Growin' like a Reed

Funny Things....

2011-02-09T20:16:00.002-06:00

Some days I think I have the funniest kid on the planet. Gavin said all of these jewels just today:

- Gav: I will go to campus house and see my friends and my girlfriend Cori. Me: your Girlfriend? she's your girlfriend. Gav: yeah, Cori is my girlfriend, but Amy just keeps kissing me all the time.

- Gav: I will take you home and make you a couch-bed, and some snow for you to eat, and your tummy will feel better. Me: awww, thanks buddy that will make me feel better. Gav: yeah, I will rub your tummy and get the snow for you.

- Gav: mom, can I have Toy Story milk for bedtime snack? Me: what's toy story milk? Gav: It's Toy Story 3 milk. Me: ok, but what is in it. Gav: It's milk with chocolate in it and we stir it in a bowl. Me: you mean like chocolate milk? Gav: yeah, can we have chocolate milk?

- Gav: Thank you for saying that to me, I like it when you say that to me. Me: say what? Gav: when you tell me "good job buddy" when I did that coloring thing (like an hour prior). I like it when you say that to me.

- Me: No Cooper you can't play with that puzzle. Gav: he can play with my puzzle, I will have to teach him to do it. Me: Well, he will just chew on the pieces and drool on it. Gav: he can just chew on them while I show him how to do it.

You can't really argue with his logic most of the time.

Interview with Gavin

2011-01-26T20:03:00.012-06:00

Favorites:
Favorite Color: green

Favorite Book: The bears (Goldilocks and the three bears)

Favorite Song: Rudolph

Favorite Store: toy story

Favorite Game: my mobigo game with the doggy

Favorite Restaurant: McDonalds

Favorite Toy: Buzz Lightyear

Favorite Cartoon: Jonah with the whale

Favorite Food: pizza, and then chicken nuggets, and then ketchup & french fries.

Favorite Outdoor Activity:get my motorcycle and drive it.

Favorite Indoor Activity: play diego and sid and manny

Family Questions:
Who is in your family? drew and jeff and nate and lizzy, they're my favorite friends. (I think he really misunderstood the question).

What is your favorite thing about Daddy? working outside

What makes Daddy Happy? when I'm not gonna hit anybody, that will make him happy.

What job do you like to do with Daddy? at our house, and i work on it like daddy does with tools

What is something Daddy always says to you? don't hit somebody.

What is Daddy's job? he has to work at his office and then come pick me up at nikkie's. I think he wrestles me at his work then I FIGHT him.

How does Daddy make you laugh? he tickles me and I laugh

How do you know Daddy loves you? I hug him

What is you favorite thing about Mommy? work inside, in our house, cook food

What is Mommy really good at? at gavin, at daddy and gavin and aly and cooper, helping B & Kristen

What is Mommy's job? you eat your food, then say hello to Maggie, then say hello to your friends.

What makes Mommy happy? happy about good things and not bad things, when I do good things.

What job do you like to do with Mommy? cooking dinner

What is something Mommy always says to you? be good

How does Mommy make you laugh? tickle me and i laugh like daddy does it

What is the best thing about being a BIG brother? I'm a big brother, watch movies when I was a big boy

What is the hardest thing about being a BIG brother? when he pulls my hair

What do you like to teach Cooper? teach him how to wrestle me

Where is the best place our family has gone? the pancake breakfasts

General Questions:
What do you love to do? play with animals

Who is your best friend? mommy & cooper are my best friends & jeff & drew are my friends

What do you like to do with them? i like to play with jeff & drew

What do you want to be/do when you are big? play toys, go to campus house church, I'm going to marry to Daddy!

Why do you have to listen to Mom & Dad? when i hear somebody i listen to them

Where do we go to church? nothing aven twistin church (Maple Avenue Christian Church) & campus house church

What do you learn at church? Jesus & God & Bible

What is your favorite thing about church? to color

On reflection, I could have pushed him harder for more relevant answers or clarified the questions, but then his responses wouldn't have been so random and funny.

At last...the baby blanket reveal!

2011-01-01T12:20:00.007-06:00

So, I'm REALLY not a seamstress, but I've been inspired lately to create some really personalized gifts. With my new nephew coming, and a pile of about 15 reaceiving blankets accumulated from Gavin, Cooper, and cousins Addie & Avery, I went on a hunt for something I could make for my new baby nephew/niece. My baby sister Melissa (Melba), as the youngest of 3 has always had hand-me-downs in her wardrobe, so when I saw this tutorial on Green Apple Orchard I knew it was the perfect way to turn the hand-me-downs into something perfect for the newest baby cousin.
I won't give you the full step-by-step, as the blog tutorial explains it so much better than I could, but here are some pics along the way. Here are the 6 blankets i started with:

The hardest step was deciding which order to put all the squares in, just finally had to stop rearranging it or I would have never finished it in time.

I really don't know much about my sewing machine, so I had to read the manual to make sure the settings were right for flannel, and I still think I should have used a stronger stitch or thread, as some of them broke when it went through the wash. It is pretty dumby-proof though, just lots of sewing squares together.

For the back side, I just bought some green & brown that matched all the blankets & will match (hopefully) the green & brown nursery! After all the stitching was done, it was about 4 hours of snipping & a lot of hand-cramping.

Melba & Doron on christmas day, just 2 days before baby Micah Paul Jones arrived.

Happy Birthday Micah!

Cooper - 5 Months

2010-11-02T08:50:00.006-05:00

Cooper is still my little baby, only 14 lbs. in his last check up. He's still 75th percentile for height and 30th for weight and head. Gavin was 14 lbs. at his 3 mos. check-up, so it almost doesn't seem right that Cooper is 5 months already!!

I made fun of this hat when my sister first sent it, (what mother could be so cruel?) but once I saw it on him with his lil' overalls, I just couldn't resist.

This one of his profile makes me laugh, the poor kid has my chin (or lack of chin)an long neck.

Cooper is eating rice cereal & oatmeal, but loves my homemade sweet potatoes the best (Gav did too!). He wasn't a fan of the peas, but I really DID try to make him like them. Not too disappointed though, Gav & I hate them too!

He is really a happy baby, until his tummy is giving him trouble. He doesn't fuss much for gas, but his stools are a struggle sometimes. Probably just still getting used to the new veggies in his diet....Gavin still loves being a big brother, especially now that we can tickle Cooper and make him laugh or now that he watches Gavin playing, and smiles when he shows him his toys & how they talk. Gav also really likes when their shirts match.

Corn Maze & Barn Party

2010-11-02T08:40:00.004-05:00

In addition to trunk or treat, trick or treating, and a halloween party, we managed to cram a trip to the Corn Maze and the annual Barn Party into our weekend. As you may have seen in my previous post, my camera is slowly dying so these pictures turned out really crummy until my friend Lindy fixed them in black & white.

Gavin's Aunt Kristie went to the maze with us, and initially we just all pretended to be lost in the corn, but then there was a little while that we really didn't know which way to go, and I lead us down the same dead-end twice. Gavin loved wandering the corn field, and picking the ears off the stalks!

Gavin made a little friend at the barn party, here she is trying to teach him the square dance that the students all did...she was very helpful in offering to take care of him cause he is a baby and "I am 8 now!" - haha, they had fun, Gav seems to find a girlfriend everywhere we go!

We also painted a pumpkin!

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-02T08:26:00.007-05:00

This year, Gavin just had to be Buzz Lightyear, so we decided on a whole toy story theme.

I had received this ridiculous red wig by mistake (while ordering Gav's Buzz costume), and the seller insisted that it wasn't worth sending it back, so there you go...it was fate.

We took Gavin out Friday night to trunk or treat at a local church, then to a few houses on Sunday and to the CSC Halloween Party. Now he has developed a cold, isn't that just part of the Halloween weekend festivities? Seems to be a tradition fo us anyway.

I really wanted to keep Cooper's costume simple, since it wasn't worth spending a lot when he doesn't care and would probably sleep through everything (I was right on that one). I looked for a baby horse costume, and never found one, so I just bought some cheap fabric and made him an alien hat. Gavin LOVED it! And I have to say, I felt a sense of pride in making my first ever halloween costume (yes, it was super-easy) for one of my boys.

I also made Barry & I's cowboy costumes. Already swimming with ideas for next years family costumes!!

Happy Fall!

2010-10-13T10:58:00.003-05:00

I took Gavin on a brief (it's getting dark so early) scavenger hunt to find things that look like Fall (stolen from a more savvy blogging momma). He doesn't quite understand the concept of seasons, so it was a bit of a process to get him to understand that fall is a season. We made a list of all the things that we should look for that look like fall (red, orange, brown leaves, pumpkins, scarecrows, orange anything, corn, etc.) Luckily we have two neighbors that have gotten all their decor. out, so it was only a short walk before we could find everything on our list. Sadly, we don't have any leaves falling in our own yard, but I'm sure the neighbors didn't mind that we snagged a few from their yards. Highlight of the trip for me was Gavin insisting on smelling all the leaves that we picked up. He also seemed to only pick up the crumpled, broken ones, even though I tried to explain that we would rather have the pretty, unbroken ones to take home. We're planning to do a leaf painting later this week, and hopefully get him out to the corn maze this weekend. After our walk, Gavin wanted to get a pumpkin, so the next day we made a routine trip to Walmart and found our pumpkins, even a little one for Cooper.

As much as I don't look forward to winter, it is nice that it is finally feeling like fall, and that Gavin is getting big enough to enjoy all the fun things of fall: hay rides, pumpkin carving, jumping in leaves, etc. etc.

Gavin and his buddies at day care, she has plenty of leaves to play in. Gavin suggested we could put some in the van to take to our house....haha

Gavin's 3rd Birthday

2010-10-12T16:28:00.006-05:00

This was the first time we planned a real "friend party" for Gavin. He helped pick out the Buzz Lightyear theme, and we went all out with games, favors, a custom cake, and 25 of his closest friends (haha). It was fun to plan, but I came down sick right before, and was so relieved when the weekend was over.

Space Ranger Games:
1. Jumping Contest: they had to jump from one line to the next, while trying to reach up & grab the balloon.

2. Moon Rock Hunt: they had to find a "moon rock" and open it up to find the prize inside (a slinky dog toy)

3. Parachute Testing: they had to drop a parachuting soldier toy from the top of the stairs and hit the target below.

4. Lung Capacity Testing: they had to each blow bubbles.

5. Pin the eyes on the alien

When it was all over, they each got a certificate as a "certified space ranger"

Happy Birthday to Daddy!

2010-10-12T16:17:00.002-05:00

Barry turned 31 this year, not a very momentous occasion, but our birthdays really aren't anymore. Gavin was excited to pick out a cake with candy on top of it(extra chocolatey), and to help blow out his candle.

Gavin's Buddies!

2010-10-11T10:33:00.003-05:00

Being around college students all the time, gives Gavin some unusual best friends. It's nice to know that Gavin has so many wonderful young men in his life. Men who, alongside Daddy, will teach him important life lessons...

Lessons that will shape him into the man that God wants him to be...

Let's hope they use their powers for good. ;)

Cooper - 3 Months

2010-09-20T09:52:00.008-05:00

Before time gets away from me, here's a 3 month update on Cooper....

He tried rice cereal for the first time on Sept. 5th.

It's going ok....
(the gibberish in the background is Gavin talking "baby talk")

He's over 11 pounds now, not sure on the exact number. Just now starting to fill out & eating like crazy right now. 4-5 oz. every 3 hours. We've started him on a little formula & been putting a little rice cereal in the bottles to try & keep him full. He is trying to hold his bottle on his own now, which is helpful when Gavin needs something. He also loves holding & chewing his chewy toy.

He also loves to suck his fingers. Pulls the passy out sometimes, just so he can suck on his hand.

He is starting to coo (sounds like "whoo" & "oww") & laugh but only in little spurts when he's being tickled. He smiles a lot though.

Cooper,
Mommy loves you so much & wants to know what all you have to say. So, go ahead & grow up really fast so we can talk some more, but then you have to promise to stop growing for a little bit. I'm not ready to have 2 big boys, so just be my chatty baby for awhile. It will be so much fun once you can tell me what you like & dislike.
Mommy.

Quotes from Gavin...

2010-09-20T09:26:00.005-05:00

I've seen several of my blogging friends post funny quotes from their kids, and have always intended to give it a try. Being today is Barry's 31st birthday, I thought I'd stick to the theme of funny things Gavin has said to or about Barry in the past month or so....

* "Daddy, you don't kiss mommy on the mouth, I kiss mommy on the lips!" (this morning after Daddy's birthday kiss).

* "Mommy, you can't fly me in the sky when I be buzz lightyear." me: "why not?"(pretending to be disappointed) "Daddy has to fly me cause he's got bigger muscles like me!"

* "Mommy, how 'bout I take the paper chains off, so Daddy can come home today?" (last time Barry was at a conference, we use the paper chain to count down the days til he comes home, which has lead to the confusion that the chain actually causes daddy to come home.)

* "Daddy is a boy, cooper is a boy, and Gavin is a boy like me! Mommy you not a boy like me, you a girl like Aly." (the dog, gee, thanks for the reminder)

* On the way to the campus house for dinner: "Mommy, Daddy has to do working at his job?" Me: "yes, he's working at the campus house" Gav: yeah, he has to do his working on his 'puter (computer) at his office. He has to do a good job like me when I do a good job on the potty" Me: "yes, Gavin, Daddy does a good job on the potty too. (laughing)" Gav: "yeah, he's a good job."

* "Mommy! Daddy need dis birfday card with the kitar (guitar) cause he plays his kitar at the campus house church!"

* "Daddy, you come to my carpet & I westel (wrestle) you! Grrrrr."

So, to sum up....Gavin's favorite things about Daddy are:
He plays the kitar at campus house church
He westles on the carpet
He is a boy
He has bigger muscles than me

Well, how can I compete with That!?!

Letter to Kerstin's Parents...

2010-09-17T14:42:00.004-05:00

The students at CSC are putting together a book of letters for Kerstin Taylor's parents. The book is full of memories of her & her legacy at CSC.
Here is the letter that Barry & I wrote for her memorial book:

I (Barry) first met Kert in the summer of 2007. I was in the gal’s hallway of the CSC house working on some apartments broken plumbing when this new face comes bouncing down the hallway toward me. She introduced herself to me, telling me she was a resident of the house and I remember her telling me how she would look forward to getting to know me and my family. Little did I know at the time just how well she would get to know me and my family.

I (Christi) first met Kerstin during move-in weekend in 2007, the year Barry & I moved back to Macomb. She was living at the Campus house and Erica Polley, a friend of mine since childhood, was her new roommate. In the course of visiting Erica & helping her get settled in her room, I had my first conversation with “Kert.” I knew that day that Kerstin would be one of those students that we would be particularly close with. She was the first friend that I made amongst the campus house students and has been my closest friend ever since. Within a few weeks of meeting, we had Kerstin visiting our house and taking care of our Dog Aly when we were gone on weekends. Aly typically is very wary of strangers, but warmed up to her so quickly and loved to snuggle in her arms so much that Kert became our regular dog-sitter. Later in October of 2007, our son Gavin was born and Kerstin was the only campus house student that came by to meet him in the hospital, she was nervous to hold him, but we made her do it anyway. We didn’t often leave Gavin with a sitter until after he was a year old, but the first time he stayed with someone, it was Kerstin. He was about 9 mos. old, and we had a good laugh at how Kerstin put his diaper on backwards (the Velcro straps were in the back). She was so proud to tell me that she even changed his diaper all by herself, and then felt silly when I showed her how much easier it would be if the straps wrapped around toward the front. We knew then that she hadn’t had a ton of babysitting experience with really young babies, but we really didn’t care. We trusted Kert more than anyone. We would often receive a call from a person in the community asking for a college student that could babysit, and she was always our number 1 recommendation. People were always thrilled with the attention she would give their kids. We remember when she babysat Grant Downin one summer, she did a bible study lesson with him every day that summer. She mentioned that he was like the little brother that she never had, and I reminded her that most people don’t love their little brothers near that much! She would have been an amazing mother, and raised her kids to love the Lord and people as passionately as she did. I am saddened to not have gotten to have seen that dream realized for her.

We often find ourselves thinking of many of the college students as though they were our own children. Seeing them grow & develop into adults is one of the greatest parts about working with college students. There are many times that we feel so proud of who they have become (knowing full well that we have had very little to do with that growth), some memories of Kert that have made us proud include:
• The week of 5-6th grade camp that she worked at with me last summer. She talked during the mission’s time about all the mission work that CSC is a part of and all the various trips she has been one. It was then that Barry & I realized that Kerstin in her 4 years at WIU & CSC had gone on every trip that we have taken at least once. She truly had a heart for serving people, even though going on one of these trips would require her to scrimp & save to come up with the cost. After this years’ mexico trip, I was told that she has now officially built every part of the Casas por Cristo house, each year having taken on a different portion of the building project. Which having built these houses myself tells me that she has volunteered to take on the least desirable parts of the process, which many students try so desperately to avoid (i.e. pulling the chicken wire, insulation, tarring on the roof, stucko). In addition to that, I know she was always willing to help get dinner ready, pack sack lunches, and wash dishes, while the other students were off playing cards or taking a nap. Many people take a short-term mission trip, but Kerstin had missions as a lifestyle.
• Kerstin had quite a reputation around campus to an extent that I did not even realize fully until this past few weeks. She worked in Sherman Hall, essentially just shredding documents & making copies, but there isn’t a person that I’ve spoken to that doesn’t know exactly who she is and how friendly she always was. Kerstin was always that way, 5 minutes into a conversation with her & you knew that you liked her. Others around Sherman have stopped through mentioning that they had heard that we had lost a student, but weren’t sure if they knew who she was. As soon as I would pull out a picture of her, EVERYONE knew her… ”Oh, she was the girl that would always be humming as she hauled boxes up & down the hall” or “she would always have her ipod in, looking like she was jamming out to something” or “she met me one time, but always remembered my name and ALWAYS said hi when we passed each other in the hallway.” Even the president remembered when she had stopped by for a piece of candy from our reception area and made a point to introduce herself and shake his hand. She was always so personable with everyone and I know I will continue to hear of how people remember having met her.
• She had a very special friendship with my son Gavin. In addition to having babysat for him off & on, she was one of the only people he would always give a hug to. He knew, as did the rest of us, that her hugs were very special & just made you feel so loved. I have so many funny memories of the two of them… Kerstin dressed as a mime for Halloween one time & had her face all painted white, Gavin got really scared & wouldn’t believe that it was her & that it was ok to give her a hug. He kept telling her to wash that icky stuff off her face, she was trying to not speak but mime everything, but took a break from that to explain to him that it was just silly paint on her face & that it wasn’t scary. Last fall, Gavin gave Kert a big hug after bible study & then patted on her chest with both hands as he looked up at me & said mommy “what’s dis?” We laughed for a long time… oh, the funny things kids say.
• After being to Juarez, Mexico just one time, it seemed obvious Kerstin had left an impression with those we worked closely with who live in El Paso. I can remember the first Casas por Cristo mission trip I took with Kert, and it was her second year going. As soon as we got out of the van in El Paso, one of our team leaders who lives in El Paso sees Kert, and calls her by name as they give each other a big hug. This is not a surprise since hugs were one of Kert’s specialties. I would venture to guess that if we were to revisit the homes where Kert helped build, she would be one of the few people the family members could remember by name. Kert’s actions in Juarez are just another example of her impartial love for people.
• Kerstin was also one of the favorite people with the kids who lived at Shiloh Christian Children’s Ranch in Kahoka, MO. Kerstin made three trips to Shiloh with CSC, and just as was the case with the people in El Paso/Juarez, it was the case with the children of the Penfield home at the Shiloh Ranch. She was remembered by the kids each year she came back. They would greet her by running to her and hugging her. She also spent time with these same kids out at Lamoine Christian Service Camp where Kert helped one or two weeks each summer.

We are so thankful to have known and loved Kert over the past 3 years. We are better for having known her & her tremendous heart. We won’t ever forget the impact that she left on our lives, the ministry of CSC, and the WIU campus. Thank you for allowing us to borrow her for these past few years, for allowing us to be her family, and for allowing her to be a part of ours.

Grandma Pam

2010-09-16T10:26:00.002-05:00

Grandma Pam has had some major improvements in the past week or so, she is finally off the ventilator for good this time. The trach (sp?) is out & she is talking great now. With this HUGE step forward, she seems to be more motivated & eager to move back home (still a ways away). She has been a little confused off & on about what her body is capable of doing; thinking she can get up & walk or use the bathroom, but it's been over 100 days that she's been confined to the hospital bed. I can't tell you how happy I am that she has been making progress; my worst fear was that she wouldn't improve to the point of being able to see Gavin & Cooper anymore. The hospital still won't let them back into her room, so we are eager to get her moved to a rehab. facility that will be more kid-friendly. Grandpa Jim brought her a birthday cake & we got to be there with her on Sat. for her birthday. of course, they didn't let her eat the cake, but Gavin dug into it & then the nursing staff also enjoyed it.
We are looking for more improvements in mobility & for her bed sores to heal up so we can get to see her more often. Right now the trips with both boys are tough as it takes all day to get there & back & Gavin gets restless in the waiting room, but we are so thankful that she is awake and getting back to her old self again!!

Looking forward to having a picture of her & the boys to post real soon!

It's been awhile...

2010-08-11T14:09:00.002-05:00

So, I've been away from the blog for almost a month now, partially because I've been busy with 2 kids & partially because somethings have transpired that I haven't wanted to commit to paper (or computer screen or whatever). Here's a brief overview of the last month, I'm sure more details will follow:

1. Cooper is now 9 1/2 weeks old. Still very long & skinny, totally the opposite of Gavin. He is eating well & sleeping VERY well (almost too much at night). He has started to coo (sort of sounds like he's saying "how") & is giving big smiles anytime he is well-fed. Still totally feels like a newborn though, only 9 1/2 lbs.

2. Gavin has been having a blast this summer. He got two new boys at day care to play with & has completely outgrown the pull-ups. YAH!! I think a lot of the credit goes to having two boys close to his age that are potty-trained for him to watch everyday, he wants to be a big boy around them, but still wants mommy to baby him at home. He is starting to enjoy "reading" books at home, he flips through the pages & tells you what is happening & why the people are happy or sad or whatever. My favorite is his Noah's Ark book when he says "these people are being mean to God, and God is sad, they are hurting him." So funny that he picks up so much on the facial expressions in the pictures & regurgitates stuff that I have told him only once before.

Now on to the crappy stuff....

3. Barry's stepmom is still not doing too well. She was temporarily moved to a nursing home in Galesburg, but that only lasted for 2 days before she came down with an infection & had to be sent back to ICU. We did get to take advantage of the time at the nursing home & brought the boys over to see her. She had been so disappointed not to get to see Cooper up close. (I have to admit that I am relieved not to have to take Gavin back into that nursing home, though, he was really scared by all the people he saw in the front lobby, he didn't want to go back.) She is still on a ventilator & having trouble keeping her blood sugar at a good level given that she has the infected bed sore. We are still hoping that she will find the strength to get off the ventilator for good, so she can start moving towards more mobility & getting moved back home, but that seems to be far off.

4. On July 29, we lost one of our students from the campus house. I say "one of our students" but what I should say is our favorite student (if you're allowed to have favorites. Kerstin Taylor babysat for Gavin, dog-sat, & house-sat for us for the past 3 years we have been in Macomb. She is the one female student that I instantly bonded with & that we accepted into our family without hesitation. We are feeling a great personal loss & at the same time trying to discern how to meet the needs of our "kids" who have lost a friend. She was loved by everyone & known by everyone & we don't even know how this coming school year will be impacted with the loss of such a great leader, friend, and servant. I had a very brief talk with Gavin, not sure how much to even try to explain to him, but not wanting to just never mention her again. He just simply said that he would go see her at Jesus's house in a couple weeks; I told him not til he gets a lot bigger. They still haven't released her cause of death, but it seems to have been heart failure or something similar, very quick & unexpected.

5. We found a house that we were just in love with, and everything seemed to being falling into place: we had a great renter for our home, it had a pool, was totally within our budget, had a small room off the master suite (my scrapbook nook), and was only a block from our day care lady, but in the end another offer was accepted. It was at first very discouraging because we are so ready to move & get Cooper settled into his own room (or a shared room with Gav). It's been an emotional roller coaster for the past 6 mos. trying to sell our house, every week or two having someone that seems interested, then having it fall through. Every time we have found a house that we liked, it has been sold so quickly. We've heard that houses just aren't selling this year, but everything we want to buy certainly has. I'm trying to be patient & just let God work it out, but it's so hard at the same time. There is so much second guessing involved, I could make myself crazy re-thinking whether we should have offered more, or if we should have taken that ridiculously low offer that we got a few months back. We're at a place now that we really don't want or need to profit from the house, just sell it so that we don't have to own two places at once.

5. School starts in less than 2 weeks, and I think this is the first time I am happy to say goodbye to summer. I miss the hustle of students in town, and the busyness that overwhelms us at times but reminds us that we are doing something productive. I have missed the college students, at times they seem to be my only friends, and have missed Gavin's friendships with them as well. He has 50 some aunts & uncles that smother him with attention, so I know the summers are probably a bit of a letdown for him as well. I am excited to see how my new position really takes off when the kids are back in town as well. It's been a slow summer for me with trying to learn a new position in the midst of taking a 6-week maternity leave.

I've done a lot of thinking this summer...about my role at home, at CSC, at our local church and I've decided that I haven't been putting myself out there as much as I should to get to know people, students, my co-workers. I let myself stay busy at home with the kids so much that I have come to realize that I haven't formed the kinds of deep friendships that I had back in Downs. I have a few close friends, but in the absence of a small group to be involved in, I haven't felt quite the sense of community that I once depended on so much. I know my life as a campus minister's wife & as a mom is unique & to some extent limits my ability to have close friends, but I have made that an easy excuse not to get close to people. I'm not sure what I need to do to break out of my rut, but I now know I'm going to have to try more, friendships don't come as easy for me as they used to.

P.S. I hate how long this is, without any pictures....sorry

Proof that he is my son

2010-07-15T15:47:00.004-05:00

Just because people always insist that Gavin is a "little Barry." I thought I would post these two pictures that showed up on my camera last month. I would assume Gavin took the one of me judging by the odd angle. See, he DOES look like me!

Cooper - 6 Weeks

2010-07-15T09:08:00.007-05:00

It's hard to believe that Cooper is just over 6 weeks now. He has grown & changed so much and of course I have been so busy enjoying him that I have fallen off the blogging bandwagon, so now to quickly sum up how the last 6 weeks have been....

* The c-section went as planned. I went in to surgery at 7:30, and he was out at 7:39 without any complications. The worst part of the whole ordeal was the 5 attempts it took to get the IV in my arm. Also, have to say having a catheter put in is sooo much worse when you can actually feel it.

* Cooper was 7 lbs. 8 oz. & 19 3/4 in. long. His face looked so much like Gavin's right from the get-go that I was really having a hard time not calling him Gavin (still happens every now & then.) There wasn't much debate about his name, it was the name we had picked for Gavin, but then Barry changed our mind (yes, that's how I meant to word that) and he became Gavin. So, I finally have my Cooper. Gavin calls him Bubba or CJ, but Daddy is trying to make Coop stick, so we'll see...

* My recovery wasn't too bad, but the first 2 days home from the hospital were the worst part, just did soooo much more moving at home than I was doing at the hospital. I was so thankful to have my sister & her kids staying with Gavin. He was so busy having fun with them that he didn't feel abandoned by me or Barry. Boy, did I miss him that week though, it was nice to be home so I could have more time with him.

* Cooper had his one-month checkup (which actually ended up being at 5 weeks 5 days, and is now 9 lbs. 4 oz. & 23.5 in. long. He's 80% for height & 20% for head size & weight. Kind of the opposite of Gavin, at least in regards to his weight. Gavin put on weight soo fast & his head always seemed to big for his body. The biggest indicator that Cooper is really long: We had to move the straps on his carseat up to the second set of holes cause he sits so tall in the seat. I also noticed that the seat only goes up to 29 in. & he is already over 23! If he grows another 4 in. in the next 6 weeks, he'll be out of this carrier way earlier than Gavin was!

* About week 3, we all came down with colds that were pretty nasty. Gavin's only lasted a few days, but Barry was sick for almost 2 full weeks. We'll all saw the dr. during that time & probably dropped $200 on medicines (I know at one point I was taking 4 different things everyday & several of them more than once a day.) What a relief it was to get past that time.

* We spent week 5 in Indy with my family, so Gavin got more time to play with Addie & Avery. He enjoyed fishing, swimming, papa's boat, the big playground, the rock climbing wall, fireworks on the 4th, and probably the highlight of the week: Seeing Toy Story 3 at "the big movie place." He is still talking about how we can see Toy Story 3 again next time we go to gramaw & papa's house. We were also able to get some good pictures of the whole family & take the kids to get cousin pictures together for the first time.

* I started back to work this week & actually survived my first few days without any tears. It was rough trying to settle down to sleep the first night, with my mind racing about everything I needed to take to day care & remember to talk to her about. I was anxious but it helped that I feel really comfortable with our day care situation now. Nikie has been so good with Gavin & really understanding of how tough it is to head back to work. I'm surprised how easy the transition really was. It helped that Cooper gave me & Barry his first real smile the weekend right before he started at day care. I knew it would be any day now, and was nervous about him having some of his "firsts" at day care when I wasn't around. Now, if I can just get him to save his first laugh & his first steps for me that will be great!

* On a sort of unrelated note, we've been making trips to Peoria every weekend that we are free as Barry's stepmom has been in ICU at a special hospital there. She had bulging discs in her neck that required surgery the week that Cooper was born, and was left partially paralyzed. Since that time, she has made tremendous progress in regaining mobility but is still on a ventilator & unable to see the kids until she gets out of ICU. Prayers for her continued recovery would be appreciated. How hard it must be to not be able to see the boys, when I know she really wants to. We've discovered that we can hold them up outside her window, but she won't be able to hold them for quite awhile still.

Here are some pictures of the past 6 weeks!

2010-06-17T15:30:00.000-05:00

The dimple

2010-06-08T07:12:00.001-05:00

Early morning hours

4 days to go....

2010-05-27T15:35:00.004-05:00

I'm only 4 days away from my scheduled C-section, and really starting to go stir-crazy. I had kept hoping that I would go into labor sooner & not have to spend the 3-day weekend at home waiting, but have since given up hope that things will progress any sooner than planned. I don't think all the castor oil, foot rubs, and walking in the world can make this baby come out any sooner.

Gavin is getting very excited now that his paper chain is down to enough links that he can count them all by himself...he insists that the babies bed should be in his room, so we may have a little fight about that when we move the bassinet back into our room. After a few nights of the baby crying, surely he will change his mind about wanting to share a room.

To help kill the time this weekend, I'm hoping to find as much fun stuff for the 3 of us to do as possible. In lieu of our usual garage sales on saturday, Gavin will be competing in a fishing contest, which I would imagine will be pretty funny. Maybe if he has good luck there, he'll be asked to go on the Pim boys fishing trip, as they never seem to catch anything (except a lot of slack from the wives they leave behind...)

Unfortunately, none of the area pools are open yet, but we may have to get a kiddie one with how hot it will be. Would be nice to lounge in a pool at least once this summer, not sure how much I'll get too post-surgery.

Next post, you should see some pictures of the newest Reed Boy!!!

Baby Gavin - Oct. 2007

2010-05-13T12:17:00.003-05:00

I've been taking a trip down memory lane lately, thinking about what Gavin looked like when he was first born & how funny his facial expressions were.
Only 18 days (maybe less) until we get to meet his little brother. I can't wait to see how excited Gavin is after waiting so long for "Bubba" to arrive.
He's probably starting to think there isn't a baby at all, just mommy's big tummy.

He has a paper chain on his wall, and loves taking on off everyday, but doesn't seem to know what he is counting down towards....

I have a funny feeling that Bubba will look just like Gavin, and we'll have a hard time telling the pictures apart.

2010-05-08T11:17:00.001-05:00

Gavin is now a certified big brother!

2010-04-28T19:29:00.000-05:00

Gavin's chosen attire for watching the cardinals game!

Gavin singing

2010-04-21T08:41:00.002-05:00

Gavin has become quite a singer these past 2 months. While Daddy jokes that he is tone deaf, I'm just impressed he can remember all the words to some of his favorite praise songs...

2010-04-20T19:18:00.001-05:00

Gavin's new favorite game: lining up all his cars to make a big choo-choo!

2010-04-02T12:54:00.001-05:00

Flowers from barry!

Starting New...

2010-04-02T12:43:00.002-05:00

This week I am making the transition to my new position in the President's office. I've really enjoyed being with the fun, outdoorsy faculty & students in Recreation, Park and Tourism, but am excited for the new challenges that this promotion will entail. This change was originally scheduled last November, but this time of year seems perfect for a big job change. The weather changing is a bog motivator to look at what areas of life I can start fresh in, and where I have grown stagnant.
With a new baby coming, hopefully a new house purchase soon, and a new job, I'm feeling very overwhelmed with all this change, but I know that past periods of extreme change have also been times of extreme blessing.
When we first moved to Macomb 3 years ago with a baby on the way, a new house, and no jog prospects for me, we found very quickly that once the dust settled we saw God's hand in all the transition. So, this time around, I'm trying not to worry or be anxious about how the next 3 months will play out but just keep trusting that the house, baby, and job will all fall into place.

On a side note, Barry picked out (and he did pick them out, despite my skepticism) the most beautiful flowers for my first day at work. I love that even though I have insisted often that in general flowers bug my allergies & just seem like a waste of money, he knows I still like them every now & then. It's an even bigger deal when I know he is sweating our finances & pinching every penny. Nice to know he thinks I'm still worth spoiling!!! Love you Barry!!!

Let's go fly a kite!

2010-03-24T10:06:00.003-05:00

We took Gavin out to fly a kite last monday, and although he was very excited at the idea, we didn't get it up very high in the air. There really wasn't enough wind, so we are looking forward to a day that is windy, so he can really enjoy it!
The pictures of him trying to make it fly are much more amusing than the ones of mommy running around dragging it.

Gavin after he gave up trying to make it fly...

Baby Coming June 1st!

2010-03-18T08:31:00.003-05:00

We met with our Nurse Practitioner and discussed our options for a VBAC or scheduling another C-section, and the consensus we reached was the C-section would be the safest route to go. She put my odds at 25-30% of having a successful VBAC, so we all agreed it wasn't worth it (especially being they have shortened the amount of time mom & baby have to be separated, I can now hold the baby 20 min. after rather than the 2 hours I waited last time!) We then had the chance to get another sonogram where we saw that the baby is sitting breach, so that sort of sealed it for me (this baby has not rolled or moved like Gavin did, he/she has stayed put for over 3 months). The pictures we got our really funny cause it's feet & hands were up above it's head so he/she must be very flexible!! Also, looked like this baby has a skinny nose, so we may have dodged the Smith Family nose once again, but I guess we'll see.
The C-section is tentatively scheduled for June 1st which is right after Memorial Day weekend, but there is a small chance they would move it up to the Friday before Memorial Day depending on what the hospital's surgery schedule looks like around that time. That means I only have 3 dr. appts. left until we get to meet this little guy/gal. Just this last month it has actually felt real, because it took me this long to gain weight & really get a baby bump going. I gained almost 9 pounds this past month, which was a welcome change to the 1-2 I had gained every month previously. I think I'll still end up smaller than I was with Gav, but that is fine by me!! Baby is almost 3 lbs. right now.
Gavin is starting to catch on now, and talks to his baby. Whenever I lift up my shirt to show him the baby, he kisses it or talks to it (usually just gibberish, but with the tone of voice as if he is yelling at the baby because it is trouble.) He still talks about the sono. appt. from over a month ago where the dr. put that yucky stuff on my tummy & he was crying at the doctor. He doesn't like that dr. too much, haha.
I'm thinking now is a good time to start digging through the old baby clothes, sorting & re-washing everything. He will really enjoy that!!
Nothing new on the house selling front, so I'm getting used to the idea that we may still be here when the baby comes, although it's still 2.5 months away...

Baby Polley!

2010-03-16T12:41:00.002-05:00

I went to springfield last weekend for a baby shower of an old friend! I can't believe i am old enough that my little sister's friends are having babies!
Gavin got to spend the afternoon with Cousin Addie & Avery John and I got to see my sisters one more time before our baby arrives!
Erica is due a month before me!

Diaper Cake

2010-03-12T09:41:00.003-06:00

I attempted my first diaper cake last weekend. It really wasn't too tough, just a lot of thinking to figure out what things would fit on it, and how to get the diapers to stay together. Definitely required a 2nd set of hands at times...

Now if I could just figure out something cuter to set the cake on. My old pizza pan doesn't really scream baby shower.

Brinner!

2010-03-12T09:32:00.002-06:00

Gavin & I decided to have brinner one night, and somehow I got distracted & added twice the milk as the mix calls for, so the pancakes were exceptionally thin. I was really frustrated (seems like I can't ever make the perfect pancake), but we decided to make pancake tacos instead. Gavin is thrilled with anything called a taco, cause he likes to roll them up. So, I put eggs & cheese on the pancake & the rolled it up.
He has requested them twice since, so I think my blunder turned into a success.

I also thought it would be fun to make a Mickey pancake, my dad used to make them, and Gavin was excited to put the face on (all I had was white chocolate chips). Funny, how a mealtime mess-up can turn into something worthy of taking a picture!!

Big Tractors

2010-03-05T12:59:00.003-06:00

Last weekend, the Farm Expo was held at WIU. We took Gavin over to look at all the big tractors. He was really excited to get to pretend to drive them all! Gavin doesn't really care what color the tractor is, he just wants to drive it.

2010-02-24T09:37:00.001-06:00

Gavin's First Snowman

2010-02-17T11:24:00.008-06:00

We had Lincoln's Birthday off from work, so we got to take Gavin out to enjoy the snow a little bit on a day that wasn't dangerously cold.
He wanted to build a mommy snowman, daddy snowman, and Gavin snowman, but we decided we really only had time for one snowman. I'd forgotten how hard it is to roll a big ball when you don't have snow pants on, so instead I used a shovel, and our snowman is more like a snow-hill.

I ran inside to get the snowman a hat, cause the one we see on our drive to daycare has a hat, but he didn't want the snowman to wear his hat, so he took it back right away.

His absolute favorite is sliding down the slide into a big pile of snow, it is funny to watch him try to get up once he gets to the bottom!

We also had to get a picture of him with the new sign in our yard. We have one of me about 7 months pregnant with the sold sign out front from when we first moved here.

24 Weeks, 1 Day

2010-02-16T10:39:00.000-06:00

Today is the day!
Possibly the most exciting day until the baby comes, we get to have a sonogram and see if we are having a boy or girl. This will be the first and maybe the only appt. that Gavin can come along to, so it will be fun to see his face when they put the baby on the screen. I don't know if that will help things sink in or not.
Doctors sure are sneaky, as a bribe to make sure you come in for that nasty glucose test they put it on the same day as your sonogram. So, this morning after 9 hours of starving myself, I drank their lemon-lime sugar potion, and sat in the waiting room for over an hour on the verge of passing out, so that they could get my blood tested. Lucky for me, Gavin didn't have to wait that entire time with us or he would have gone crazy!!! Our sono isn't until 2 PM today, so I'll try to concentrate on work for a few hours before heading back over there.
We're thinking at this point we want to keep it a secret, but may end up spilling the baby's gender eventually, especially if Gavin starts talking about it.

On a side note, we had someone interested in seeing our house yesterday, only 4 days after it hit the market! That was very encouraging!!

Go Western!!!

2010-02-02T09:16:00.002-06:00

Gavin has really gotten into WIU Basketball. We watch the games on TV and have taken him twice. He mostly watches Rocky walk around, updating us every 20 sec. on where Rocky is and when he is dancing or being silly. He likes doing "tickle fingers" when we shoot free throws. Last time he even brought Tigger along to meet Rocky, but unfortunately he didn't walk over to our section, so they didn't get to meet.

Please disregard my face!!

Baby Bump 21 Weeks!

2010-02-02T09:12:00.000-06:00

I hadn't started taking belly pictures yet, cause I really didn't have much to show off, but I got several comments after wearing this sweater that my sister sent me, so I thought it was time. Gavin doesn't actually touch the belly in a sweet way, he was trying to tickle me. It looks like I'm trying to stick my belly out, but I really just stand like that with my knees locked, just horrible posture...

Snow Day!

2010-01-12T12:25:00.011-06:00

We had a snow Day last Thursday, and decided it was time to get Gavin out in the Snow. He only lasted for 15 minutes, but I was ready to come in after 10.
He watched me shovel the sidewalk and went down his slide twice. He liked landing in the snow, but not touching it with his hands.

Even though we weren't out long, I had to get a few pictures to show Daddy, and document Gavin's first time out in the snow. Next time, we'll get better gloves!

Gavin's Room makeover

2010-01-08T10:21:00.002-06:00

We decided a few months ago that Gavin's big Christmas present would be a big boy bed, and although we still haven't found a bed frame we like. He was really excited to move from his crib (I know a 2 y 3m old that weighs 30+ pounds still in a crib is crazy), especially with the Cars bedding my parents had bought him. For now he's still treating the bed like he did his crib, he won't get out of it at night or in the morning, until someone comes to get him (not minding that for the time being).

We also found a used train table (about the size of a toddler bed) for $25. He was really excited and yelled "my table!my table!" when Barry carried the legs in. We still don't know how he knew it was a table, but he was even more excited to see that his two choo-choo tracks fit on it.

Posing with the table before we

assembled all the train tracks.

Both train tracks just barely fit with a little room

for the Cars gang to sit on the table too.

This table really makes his room cramped, but we think we can endure it for a few months until we move into a new house this Spring.

He was so excited to play with the trains, he wouldn't look at me for another picture. The sign of a good present!

Christmas with the Reeds

2010-01-08T10:04:00.000-06:00

We did our usual tour of Christmas parties this year, starting with the Smith (Barry's mom) side of the family on Dec. 20, and ending up in Indy through the week after Christmas. I've picked a few good ones from each occasion, as there were too many to post them all.

Just getting started at the Smith Christmas party. The little kids all opened presents at once, Gavin was happy not to have to be patient and watch the others open their things.

Gavin got some very special home-made blocks from Uncle Jeremy. He made them out of scraps from his garage. Gavin had to take every block out of the bag, just to make sure they were all there. Aunt Kristie made the bag to hold them all. They are so crafty!!

We had 2 days at my parents before Christmas day, and Gavin requested to "do cooking with Gamaw," so they made a Happy Birthday Jesus cake. Gavin got to put sprinkles on it, and he thought that was pretty great!

Just getting started with presents at Gamaw & Papa Pims. This is probably the only time, he looked at me during the entire present opening time. This year, we went and saw cousin Avery & Addie the next day, so Gavin was the center of attention, as the only grandchild there for Christmas day. He didn't seem to mind. Gamaw also made Gavin the shirt he is wearing, it's a choo-choo with his name on it, and also says "big brother in training."

Gavin was very concerned about the mess he was making, and picked up his paper after each present, even sometimes picking up other peoples garbage and throwing it away. I think he gets this from Great Papa Pim.

This is the only picture of Barry opening a gift. He was really excited about this multi-tool saw thing that my grandparents got him. It was a complete surprise, and I didn't even know what it was, but he swears "I've wanted one for soooo long." (I'm not sure what is up with his face.) He did pretty good this year, got a lot of surprise gifts, which is always hard to pull off. He got an ipod, CD player for his truck, and a new DVD player for our room.

Probably Gavin's best reaction (next to when he found his mater truck in our closet the week before Christmas) was when he opened these three little cars that I bought used for $11. Maybe because they didn't take 20 min. to take out of the packaging, but he started playing with them right away and had to be re-focused on opening his next present.

Gavin was excited about his Cars rug for his new room, once he knew what it was of course. It was like Where's Waldo, trying to find all the characters on the rug.

Towards the end, Gavin stopped unwrapping his presents completely. The one in the front is a Thomas toy, and he opened just enough to say "Thomas! Mommy Thomas!" and then moved right on to the big on in the back.

Gavin trying out his new Cars Blanket. We had a big surprise waiting for him at home, but I'll post those pictures next time.

Later on Christmas Day, we sang Happy Birthday Jesus, and blew out a candle, and ate Gavin's cake. He was insistent that it was Daddy's Birthday not Jesus, but still let us sing.

The next day, we headed to the Willis's, where Avery John was still feeling sick, and unable to travel to Gamaws. Gavin & big cousin Addie decorated Gingerbread men cookies, and Gavin played with all of Avery's new car toys. Hopefully, I'll get some pictures from my sisters to post of that fun day. I wasn't feeling to well, and napped/rested through most of the day.

We are hoping to do Christmas with Barry's parents in the next few weeks, so we're still not completely done!

Kristen & B's wedding!

2009-12-22T08:41:00.000-06:00

Gavin got to be the ring bearer for Kristen & Brandon's wedding last weekend. Since he was walking with his buddy Jacob, who is 4, we thought he might actually make it up the aisle. When they told him to go, he took off running and gave Daddy a big hug. Don't know that he really rang his jingle bells, but he was plenty entertaining for sure.

Gamaw bought him his new suit, so hopefully we will get some good Christmas pictures out of it as well....

Here's our first attempts....

Gavin and his buddy Jacob.

More attempts at a family picture...

Well, maybe we'll get that picture at Gamaw & papa's house.

Thanksgiving at the Smiths

2009-12-22T08:30:00.000-06:00

We went to see Grandpa Tunney and the family for Thanksgiving. Gavin was excited to see his cousin, Ellie Kate, but she didn't really want anything to do with him.

Aunt Kissie

Apparently, he is a big cheese.

Gavin's First Haircut

2009-12-22T08:25:00.000-06:00

Gavin got his first real haircut just in time for Kristen & Brandon's wedding and all of the Christmas pictures to follow. I had take the buzz clippers to him only once before, and he looked so bald because his hair is so light. I thought it better to let a professional do it this time. He sat still the entire time, and had plenty of Mickey mouse stuff to look at while he sat in the race car.

Checking out the car before they got started. Yes, we were definitely due for a haircut!!

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

2009-11-23T09:38:00.000-06:00

After the National Missionary Convention, we are able to take Gavin to see Playhouse Disney live in Concert. We didn't even know the show was coming to Peoria, but as we were packing up our booth on Sunday afternoon, we saw them setting up their kiosks. Gavin was so well-behaved all weekend, minus a few mealtime issues, we just had to take him.

He really didn't know what was going on, and thought he was just there to see all the toys for sale and the big pictures of Handy Manny and Mickey Mouse.

Here are some photos of the show.

Gavin checking out the Handy Manny tools, that may have to go on his Christmas list.

Gavin and Daddy before the show, only a brief nap, so it took him awhile to wake up.

Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy. Everytime one of the characters went off Gavin would point and laugh and say "Tigger hiding mommy." From the very first scene where you see Mickey, Gavin was saying that Goofy was hiding.

Gavin at intermission, he has finally decided he is excited.

The big Finale.

Hate to admit it, but as the lights came back on and we got ready to go, I started to tear up. He was really getting into it, and it was fun to watch him. He's growing up so fast, and I can't seem to pack enough fun surprises into the time we have. Glad we had this opportunity to rock his socks!

Baby on Board

2009-11-17T09:25:00.000-06:00

So, today is the day we tell the world that Gavin is getting a baby sista or budder. He's been saying sista, but really has no idea what he's talking about. He thinks the baby is in his belly.
To read all the progress, you'll have to go back to the first post I made over a month ago when this blog was started.
We are so excited to be on this journey again, now to just get the house finished!!

The end of all the secrets

2009-11-13T11:29:00.001-06:00

This is the last time I will blog secretly about my pregnancy, as we plan to anounce the news to everyone after our appt. this coming Monday. When I was pregnant with Gavin, we really enjoyed having a little secret to ourselves, but this time around, I am hating keeping it to myself. I think I just need the excitement of others to help me get revved up for this unexpected surprise and help me relax a little bit about all the things we have to get ready before he/she comes. It will help my controlling side to know exactly when the baby will come this time, but I'm really not looking forward to another C-section already. I think the worst part is having to wait so long to hold my baby, they wheel you up to recovery, after only a glimpse at the baby. My absolute worst fear is that something can go wrong in the first 90 min. that the baby is out, but I am not with him/her. Daddy gets to be there, at least.

I've been having a few weird symptoms lately, aside from the regular nausea and exhaustion...

I have had multiple dreams that Barry dies while I am pregnant with this baby, and (here's the weird part) the board at CSC sits around trying to come up with who will be my new husband to take care of me & the 2 kids, and will also take Barry's job. The worst part is they are always deciding this, while I sit behind one of those one-way mirrors like they have in the cry rooms at churches. I'm watching them discuss different men, as if this is Biblical days and they are deciding who my kinsman redeemer will be. I've had this dream 4-5 times, and it's always the same 2-3 boys that are up for the job. What a weird dream?? The stranger the dream, the more I will have it. I usually wake up crying or just really angry at the world.

I've also felt bloated more than ever, as if a giant balloon (like one of those punch balls) is in my abdomen and crowding everything out. I am short of breath very easily, and having a harder & harder time with some of my clothes. No one can tell that I'm showing (not even Barry), but man I can feel it.

I've been super-emotional the last week or so. One day I cried 4 times, which is very unlike me, especially when nothing is wrong. 3 of those times were sappy commercials, which is really strange. Not feeling particularly sad or anything, my eyes just tear up all the time for some reason.

I'm really looking forward to my next post where I can make the big announcement!!

Gamaw & Papaw are coming!

2009-11-06T15:15:00.000-06:00

So, the last 3-4 days, I've been prepping Gavin for my parents & grandparents visit this weekend. It'll probably be the last time we see any of my family until Christmas.
Everytime I would mention gamaw & papaw are coming Friday, he would say "No, Mommy, Abry Don (Avery John)." I would have to remind him that Cousin Avery John was not coming this time, and we would see him at Christmas. Apparently, Grandma & Papa are just not as exciting as his boy cousin Avery. We'll see what he thinks when they finally arrive tonight; one of these days he'll realize that he gets more attention when he's the only grandchild around.

Avery & Gavin at Avery's First Birthday Last Month. They will definitely be trouble in a few years.

October Fun!

2009-11-03T14:06:00.000-06:00

Gavin ended up having 3 halloween costumes (which was a life-saver). We had bought him one (a garden gnome, it was histerical), he already had a cowboy getup from a garage sale, and someone gave us a Thomas the train outfit. On Wednesday night, after 4 changes, he decided to be a cowboy....the gnome beard was too itchy, and the Thomas too long on him. Barry made his own costume without my knowledge or approval.
So here are my cowboy (Gavin sometimes says Cowman, as if he is offended) and my big tool, I mean Hammer. Mommy had no costume, and whenever anyone asked I simply said "I'm a mom who spent over an hour getting the boy dressed, and has no time for her own costume."

The other night, we started raking up our leaves (or should I say our neighbors leaves, as we have no trees). The first time I threw Gavin on the pile, he got really upset, but after awhile he warmed up to it.

He mostly just kicked the pile around, and evertime I would re-rake it up for him. He would say "Dank you Mommy!"

2009-11-03T11:52:00.001-06:00

Surprise from barry today. Almost 8 years later & still in love!!

Gavin's Birthday

2009-10-26T09:13:00.001-05:00

For Gavin's 2nd Birthday, we met my family in Springfield for lunch and then went to an Open House at a Children's Ranch that some friends of ours have started. At the recommendation of a friend from Springfield, we made a reservation at "The Pizza Machine," really unsure what to expect. It was kind of like a chuck e. cheese, with an arcade, but not as crowded or noisy, and fun for bigger kids too. Here are some pictures from our day...

Gavin opening presents. Addie helped a lot.

The giant alligator that was across from our table; Gavin thought it was great!!

Cousin Avery squashing the "spiders" with gamaw.

Gavin on the swirly slide.

Addie feeding the goats at the ranch, she wouldn't stop talking long enough to smile. She was determined that the goat was trying to eat her jacket after he took a little nibble of it.

Gavin petting the horses, and pointing out all the poop that was yucky.

The week after Gavin's Birthday, we decided to finally have his birthday cake. He helped make it, and then ate most of it. He got to use his new birthday plate for the first time. This was his first time helping cook, and he thought he was such a big boy!

Gavin in mommy's old pampered chef apron....

Helping mommy stir the battter.

Can't keep his fingers out of the icing...

Gavin & Daddy

Gavin's Favorite

2009-10-16T13:15:00.004-05:00

I have just learned that I am no longer Gavin's favorite person in the world. In a recent conversation, Gavin informed me that he would rather go see Jeff, Drew, Lizzy, and Nate than stay in and watch Nemo with mommy. I guess this is just the beginning, but the feelings of rejection are already there. He will blow me an air kiss, but doesn't like real kisses anymore. Daddy has always been more exciting than me, but now he is falling for CSC students (probably because they hang him upside down and wrestle with him more than I have the energy for. On a brighter note, he still likes me more than the daycare lady, although he did say she was "Koote" (Cute).

Last Sunday, Gavin pulled a dresser over that had a TV on top of it, which just barely missed hitting his head. I think we've underestimated his strength. Guess who was the favorite then???

We recently converted his room to a "big boy" room, taking down all the animals and putting up Cars and Thomas things. This was a big deal for him, and he is still carrying on about everything on the walls. He knows most of the trains and the cars by name.

I have also had several "proud mama" moments for our CSC students recently. They have worked so long & hard to get CSC's name out there during all the homecoming events, and have represented CSC in a positive light in everything they do!! What a privilege to get to watch them grow as individuals and carry on the tradition of CSC and impacting WIU for Christ!

Hearing the heartbeat

2009-10-12T14:34:00.003-05:00

Today, we went in for a 2nd sonogram to determine if we have a tiny lil' baby who likes to hide from us or if we have no baby at all. Prior to the sonogram, we spent a few minutes talking about what would follow if the baby was no more. Deciding how soon we would need to have the D&C performed, and whether or not we would need my mom to come up for a few days to help around the house with Barry gone next week. Funny, how every shred of confidence disappears when the moment of truth comes, and I instead turn to thinking the worst is happening.
When the sonogram was performed, we were amazed to not only see a dash, but a full-grown peanut with a heartbeat even. The nurse said we probably caught the little booger on the first or second day he/she had a heartbeat. What a change in one week; going from nothing visible to hearing & seeing the heart, and the baby that appears to be 3-4 days older than we had anticipated (at least based on size).
How funny, that this week's bible study was all about having joy no matter the circumstances, and I was dreading completing each lesson with the possibility of losing this baby hanging over us. I suppose I was reserving my joy until the anxiety was resolved, but then that's not how Paul & Silas approached it while singing praises from prison or Stephen when being attacked & stoned. Gosh, I have so much to learn about being filled with joy no matter the circumstances, but for now I have every reason to be joyful. It's a baby! A real, blood-bumping peanut baby!
My next hurdle is remaining joyful through the AM puking that has just started to rear it's ugly head, but man it feels to be feeling all of it again!!
I love you baby peanut!!

Oct. 5th Appt.

2009-10-06T09:11:00.004-05:00

So, today was my first ultrasound, which is much earlier than most women have one, because I am still considered a "high-risk" pregnancy. I think the term "high-anxiety" would probably describe it better.
Barry was out of town at a Campus Minister's meeting that he really couldn't get out of without everyone knowing something serious was going on. Since we aren't really sure if this pregnancy will work out, we are very hesitant to share the news with anyone.

So, I went into the office & sat in that cold, dark sono-room for close to 20 minutes (felt like 3 hours) a nervous wreck. It was in a room just like this, when I was all alone, that I found out we lost our first baby. Although time & God have healed that pain, I was amazed at how quickly the memories came back. When my Nurse Practitioner finally came in, she said "we are looking for a sac with a little dash in it." After a few minutes of glancing around in there, she said, "well, the sac is there, but I don't see the dash (the baby)." She reassured me that it may be just too small to see at this point, and we will try again next week. So, now we sit and wait a week to see if there is or isn't a baby. While waiting makes me anxious, I am determined that God has destined this little "oops" baby to be. Either way, we will trust Him to continue to provide for the health and growth of our family.

Women's Bible Study & Grad. School

2009-10-06T08:58:00.006-05:00

This semester Liz, Kristen and I are team-leading a Beth Moore Women's study on the Fruits of the Spirit. It includes watching a one-hour video of Beth, and then we split into three groups to discuss the week's homework and the video. Having never done a Beth Moore study before, I was unsure what to expect. Here are a few things I have come to appreciate....

Her videos are not only keeping my attention, but she is a very moving speaker. Not sure that I've ever been moved to tears by watching a speaker on tape.
I have an awesome group of young ladies, who are so different from one another, but we are slowly getting to know each other and I am LOVING getting to know them.
As much as I was warned, I have to say that I haven't found any of her outfits to be that outrageous at all. If my 50 year old mother dressed like her, I wouldn't be embarrassed.
I didn't realize how badly I needed to have a night away from Gavin & Barry to hang with some girls!! How did I ever survive without some me-time with God and other women?

On another note, I have been accepted into the RPTA Grad. program, and will start classes this spring. Not sure how I'll balance everything, but I am convinced that this is a great opportunity for me, and will pay off in the future.

To tell or not to Tell

2009-10-02T11:38:00.002-05:00

I've been debating inside my own mind, when to start telling people that we are expecting. For many couples on their first pregnancy, the news is leaked the moment the stick turns pink, but somehow I am just too cautious for that.

We have told Gavin, but of course he doesn't understand anything about it. Barry swears he will leak the news by pointing to my stomach and saying "mommy baby," but he still thinks he has a baby in his belly button too.

We are anxious for the pregnancy to seem real, which doesn't happen until you get that first sonogram and everyone knows the news. I have a sonogram next week, which is earlier than most as a precaution due to my previous miscarriage, but still can't decide if once that appt. has past if we should feel at ease with sharing our news or go ahead and wait the entire first 12 weeks. It feels like forever to wait this time around. With Gavin, I LOVED having the secret just between the two of us, but can't stand it this time!!!

If I can convince Barry to let me spill it, we will probably start with my parents in a few weeks. But may still wait to let all of CSC know, and announce it to the world of facebook.

Also, I bought Gavin a package of goldfish crackers last week, and they expire on June 6, 2010, which got me really excited as that is our suspected due date.

My first Blog Post!!

2009-10-01T09:21:00.003-05:00

So, here it is the long-awaited inaugural post on my new blog.

To begin, I feel an update on the happenings of the last month is in order...

Barry bought me a cricut in early September, so I have had a renewed excitement for scrapbooking! Next project to complete is the book of Gavin's first year of life (he turns 2 this weekend).

Barry turned 30 this month, and I surprised (or should I say didn't surprise him) with a little party with some of our family and friends. Because his laptop has been on the fritz, we bought him a new on the week before his birthday, and then were also able to buy him a motorized scooter, which he has been wanting ever since we moved back to Macomb. It was in great condition, and pretty sharp looking for a scooter, that is until I drove it into the garage on my first ride. Needless to say, I have decided that I won't be driving it to work, at least not until I can learn how to squeeze a handlebar to make the brakes work. (In my defense, I had not ridden a bicycle in almost 3 years). Apparently, you can forget how to ride a bike. I am determined to at the very least stay of the scooter until the golf-ball sized bruise on my shin is gone.

Gavin is getting so big, and although he is not climbing out of his crib yet (very surprising) I am thinking it's time for a big-boy bed because mommy is straining to pick him up out of his crib.

He turns 2 this saturday, and we will be taking him to Springfield for a Pim Family pizza party, and a trip to see some horses at our friends' children's ranch. He has no idea how excited he should be to get to see Gamma (Nancy), Papa (Randy), Nahnah (Renee), Uncle Mack (Matt), Daddie (Addie), Baby Abry (Avery), Missa (Melissa), Doron (yah, go figure that's the only one he can say right!) as well as a ton of kids and horses!

It has been so fun to see our family grow, and we always love getting together so the kids can play.

Baby #2 in the Oven

2009-09-30T11:55:00.002-05:00

Well, it's official, although no one but Barry will be reading this until close to Thanksgiving. We are pregnant again!! We confirmed our suspicions on Sept. 24th, and again (just for backup) on Sept. 27. So, for now I am right about 5 weeks. Just did some initial blood work, and hormone levels are right on, so our fears of miscarriage are somewhat eased, although not fully until we have another blood test this weekend, ultrasound, and the first full exam (Oct. 19).

I've been trying to decide if there is any super-creative way to announce this pregnancy to my family. I believe they will be more surprised this time around than last, because they knew we had been trying after we lost Theresa. It will probably take place over Thanksgiving break, unless we have another chance to see everyone at the beginning/middle of Nov. It's kinda fun to have the secret for now, but at the same time not a reality until the world knows and I start pouching.

So, for now, the only major changes are...

I have now sworn of soda. The only way to get more water in me is to stop drinking other things I love. Barry is such a gentle reminder of when I slip up. HA!
I am a little achy & queasy, but nothing like I was with Gavin. Can't remember if I was sick right away or if it kicked in a little later in the first trimester, but it lasted forever. If I go through that again, we should all buy stock in jello as that was the only thing I could eat until afternoon.
I am really second-guessing any thoughts I had had about pursuing a transfer that would mean a full-year, full-time job. Part-time this summer, sounds good now that I know the baby will be due around June 6.

The only other thing on my mind lately is that this pregnancy is lining up just about a week later than Theresa's was. Sept. 26, 2006 was the day we found out we had lost her, and while I'm trying not to dwell on the connection between the two, I can't help but worry. We aren't yet passed the point that we were when we lost her, so until that week passes, I will be on edge.