normal. He's a trooper and doesn't complain at all.

I'll leave you with a few more pictures of Adilynn. This was from last weekend. She loves to sit on the couch now and this time she insisted on gathering all her babies and holding them all at once. She seriously sat like this on the couch for a good 20 minutes. She's a good little mommy to her babies.

Oh yeah....I'm reading the book of Job now. It's such a great book! That man went thru the ringer and still blessed the name of the Lord! WOW!

Baby babbles.

Although Adilynn was talking in the wrong end, it's still cute! :)

Food for thought.

"Your children will become what you are; so be what you want them to be." --David Bly

Random pictures.

With this girl now walking and being on the move, I steal my kisses whenever I get the chance!

Cheerios before bedtime.

Her birthday cake. This was as messy as it got!! (she's very much a girly-girl)

Big smile.

The rocking chair.

Here is a video of Adilynn in her rocking chair. The neat thing about the chair is that it used to belong to me, my sister and my brother when we were younger. My dad cleaned it up and brought it to Springfield for Adilynn. (thanks Papa!) She loves that chair! She climbs in it, finally gets situated, then climbs down only to repeat the process again. *note* Please ignore my messy house in the background!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY ADILYNN!

Wow....my eyes filled up with tears as I typed that subject line. I can't believe it's been a year already. So of course I have to write out the story of her birth. Especially since I someday want to print out my blog and have it bound in a book....this way Adilynn will have it on paper!

In February 2007 Orrin and I decided we were ready to have a little one. We just had a "whatever happens, happens" attitude and didn't stress over it too much. At the end of February I took a pregnancy test and it came up positive. Two days later I took another one, just to make sure. It was positive so I decided it was time to schedule an appointment with the doctor. On March 5th, 2007 the doctor confirmed I was pregnant! Yippee!! We were both so excited.

March was a good month. I didn't have any morning sickness at all. Other than feeling incredibly tired ALL THE TIME, I didn't feel pregnant at all.

On April 20th, 2007 I woke up in the middle of the night with a dull ache on my right side. Although it bothered me, I was able to go back to sleep off and on throughout the night. By 6:30 that morning, I was in a lot of pain. I woke Orrin up and told him that something was wrong. I called my doctors office and they told me to come in for an ultrasound at 10. I was worried that I might be having a miscarriage so I was doing a lot of praying that morning!! At the appointment they did an ultrasound and found the reason for all the pain.....there was a cyst the size of an orange on my right ovary! YIKES! This was a great moment for us though to know that I was NOT losing the baby. Plus we got to see Adilynn for the first time on the ultrasound. I was 11 weeks pregnant at this time and she was like a little jumping bean in there (we didn't know she was a "she" at this point yet). By 3:00 that afternoon they had decided to go ahead and take me in for surgery. They decided in order to protect the baby as much as possible, they were going to keep me awake for the procedure. (however at the minute they had to put me to sleep) I asked what would happen to the baby if something started to go wrong....would they be able to save it? The anethesiologist put his hand on mine and said no, there would not be anything they could do since at 11 weeks a baby could not survive outside the womb. However, God was with me that day because I had such a feeling of peace and I knew that everything was going to be okay.

And of course, by the grace of God, everything WAS okay. As soon as they woke me up my doctor let me hear the baby's heartbeat. It was strong and beating fast.....I was so relieved!
So after that setback, I was back at work six weeks later and feeling good.

In June we found out we were having a girl. It took THREE ultrasounds to find out what she was. She was being modest and didn't want anyone to see her! By the way...I swore up and down I was having a boy and that little Solomon would soon be joining us. Obviously I was wrong....

July, August, September, and October came and went. My due date was set for November 8, 2007 so we were all anxiously awaiting that day.

November 8th came and went.

So did November 9th and 10th.

Then FINALLY.....some action. I woke up on the morning of the 11th and was having contractions. I called my parents and my sister at 4:30 in the morning and told them I was in labor. HA! Talk about a false alarm! I went the rest of the day with nothing happening! By that point my mom was already in Springfield and my dad had his bags packed and ready to go at the drop of a hat. I had an appointment already scheduled the following day on the 12th. Since my mom was already in town she decided to go with us. They did an ultrasound first thing that morning and discovered that I had no amniotic fluid whatsoever. They did a stress test on the baby and then immediately took me to labor and delivery to induce me.

The next 14 hours are a little hazy for me. My sister left school, my dad left work and my brother drove three hours to be here for the big event. I dialated to a four (I think) before I got my epidural. After that it was just a bunch of waiting. I received some great leg and foot massages by everyone, vomited a few times and slept.

The day came and went and around 11 pm (I think) Adilynn's heart rate started to skyrocket. The nurses came in and told everyone to leave the room. They did an internal heart rate monitor and gave me oxygen. They said she most likely rolled over onto the umbilical cord. Let me just note here that my regular doctor was not on call for the evening, so I had Dr. McCorcle, the oncall doctor. So Dr. McCorcle came in and said they needed to go ahead with a C-section. By that time, I really didn't care...I was just ready for it to all be over and to see my baby!!

They wheeled me back, got me ready and little miss Adilynn Grace debuted at 12:22 am on November 13th, 2007. She weighed 9 lbs 11 ounces and was 23 inches long. We were all shocked that she was that big!!!

She was having some breathing troubles, so they had to give her oxygen and then send her on to Intensive Care. I was so sad that I didn't really even get to see her or hold her!!!

When I got back to my room after my C-section, I started hemorraging. This was not just "bleeding", but actually hemorraging. They were giving me shots in my hips to try to stop the bleeding. Dr. McCorcle came back in and said if this one last shot didn't work, then they were going to have to go back in, open me up and do exploratory surgery. Obviously I did not want this at all and all I wanted was to see and hold Adilynn!!!! Thank the good Lord above that He was watching out for me because the bleeding stopped after about five hours!! They gave me two units of blood to make up for all that I'd lost.

I was in the hospital for 5 days total and I had a quick and easy recovery. I think a C-section must be the way to go from now on!!!

So that brings me to present day. What a year it's been. I have been blessed to be able to stay at home with her and I have enjoyed every single moment. She has been a wonderful joy to Orrin and I. She makes us laugh and smile all the time. Children are truly a gift from the Lord.

Happy birthday baby girl.....we love you more than you will ever know.

Daddy's girl.

Here is a picture my sister came across tonight. It's from August of this year at the Missouri State Fair. Adilynn's loves her daddy!

I will never understand...

I will never understand someone using their kids to do their dirty work....nor do I ever want too. I will never understand having a bad childhood and using it as a crutch during adulthood. I will never understand sleeping the day away instead of spending quality time with your children. I will never understand involving young children in adult converstations, or burdening them with adult issues. I will never understand teaching young children adult responsibilites in order to lessen your own responsibilities as a parent. I will never understand how to play the role of a victim and how to take on a "everyone else owes me" attitude. I will never understand how to NOT constructively deal with bitterness, resentment, anger, or frustration. I will never understand fighting endlessly with someone in front of your kids and somehow expect them not to do the same. I will never understand how to be incredibly rude to someone one day, but turn around the next day and be nice as pie when a favor is needed. I will never understand developing an incredibly unhealthy, co-dependent relationship with my children.

I'm glad I will NEVER understand those things.

So sweet.

Orrin's sisters usually come over on Thursday afternoons for a couple of hours to play with Adilynn. This always give me a chance to do some deep cleaning so I'm not stuck cleaning all weekend. They weren't able to come on Thursday this past week, so they came over yesterday. It just so happened that Tiffany and Christian were out of school, so Tiffany came over as well. I sent her an email last night thanking her for helping with Adilynn. This was her response this morning:

Dear Adilynn , ( and you of Course!)
I cant wait to see you guys ! Your welcome ! It was fun .Thanks for letting us come over .I cannot believe how strong and fun this little lady is. Its so amazing watching her . (She grows SO fast )I cant wait to watch her eat the cake.

My love is unexplainable for this little girl,
Tiffany

Now if that doesn't tug at the ol' heartstrings then nothing will!!! Adilynn LOVES Tiffany and when she comes over Adilynn doesn't want anything to do with the rest of us. I'm so thankful for their bond, even though they are eight years apart!!

"I can breathe! Praise the Lord!"

First things first.....that title comes from a post in THIS BLOG. Please read the story of Stephanie Vest and say a prayer for her. She is struggling to live and has two young sons and a daughter that was just born in June. Please think of her throughout your day and pray for complete and total healing of her body.

Secondly, I voted today. I am now parked on the couch with a pop tart and a can of coke (healthy, I know) and I keep seeing more and more states turn blue. UGH. I literally vote with ONE main issue in mind, and that's the issue of abortion. Pro-choice, no thank you. Pro-life only please. I can do without talk of taxes, the war in Iraq, the economy, immigration, etc. Not that those things aren't important, because I know they are. They just don't hold a personal belief for me like abortion does.

Speaking of personal convictions, it's with great shame that I say that I have not spent time reading the Bible lately like I should. I know it's not a good excuse, but the days are just so busy that by the time bedtime rolls around, I'm exhausted. I am going to move my Bible reading time around and do it during the day, most likely when Adilynn is snoozing. I so notice a difference in my attitude, my approach towards things and my general outlook on life when I've been skipping out on my Bible reading. Again....shame on me. I don't particularly want to get to heaven and if asked by God why I didn't spend time in His Word like I should.....I don't want to say "well, God, let's see....I was just so busy! There was laundry, and cleaning, and running errands......." I don't think that will hold much weight up there!! So, I will....I must....get back to that.

On a lighter note, we had a Parent / Teacher conference with Christian's teacher tonight. He is advanced in reading and math!! That's so great!! He has done so well this year in 1st grade and he is always reading. Tiffany's is on Thursday and we're confident we'll get a good report from her teacher as well.

Here are a few pictures from Halloween. Adilynn was a flower, Tiffany was a cowgirl and Christian was Iron Man. Suprisingly enough, Adilynn didn't try to remove her head covering thing! And by the way, Adilynn is completely walking now. She hardly crawls at all and her little waddle / walk is the cutest thing ever!! I would talk about how she's going to be a year old in 9 days, but I'll blog about that later! (*sniff*) She's such a little lady.

Well, I'm going to get back to my poptart.

Again, please pray for Stephanie Vest and her family.

I hope everyone is having a great week.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...

I have the sudden urge to put up our Christmas tree. We always do it the day after Thanksgiving, but I'm not sure I can wait that long this year. If the tree / decorations weren't up in the attic, I just might have started putting it up today.

Anybody know what time it is?

I seriously have had no clue all day as to what time it is. I woke up this morning and my clock said 7:45 am, but I knew that it was really 6:45 am due to daylight savings time. It all went downhill from there. Orrin decided to change only HALF the clocks in the house instead of ALL of them.....therefore leaving me clueless as to the actual time. So right now, my laptop says 8:47 pm, but for all I know it could be 7:47 or 9:47. Oh well.

Work it girl.

Here is Adilynn doing some pull-ups on the edge of her changing table. (well, not so much pull-ups as it was Orrin lifting her up.) But it looks like pull-ups nonetheless.

I am so blessed...

I am so blessed to have 8+ hours of one-on-one with this little gem each day. I wouldn't give up my time with her for all the money in the world. She is truly a blessing to Orrin and I.

Weekend Update.

It's fun to go out of town, but it's always nice to come home again!! Orrin, Adilynn, my sister and I all went on a road trip this weekend. It started Friday at 1:00 pm when we went to visit my brother Zachary in Columbia. It was a fun evening had by all (it was us with Noah, David, Aaron, Pat, Kat and Hope) with spaghetti, chicken alfredo, garlic bread and salad. Oh, and yummy desserts provided by Kat and Hope.

After my brother's house we headed to my parents house in Sedalia (about an hour away) because we were headed to Overland Park, KS on Saturday morning. My cousin had a baby on Monday and we went to see him. We had a fun time over lunch and good conversation. And little Coen is such a sweetheart and totally makes me want to have another little one!

After my aunt's house, we headed on back to Springfield with a Sonic break in Clinton. We got back into town at 6 pm this evening and we are beat!!! Adilynn is already in bed asleep and Orrin was just telling me that we should go to bed early tonight.

I have posted a few pictures from the weekend. Somehow my dad got lost in the shuffle and I don't have any pictures of him! (sorry dad!) (And these pictures are very much out of order according to the weekend)

Adilynn and her Uncle Z

Orrin and I (I have a hot husband)

My sister and I



Me, Adilynn, my mom and my sister

Orrin, Me, Adilynn, Zachary and Heather

Venice and Adilynn (cousins and 6 weeks apart)

Adilynn made it all the way to the top of the stairs on her first try! (I'm secretly hoping she's a rock climber!)

Adilynn Grace

Costume trial run.

Yesterday afternoon I went to the mall with my sister (she said I never include her in my blogs, but now she can't say that anymore.) While she was trying on jeans at The Buckle, I went down to The Children's Place to look for a halloween costume for Adilynn. It was my lucky day. They had just marked the costumes down to 50% earlier that morning! I paid only $12 for her outfit!!!! What a deal! So last night Orrin had her try in on. Please keep in mind she will not be wearing her purple pants outfit under her green and pink flower costume. It's not completely put together, but you get the idea!

Somebody think she's a big girl....

Adilynn's favorite thing to do now is close doors, then try to open them!!! She can almost reach!

Jibba Jabba.

Okay, let me start by saying that I just saw a mouse in the utility room when I went to put in a load of laundry. YUCK!!! Looks like we'll be getting some mouse traps tonight!!!

Well, tonight is the end of my Bible/book study for "Created to Be His Helpmeet." I can't believe it's already over. I have so enjoyed getting to know everyone and am so grateful to Chrissy for inviting me!!!! We are meeting for mexican tonight for a last hoo-rah and will hopefully, maybe possibly(?) start another study after the first of the year. I've learned a lot thru the study but I know I still have a long ways to go. It's easy to sit and talk about a book....the hard part is actually implementing it into your daily lives and daily relationships. God bless Orrin for putting up with me!!! :)

Speaking of Orrin...he starts a round of physical therapy tomorrow. He continues to be in pain in his neck and shoulder area and has bad headaches. He's not able to really work out which bothers him....it's a good stress reliever for him during his lunch hour and I know he's looking forward to the day he can get back to normal.

Tiffany and Christian were here this weekend. I'm kicking myself because I wanted to get some pictures of them sunday before church but the words "before" and "church" don't seem to mix well together here in the Rohrer house. No matter how early Orrin and I get up, we still push it to get out the door for the 8:30 am service. They attended the Life Group with us last night and they were so eager to go. Tiffany asked if she should take her Bible with her!!! I told her that the study was only for the adults, but the dinner was for everyone. How awesome tho that she was eager to learn and was looking forward to it!!! She even asked how old you have to be to be in a Life Group. It sparked an idea in me that maybe she needs to have some sort of Bible study for herself that's age/gender appropriate that she can do either on her own or with Orrin and I. *ding* Christmas gift idea. And Christian....he is all boy. He was working on his homework over the weekend and was counting by 5's. He's very smart and loves to ask questions. We still need to get their halloween costumes. Tiffany decided on a cowgirl, and Christian decided on some Star Wars character. We told them they could be anything they wanted as long as it didn't have anything to do with ghosts, goblins, witches or the devil. And...I'd much rather refer to Halloween as a Fall Festival or something along those lines. We'll be attending the JRA event so that will be fun! And to be completely honest, I'll probably raid their candy bags. There. I said it.

Miss Adilynn is now napping (going on two hours!!!!) and is beginning to take more and more steps. Orrin has successfully taught her to make the number one with her index finger when you ask her how old she is. And this morning she pointed to her nose and she knows where her socks go. I'm amazed at how much she picks up on and learns. *note to self* WATCH WHAT I SAY AND DO!!!!!! Here is a video of her walking. She wouldn't walk until we got out a cracker for her. Imagine that.

So life is good here in our little Rohrer household. Orrin worked hard on Saturday and put up a new glass front door for us, and repainted our railing, mailbox and outside light. I was busy repainting our bathroom which now looks ten times better. As soon as I finish it, I'll post a picture.

Well, that's it for now. OH WAIT....a big welcome to little Coen Ray who entered the world this morning. My cousin Laura delivered him this morning via C-section and we will be making a trip to Overland Park, KS on saturday to see him. I heart newborns.

Later peeps!

New kicks.

Here are Adilynn's new shoes. Aren't they cute?! I couldn't pass them up. I wish they had them in my size! She had no shoes that fit her and I was literally having to stuff her feet into these white little slip on shoes. And of course, as fast as she's growing these won't even fit for very long!

Sweetness.

Here are some precious pictures of Adilynn today after she woke up from her loooong nap. She was hamming it up for the camera as usual. And yes, she IS wearing winter themed jammies.

And here she is eating a cracker after naptime. Eating a cracker always requires an outfit change!!

Almost one....

My baby girl turned 11 months today!!!!! This time last year I was huge, retaining water like a camel, going to the bathroom at least 12 times during the night, cleaning the whole house from top to bottom then doing it all over again, making "honey do" lists for Orrin (I was nesting like crazy), and thinking "okay, any minute now I could go into labor." Little did I know labor would not occur for approximately another 30 days and it would require medication to get it going!!!

Orrin has been working with Adilynn on doing the number one with her index finger to show people how old she is. Oh...she also knows how to say "bob." We have no clue where this came from, but everything has been "bob" the past couple of days. She has also added "baby" to her list of words, although it comes out as "baba." But it's cute nonetheless. Especially when she picks up her baby, rocks it back and forth and pats it on the back. She's such a good little mommy.

To celebrate her 11 month birthday- she has been sleeping soundly since 9:15 am and it's now 11:31 am. Naps of that length rarely happen, but it's not so suprising since she woke up at 6:30 this morning! (she stayed in her crib till 7. we don't get her out until at least 7...it's still dark at 6:30!!!!!)

I have been having brief panic attacks when thinking about her 1st birthday party. I need to actually start "doing" instead of just "thinking" about it. I have decided to go with a flower theme though. I THINK. Or maybe a tea party theme. SEE!!! I can't make up my mind!!

And I'm am sooooo enjoying this weather. There isn't anything like having the windows open and having a nice breeze come in!!!

Ahhh...sleeping beauty has awoken!! I'm off to kiss those cheekies!!!!!

This big fella....

is a sweetie. He doesn't realize how big he actually is, and he has inflicted a few minor injuries on us because of his size. He naps all day and is on night watch, is constantly drooling, loves to roll around in freshly mowed grass, is scared of thunder, offers us protection and loves his family! People don't approach him because of his size, when he would actually lick anyone to death. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body and even gently takes treats out of Adilynn's hand. He's not the cutest thing in the world, but his personality makes up for it. We love you Boaz.

I'm beat....

There's nothing like spring cleaning in the fall. I have been a cleaning fool all day today! And as my favorite "Mom of Many Sheep" says: it was a non-shower day. Here are some of the things Orrin and I have done:

1. Cleaned out and organized all kitchen cabinets / pantry. (and can I just say- my life began when I got my kitchen pantry. How I ever survived without one is beyond me).

2. Washed all windows.

3. Dusted EVERYTHING in the house, thanks to the help of Tiffany and Christian. I love it when they're here. They actually ASK me what they can do to help!

4. Rearranged dining room furniture. It was bugging me.

5. Cleaned bathroom. (still need to clean out bathroom closet and organize the somewhat unorganized vanity). This is a weekly task, but I think somehow I missed last weekend......

6. Cleaned out fridge. This included throwing away some old Logan's Roadhouse from about three weeks ago that was pushed to the back of the fridge. I didn't even open it before throwing it away.

7. Finished ALL laundry. I didn't really have all that much....I actually like doing laundry.

8. Cleaned and organized utility room / office with Orrin's help. He even went and got a shelf for me and hung it up for some extra storage space.

9. Started cleaning out Adilynn's closet and dresser to transition her summer wardrobe to winter wardrobe. I got hungry mid-way thru and decided to quit. I'll tackle that next weekend.

10. Did a bunch of stuff outside.....mowed, moved some concrete rocks, moved some dirt, played with the dog, etc.

So that's everything for the most part. I LOOOOOVE having a clean house. And thanks to Orrin who is (usually!) quick to say "what can I do to help?" What a nice guy.

She's definitely my daughter....

Okay, so anyone who knows me knows that I am a picky eater. I'm 29 years old, and I seriously eat like an 8 year old. (I even do the whole "ewwwwww that's sooooooo gross" thing when my husband forces me to try something new). I'm set in my ways when it comes to restaurants and I rarely try something different, unless I'm feeling adventerous. I don't like onions, tomatoes, green beans, peas, beef, corn, peppers, squash, any kind of bean, mushrooms, cherries, peaches, strawberries, cantelope and most seafood. And that's literally just the tip of the iceberg. So with this in mind, the whole nine months I was pregnant with Adilynn I was praying that she would NOT be like me when it comes to eating, but would be more like her daddy, who likes everything except tapioca pudding.

Now that Adilynn has eight teeth (and is currently working on cutting two more) she is able to eat more food. I was super excited about this and I have been doing research on healthy things I can make her. Well, all the "experts" say to just grind, blend, process, etc, what you eat for meals, for a baby. So over the weekend Orrin and I spent 30 big ones on a food processor for her in order for her to eat what we eat (she better appreciate it). Monday night dinner rolls around.....I made tilapia, baby potatoes and green beans. (We had other stuff too, but I figured that was enough for her) So we processed it and sat down. I was getting really excited at this point and envisioned her scarfing down the whole meal AND wanting seconds.

Totally not what happened at all.

She took one bite....a SMALL bite..... and SPIT IT OUT. So I decided to try again, thinking maybe she got too much green bean in there. Nope. She spit it out again. I began thinking maybe it was the fish, but we had given her tilapia before and she ate it with no problem. After about four tries to get her to eat, she started fake gagging. Nice.

So last night's dinner rolls around.

Chicken alfredo. Sounds good, right?!? NOT TO ADILYNN!!!! Again, the whole fake gagging thing happened, except this time she really did throw up water and some other stuff. (it was just a little bit of throw up. I don't even know if I would call it throw up.) She wouldn't even eat a teeny-tiny piece of chicken.

*sigh* I think I have a picky eater on my hands. I called my mom last night to tell her that the food processor had gone over like a lead balloon. She says "I seem to remember a girl we had to practically starve to get to eat anything!!!" Ugh.

Like mother like daughter.

My bonus kids.

Here are my step-kids. My incredibly smart, sweet, and kind step-kids. We love them and miss them when they're not with us. Walking into an already formed family can sometimes not be an easy thing, but thru prayer and God's grace we have all come a long way. And most importantly, we all love each other. They may not have come from me, but I love them like they did. They are so special to me.

It's the little things that matter.

Oh my goodness....I could cry. I have been brainstorming ideas for Adilynn's 1st birthday. The choices are endless. She doesn't like any certain disney character or TV character (probably because I don't put her in front of the TV unless it's Sesame Street) and even though she'd probably like it- I'm not going to do an Elmo theme! She's a girly-girl so I think I'll go with a flower theme. Or a tea party theme. Tune in later to find out which one I go with.

So anyways...back to the crying part. I know I say this all the time, but I honestly can't believe so much time has passed already. Will every year pass this quickly?! It seems just like yesterday I was fat and waddling everywhere, unable to wear my wedding ring, and craving crushed ice. It seems just like yesterday I was hearing her heartbeat for the first time in the doctors office. It seems just like yesterday I was asking for an epidural (HA! natural childbirth is NOT for me) and then 14 hours later being wheeled away for a C-section. And it seems just like yesterday that we brought her home, and she was sleeping in a bassinet next to our bed. But...the reality is this: this little one is growing so quickly that I don't want to miss a second of it. I am so blessed to be able to stay home with her, and I am so thankful that Orrin works hard to make it happen. I definitely have my moments of "man, if I was working, we'd have that. Or we'd be able to go here. Or get a bigger house. Or do this." But none of those things matter compared to staying home with Adilynn. I don't think there's a bigger or better role than being a mommy. (and...I was just telling Orrin this morning that I'd like to try for another little one next summer. The more the merrier!)

Oh yeah, and we'll be able to cart all those little ones around because we just got a honda pilot last weekend. It's black, seats 8, leather seats, the works. It even has a DVD player. (It's not something we asked for, just something that came with it) My car was paid off, so it's going to be different to have a car payment again. But that's okay.....everything happens for a reason and we will just work hard to pay it off!

Okay, so back to the birthday party. I'll have to narrow down a theme, plan the food, and order the cake. Although I'm not sure about the cake.....I can't stand store bought cake!!!! I like homemade cakes much better!

As for now....my little cupcake is snuggled up warm and cozy in her bed taking a nap. When she wakes up, I'll go thru the same routine we do twice a day after each nap. Hugs and kisses, pull back her curtain, turn on her radio (she starts pointing to her radio as soon as I walk in the room!) and we'll "talk" as she plays and dances in her crib. Ahh....it's the little things in life that matter.

And I can't post a blog without posting a picture....so here it is. She was two days old in this picture and sawing logs!!!!!

Our little lady....

......turned ten months on saturday. I was looking thru pictures recently and found this one from when she was four months old. Where does the time go?!? Look at those sweet, little innocent hands!!! Those hands now hold onto furniture while cruising around, find every piece of lint or fuzz on the floor, bang kitchen pots and pans and softly hold onto my hair as she's falling asleep. And oh yes, those hands have also recently discovered how to open up kitchen cabinets and drawers! Thank goodness for safety locks! What a sweet little angel....God is good!

LIFE GROUP!

Orrin and I have wanted to get involved with a Life Group at James River for quite some time now. We wanted to do it last year, but with Adilynn on the way we just didn't feel it was the right time. Last night we went to the Group Link meeting at church where we met with several other couples and several group leaders who host the groups in their home. You had to walk around and meet all the leaders and then decide which ones you wanted to go with. It was a little intimidating at first, and we felt a bit like we were speed dating. However, we met an awesome couple and we signed up right away with their group. We start this sunday night (I think!) and we are really excited!



On Tuesday Orrin and I celebrated our two year anniversary. He is a wonderful husband and there are many days when I feel I don't deserve him. We went to eat and also went shopping for an SUV. (how romantic, huh?) :) I am so glad that he is here with me and that God protected him two and a half weeks ago in the car accident. We continue to pray for the family that lost a loved one, and that somehow God is glorified thru all of this. So as you can see by the picture....we have to find a new vehicle. We are looking at Honda Pilots and Nissan Pathfinders. Our car was paid off, so we aren't looking forward to having a car payment again, but oh well. Now that we've been car shopping it's fun to think about getting something new.


Adilynn had a doctor's check up a couple of weeks ago and all is well with her! She's 23 pounds and 31 inches tall. She continues to be off the charts in length and is in the 95th percentile for weight. This is the first time she's been ON the charts for weight! She turns 10 months on saturday.....which means I have two months to plan her year birthday party. Ugh....I am so NOT a party planner so this should be interesting. She is FINALLY GETTING HAIR!!! It's taken ten months, but it's really starting to come in now. And it has a bit of a wave to it, which isn't a suprise because I have natural wave in my hair.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Thursday!

Please pray for us....

We have had an incredibly trying week. Some of you know what happened, so Orrin and I would appreciate all the prayers possible. We found out additional information tonight that has me really down, and I am worried for Orrin. I don't understand why some things happen, or why God allows certain things to take place. I guess all we can do right now is trust in Him.

I thought weekends were supposed to be relaxing.

Whew....what a busy weekend. On Friday we had Orrin's family in and out of the house, and then Friday evening my parents came in town. Here are just a few of the "adventures" we had.

1. Friday night: said goodbye to baby Kathryn because Liz and Tony came back in town. :( We miss her already!!!

2. Saturday morning: Orrin stepped on a nail when he was sweeping out the garage. Ended up in urgent care to get a tetnus shot.

3. Saturday morning: packed away some of Adilynn's baby clothes that don't fit her anymore.

4. Saturday afternoon: discovered cucumber water. A glass of water with slices of cucumber....it's so good!!!

5. Saturday evening: dinner at Logan's Roadhouse.

6. Saturday evening: went to my in-laws to say goodbye to Liz and Tony. They live in Ohio and we want to go visit next year. We are praying there will be a baby on the way soon for them!!!

7. Saturday night: started the book "The Power of a Praying Wife." I love it so far! One of things I've taken from the 20 pages I've read is to "do right instead of be right."

8. Sunday morning: early church service at 8:30. We love the 8:30 service so much better. The 10:00 service was falling right in the middle of Adilynn's eating time and naptime, so I was missing all of the sermons to be with her! SIDENOTE: I am so grateful to Pastor Lindell for something he said while preaching about a month ago. He said that it's so important to take your children to church and to give them every opportunity possible to grow with God and to get to know Him. Not to mention the importance of your children building relationships and friendships with christian kids their age. I am so glad that Orrin and I take Adilynn every Sunday and Tiffany and Christian when we have them. It's so important to us that they grow up in church...and like the saying says "you make time for what's important to you."

9. Sunday morning: asked about the Life Groups this morning at church. We are so excited to join a group in September.

10. Sunday evening: Adilynn was bathed and fed and in bed by 8:07 pm. Ahhh...quaility time with my hubby!!!!

So that's the weekend in a nutshell.

Tomorrow Tiffany and Christian start school. I love carefree summers, but I am also looking forward to being back on a routine. I am so going to miss having them around, making them breakfast, listening to them play throughout the day and spending summer evenings taking a walk and reading stories.

Here are some of the clothes I packed away for Adilynn. She is just growing soooo quickly!!!!!!!

Here is Adilynn this morning before church. Her new thing is tilting her head to the side. She also says "papa" now, can drink thru a straw and loves Cheerios.

Well, I guess that's it. We are so blessed. Hope everyone has a great week!

A mommy of two...

I'm a mommy of two this week. Orrin and I are keeping our niece Kathryn for the week while his sister Liz and husband Tony are in Jamaica. With the exception of a few fights over toys, things have been going well. This has been good practice for me to see what it's like with two little ones around!!

In the top photo, you can see that they are having a very important conversation. And although Orrin and I have no clue what their baby talk is all about, it's cute to hear.

They are still lost in conversation in this photo. After all....they are girls. They have lots to say!

Anyways- mad props to all you moms out there to more than one child. It's a lot of work, but a lot of fun!

9 months ago today....

this little gem came into the world. I can't believe it's been 9 months already. From the moment Orrin and I knew she existed, she was loved and wanted. By the grace of God she survived me having emergency surgery when I was 11 weeks pregnant, and she survived even when it was discovered I was carrying her without any amniotic fluid. The doctors had no idea how long I had been that way and they had no explanation of how it happened, since my water never broke. But God was in control and was holding her in the palm of His hands. I pray every single day that God uses her in a mighty way and is never far from her. I am so thankful God trusted Orrin and I enough to give her to us.....I am always reminded that she still belongs to Him and that it's our responsibility to train her in the ways of God. I am amazed when I look at her and brought to tears when I think of how she blesses me with every smile. How is it that God knew exactly what we needed and wanted?





And Daddy....boy does she love her Daddy. Case and point: she cried this morning when he was leaving for work, crawled to the door and laid down on the floor and just cried and cried. I'm so happy that someday we'll be able to tell her that he was the first man to ever fall in love with her.




WE LOVE YOU ADILYNN!!