36 weeks 5 days, dr appointment

Today I started my weekly dr appointment's. They did the group B strep test. I was negative last time and I hope that I am again......so I don't have to go to the hospital as early when I go into labor. He said that I am 2 cm dilated but didn't mention anything about effacement...that is more progress made than I did last time on my own. I am hoping that I can go into labor on my own this time and experience the excitement of realizing, "okay, today is the day!" and of knowing that it was the day baby was ready to come into the world. But I had a pretty easy induction last time so if I have to be induced again I don't think I will be as disappointed as I was last time.

He also said he thought baby was probably around 7.5 lbs at this point...and that babies average about 1/2 pound a week in the last month.....looks like another big baby if I go till my due date!!

Even though these last 2-3 weeks have gone pretty slow I still can't believe I will be the mother of 2 beautiful babies in about 3 weeks or so:) It is such a huge responsibility and can be overwhelming at times but it is also such a joy to be blessed with little ones.

36 weeks

So I am 36 weeks pregnant and this week has been the slowest week in the history of my life...seriously! I am sore, achey, exhausted, lazy, and obviously, whiney....I need to snap out of it but all I have been able to think about is having this baby and getting in our new house!! And guess what, I have no control over either!! It kind of stinks too that it is so cold and snowy out b/c we haven't been able to get out of the house much. The thought of getting my son out to do something simply exhausts me. Yesterday I decided to venture out and go to storytime at the library but I ended up missing it b/c I talked on the phone too long in the parking lot....so we decided to go visit my sister-in-law at the downtown retail shop where she works. I was carrying Israel into the store when I slipped on some ice and we both fell to the ground....it was a little embarassing to say the least. Luckily all three of us are okay but it sure did scare me. I have some scraped knees and a sore back but that is it. After that I didn't really want to go home so we drove around town....haha....for a bit to kill some time! So I know that the longer baby stays in my belly the better but if she is ready, I am ready for her once 37 weeks hits:) I doubt that she will make an appearance much before her due date though since my son was 3 days overdue and would have been more had I not been induced. So, here is to hoping that this week goes much faster with all the holiday hustle and bustle!!!! Sorry, a bit of a downer post I know....I promise I'll be more cheery next time:) Merry Christmas to all!!!!

35 weeks preggo

Oh what a difference 5 weeks makes....as you can see when you compare my 30 week pics below!! My belly is huge and I still have 5 more weeks to go...wowza!!

So today I am 35 weeks and I am filled with anticipation in meeting this precious little girl! My braxton hicks contractions have been much stronger lately and much stronger than I remember having last time....so I am hoping that I will start dilating a bit early this time...we'll see, I have my next appointment on the 28th. AND I wouldn't be disappointed if she decided to arrive early as I haven't been too comfortable lately (well, not until two more weeks when I will be full term)....all in God's timing right!!

I feel like she is going to be a big baby....Israel was 8lb 14oz, 21 in long...but I feel like she will be bigger...I don't know, we'll see! I have been VERY hungry today, so I know she is still growing, not to mention the increased strength of her movements....OUCH!!

In other news, our house is coming along....not as quickly as I had hoped but oh well, we will be in there someday. It seems things always take longer than you think they will!!

So, only 9 days until Christmas...how exciting...especially when you have an 18 month old to share it with:)

So excited!

Today we bought on Pre-Black Friday sales....a new smooth top range, new trio door refrigerator with a bottom freezer (LOVE IT), and a stackable washer and dryer (which will be great for our laundry closet because now I can use the other half for MUCH NEEDED storage space). I know, we spent a lot of money this weekend but they were great deals...seriously! I have never been so excited about a refrigerator than I am about my new one! On Friday I found some porcelian tile for the kitchen, bath, and entryway at .77 a square foot, so we got that too! Can't wait to see it all put together!! That's all for now:)

30 weeks, 1 day pregnant!

I can't believe I only have 69 days left, give or take...it seems this pregnancy has gone so fast. I guess with a very active toddler you don't have much time to count every single day of your pregnancy....even though I just did...lol!

I just found another name that I love but I haven't had a chance to talk to my husband about it....let's hope he likes it as much as I do!! Pregnancy is going good, I just discovered the other day that I have some varicose veins....blah, oh well, to me it is all worth it to be blessed with a new beautiful life....what a gift! I can't wait to meet her:)

Here are a couple of pics of my growing baby!!

tomorrow.....

The drywall is all hung and tomorrow the guy is coming to blow in insulation. After that we can get the dry wall finished with mud and everything then put the windows in.....after that things will hopefully move a lot faster....so happy for this milestone to be coming tomorrow....never thought I would be so excited about insulation..lol!

Today, I had my 28 week appointment and my glucose screening test...hopefully I passed...I will find out in a few days! Also, I found out that they have my due date set for January 20 instead of January 22 like they told me at the ultrasound....I guess that is good...2 less days but if they want to induce me b/c I go over again, I will be fighting for these 2 extra days...lol! I also asked the midwife if she would be able to deliver my baby even if she is not on call....and she said that she would as long as she didn't have some important family thing that day...yay! I just feel a bit more comfortable with a woman than a man:)

We are down to 3 names now....Chloe, Camilla, or Taylor. Which one will she be?????

Names??

Okay, so if anyone out their has time....can u tell me what names you prefer?? I am having such a hard time.... we thought we were going to name her Isabella or Isabelle but I'm just not so sure yet? Here are some names that we both like......what do ya'll think??? There are soooo many girl names...and I want the perfect one for me lil girl...ugh!

Isabella
Isabelle/Isabel
Chloe
Samantha
Mia
Taylor
Camilla
Camille
Shea

Update on life!

The house is coming along....although it doesn't look like we will be in anytime in November. We are ready to insulate and then drywall the ceilings....once that gets done I think things will go much quicker! I have been blown away at how the Lord has provided and blessed us throughout this process. My brother-in-law was able to save us $5 a can on paint through his company and it just so happened that the week we went in the store to get the paint that we were able to save an additional $5 a can through in-store rebates. My mom's husband has his own heating and air company and was able to get us a new furnace at cost and is going to help Jeremiah install it free of charge. Pretty awesome! I am excited to get settled in our house hopefully before Christmas:)

My belly is continuing to grow and baby girl is thriving beautifully....she is moving more and getting stronger but she is still must less active than her brother was in-utero! Only 3.5 months until we meet this little one and I can't wait:) I am savoring these last few months with Israel as an only child....have I mentioned how amazing he is?! I am LOVING this age....he is learning so much...it is amazing! I have noticed lately that it seems he is more affectionate and he is loving us more and more as he develops his own feelings and emotions...he is so sweet...and I am so blessed to call him son!

I am in a bible study that meets every Thursday with other women and we are going through Beth Moore's Breaking Free study. They have childcare and I am really enjoying the study and the fellowship! I have decided to offer this study to the girl's in our youth group every Sunday from 2-4p.m. along with some other women that wanted to join in. I am excited about this and praying these ladies will be blessed by this study as much as I have been. The Lord has really been blessing my heart in my morning quiet time and showing me my heart and some things that have been hindering a deeper walk with Him. Praying I can "break free" from these obstacles!

Not a very exciting post but this is my life right now:)

a place to call home....eventually

On Friday we closed on a home that we bought for $25,000.....yes, that is right.....$25,000! What a blessing! It is small and needs a lot of work but even with everything we are putting into it we will definitely get our money back and more when we go and sell it. It is probably not a house that we will be able to live in for a long time since it is so small but we are going to make due for as long as possible.

My grandpa is overseeing the project and doing various things that no one else knows how to do AND he is doing it all free of charge.....seriously, WHAT A BLESSING! My uncle and dad will be helping too along with Jeremiah and his brother Caleb. It doesn't look like we will have to pay much for labor, mostly just the materials to get it done. The Lord truly is blessing us and it is humbling because we are so undeserving!

There is a lot of work to do so it has been a struggle ALREADY (it has only been 3 days that we have owned it) not to get overwhelmed.....The Lord is reminding me though that this is a blessing from Him and that He is going take care of all the details AND that I just need to take it one day at a time!

Eventually, I will post before and after pics but not until I have the after pics:) We plan to be in the house by Christmas BUT HOPING to be in by November 1:) As exciting as all of this is, I have to remember to keep my focus on the Lord or else I am going to get sooo distracted. Lord, help me!!

belly popped....whoa!

I can't believe how much my belly has popped out since last week's picture below.....Last Thursday I woke up and it was like my belly grew overnight. When I was pregnant last time, it was a much more gradual process. I think my belly looks pretty big in this pic for 17 weeks....I hope I don't get huge this time:)

got some deals...woohoo!!

This morning I went to a couple of garage sales and boy did I get some cute, like new maternity clothes!! YAY! I don't need them yet so they were all fall/winter clothes and a few short sleeved shirts.....that I could probably wear in another month. I bought 10 shirts, 2 pair of jeans, and 1 pair of Gap courdoroy's for.....drumroll please.....$17.50!!! I am so excited b/c that is maybe enough to buy ONE NEW shirt....big time savings! They were all name brand and in my size....thank you Lord!! The lady I bought them from said, "I wish I would have only paid that much for my maternity clothes." When you are pregnant it is nice to have a few cute things to wear....but I just never want to pay the full price for them.

ONE healthy baby:)

Due date: January 22, 2011, so I am 16w 3d and the tech said it was still too early to determine the sex of the baby...so we will wait some more and hopefully the baby will fully cooperate when the sex organs are fully developed.

Here is a pic of my belly...still not very big but there is a lil pooch there! It seems like with this pregnancy I pooched out really early but since then it hasn't really grown a whole lot. I feel bad b/c when I was pregnant with Israel I took a pic of my belly every week starting at 8 weeks along...this is only my second pic, I am going to try and be better from here on out....at least one every 4 weeks :)

update

The appointment went well....I heard the heartbeat and tomorrow we go for an ultrasound at 1 p.m. Dr. Abate said we may even get to find out the sex depending on how far along I am and of course if baby cooperates!

1st Dr. appointment tomorrow!

Tomorrow morning I will have my first O.B. appointment.....I think I am 16.5 weeks along...so it will be interesting to find out if I am right. You ask, "Why so late with the appointment?".....well, I have been going crazy here b/c my pregnancy insurance wasn't effective until August 1 and my doctor's office wouldn't even let me make an appointment until they knew I had insurance. I know it seems silly but it has been tough to wait so long. For me, pregnancy just doesn't seem that real until you hear baby's heartbeat, see the baby on the sono, and feel the baby move. At least I have felt this little one move but he/she still doesn't move too much. I am hoping they will want to schedule an appointment right away to date the pregnancy like they did at my 1st appointment when I was pregnant with Israel....last time they tried to get one the same day but ended up being the following day. So, there is a possibility I could see baby tomorrow or the next and possibly find out the sex.....YAY!

On another FUN AND CRAZY to think about note, I haven't been able to get the idea out of my head that there could be two in my belly. I know I am not that big and it is more than likely NOT the case but.....there have been too many mentions of twins from random people throughout this whole pregnancy to make me wonder. That coupled with the fact that I read a random fact that you are 9 times more likely to conceive twins if you are breastfeeding at conception AND my grandma told me that her grandma was a twin but her twin died at birth (twins can run in the mother's side of the family), AND I prayed for twins when I was pregnant with Israel...yikes! I am not really hoping for twins this time unless it is God's will;)...actually the thought frightens me but I just thought I would record my thoughts on this BEFORE the ultrasound......just in case...haha!

Well, I will update tomorrow and tell how it all goes!

Just wanted to share.....

an awesome site.....it is a 24 week "curriculum" to do with your toddler from 13-24 months. It is nothing real intense but just some ideas of learning activities to do with your toddler. I won't be doing all of them....like the second language part but there are some good ideas nonetheless! http://www.letteroftheweek.com/nursery_age_1.html

Talking and reader request

Israel is starting to say more words....it is so cute to hear him try and say things. He can say mommy now instead of mama. He also has complete conversations with me using his hands in complete baby lingo....it is so funny! He acts like he knows exactly what he is talking about....who knows maybe he does...lol!

Israel is fascinated with the mower....the other day Jer was mowing and I kept saying "Daddy is mowing"....he started saying mowing.....he got it out very clearly quite a few times, but sometimes he says "boween". This morning Jer was gone for work before Israel got up and he kept talking about his dada and pointing outside then he said "dada moween" as he pointed outside.....I was pretty impressed that he put two words together like that. I am so amazed at how smart little kids are....God sure knows what he is doing when he creates us.

Now to change the subject......I am trying to be better about spending our money on groceries and I was wondering if you mommas out there have any good and healthy meals that are easy on the pocketbook?! If you do I would love for you to share. I am using the e-mealz thing right now which has been great but I would still like to get some more ideas when I get tired of using that. I wish they would give lessons on this sort of thing before you get married.

Pregnancy update: I believe I am 11.5 weeks along but I am not sure b/c I have not been to the doctor yet....I will be soon tho...just waiting to clear up some insurance issues. I can't wait to see this lil one on ultrasound....I have been a little concerned because I feel so great.....just hoping I have been blessed with another easy pregnancy. I will feel so much better once I hear that lil heartbeat tho....one of the best sounds in the world.

God is doing a work

We just got back from youth camp on Friday and we had a really great time with the youth of Calvary Chapel....we had 11 from our church that went. I spent a lot of time in my room with Israel so I didn't get as much time as I would have liked with the kids but one night in particular stands out. I had put Israel down and went and sat outside my room to read....Jeremiah texted me to say there was a move of the Holy Spirit. There were over 200 youth from different area churches and the majority of them were crying, repenting, rededicating their lives, or accepting Jesus as their Savior for the first time. I wasn't in the church service but afterward we all met together just outside my room and Jeremiah encouraged them and a lot of them shared what was going on in their hearts. It was so evident to me that the Lord had touched their hearts as I listened to them say with repentant hearts that they realized their lives are not their own and that they had been living them as though they were. Young men and women crying tears of repentance over the realization that their lives have not been pleasing to the Lord. It was obvious that this was a work of the Lord b/c teenagers, let alone grown adults just don't talk that way unless they have been touched by the hand of God. The next morning as we walked to breakfast it was evident to me that not only was it our 11 that God had spoken to but also most of the kids at camp......their were groups of kids already up and about praising God with music and song.....something that wasn't happening the mornings prior. It was a beautiful sound!!

My prayer is that the Lord would continue to speak to the youth and change them more and more into His image....that these kids would go back to their homes and churches and revivals and awakenings would break out all over as a result of people seeing the love of Jesus pour out of their lives. It is so encouraging to see young people that love Jesus! I want to love Him more and live out my life as a bondservant of Jesus Christ! What a blessing it is to be called a child of God.

busy June

We have had a lot going on and June has been and will continue to be crazy packed with things we are committed to. First off, we found out May 26 that we are expecting baby #2...I think everyone that reads this already knows but I'll write it anyway. I think I am around 9 weeks along that makes me due sometime around January 20. With the exception of a few queasy moments here and there and being more tired than usual I haven't really felt like I am pregnant. I guess I will count my blessings and hope it stays that way:) The morning I found out, Jeremiah had the day off work so when he was still in bed Israel and I made an early morning trip to the store and I also picked up a test. I took it when I got home and 2 lines appeared right away. I was so shocked...I don't know why but I was.....I went in to tell Jeremiah, he was still half asleep when I told him Israel was going to be a big brother......he didn't understand for awhile....later he said he was trying to figure out who was pregnant in order for Israel to be a brother....lol....he was definitely still asleep. We are both very excited!

Then we had Israel's dedication and a birthday party all on his birthday...June 6th. It was a great 1st birthday for a little guy. We had a cookout with our family and watched him open presents and dig into his very own basketball cake.

We just got back from a 3 night-4 day vacation at Brown Co State Park. It was a great time. We stayed in a family cabin that sleeps 8 and has a kitchen, bathroom, and AC. We went with Jeremiah's parents, his brother Caleb, sister Claudia, and a niece and a nephew. We went hiking, swimming, and shopping in Nashville. It was so beautiful there....and you don't really feel like you are in Indiana anymore! The cabin rates are really reasonable if you are splitting the price with other families...I would recommend it to anyone.

This Saturday and the next we have weddings to go to. And, next week we are going with our church youth group to youth camp at the Higher grounds conference center. I think this will be a memorable June but it sure does make me tired just looking at the calendar:)

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!!

Emealz to the rescue

One of my least favorite things is meal planning. I have the hardest time planning good, healthy, and economical meals. I wish you rec'd a manual on this when you get married. A couple of years ago I found out about Emealz....it is a web-site where you pay $5 a month and they send you a weekly dinner meal plan with recipes and grocery list. It is customizable to the store you shop at and they use recipes for that week that go along with the stores discounts. I also chose a meal plan that serves 2-3 people so you save money by not having too many leftovers which is great b/c my husband is not big on leftovers. Thought some of you mommies out there might want to check this out ....i LOVE this and to me it is totally worth the $5 a month b/c of the money I save grocery shopping. We like almost all of the meals too AND there is variety....I find when I do my own meal planning that I tend to make the same things week to week and it just gets old! So, if you are interested, go to e-mealz.com and check it out!

delayed weaning

I have decided to delay the weaning process....Israel has not been feeling well the past couple of days and he has been teething...poor lil guy has been using his fists to soothe the teething pains. He has been nursing a lot better and it seems to comfort him so I don't want to add another thing to the mix of changes. Also, I have been a little sentimental about it....not like crying or anything but just not feeling ready for this to end quite yet. There is some pressure from some family members that feel he is too old to be nursing and aren't afraid to say so. Sometimes, I am tempted to lie when they ask, "Is he still nursing?".....but I know that wouldn't be right. So we will see, I will be praying about what I should do:)

11 months old

Israel is 11 months old today and it is an absolutely gorgeous day outside! Well this time last year I was anxiously awaiting his arrival and had no idea what a blessing he would be to our lives!

Some things Israel is doing now........

says in his own way.....bye bye, ball, mama, dada, dog, night night, and he tries to say book and bath but they sound a lot like how he says ball.

he likes to bark like a dog, to push chairs around so he can walk, to be outside, to look out windows and doors, to eat, to throw balls, to pick grass and flowers, to eat rocks (well, he tries to but I don't let him for obvious reasons), to cuddle his blankie and lamb, to drink from his sippy cup, to nap and sleep, to dump the nasty drooly dog water out of the dog bowl

he is very ticklish, he likes to have his space....not much of a cuddler unless it is the occasional random hug initiated by himself, he is very independent and knows what he wants and doesn't want :) he is trying to learn how to walk....just waiting until he takes those first couple of steps.

he has been a very easy baby.....slept through the night starting at 2 weeks old.....good napper.....good eater.....and just a happy baby.....hoping any future baby or babies will be as easy as him.

For the past couple of days I have been thinking about weaning him from the breast.....it makes me sad. On his end, I know he is not attached to it and I am pretty sure he will be easy to wean. He is to the point where he moves around so much that it gets a little frustrating to nurse him....I have been nursing him in the bed because anywhere else and he gets distracted by his toys. With him being so active I don't have to worry about him falling asleep while nursing.....instead he likes to do what I call "acrobatic nursing"....standing on his head and wiggling every which way.....it is driving me nuts so it is helping me be not so sentimental about weaning him but it is still hard. I haven't started yet but I think I will start in the next couple of weeks dropping one feeding per week.....His morning feeding will be the last to go because it is the one he enjoys the most and I may even keep it for awhile depending on how I feel. I have been giving him a sippy cup with water and he has gotten quite good at it....I have also already given him cow's milk and he loves that.....I will be replacing each feeding with a sippy cup of whole milk. We'll see how it goes.....my goal was to breastfeed until he was 12 months so time is almost up...who knows we may be done a little before his first birthday!

focusing and reading......

Israel likes to explore, probably the same with any child his age and trying to learn to walk.....but I want to teach him to be able to focus so I have him play in his playard around 30 minutes between each nap. He plays with his toys soooo much better in there...I set the timer and he knows that when it goes off it is time to get out. He is able to focus and not become distracted with the world around him:) He is able to learn better because he plays with an individual toy instead of going from one thing to the next.

Today I was thinking about when I read to him he will usually only sit on my lap and focus for one or two pages and then he wants to get down and explore or do the book himself, flipping through the pages. Soooo, I removed all the toys from his playard and got in the playard with him and we began to read....I read three whole books to him until he was ready to be done. He even pointed to a ball on the page and said "Bah" which is a first....YAY! I only brought in one book at a time because I knew he would want to play with the other books while I read instead of focusing.

I am happy with the results and plan to do this from now on....right now he just needs that option of exploration taken away until he learns to focus better:)

6 years ago......

6 years ago today the course of my life was drastically changed......6 years ago today I was heartbroken, horrified, terrified, shattered, scared, lost, at a loss for words......the words to describe the emotions go on and on. 6 years ago today I lost the man I was going to marry and spend my life with. He died suddenly with no real explanation approximately 6 weeks from the day we were to be married. We were going to open a joint checking account the next weekend and the following was my wedding shower, the wedding invitations were stamped and ready to be sent. The plans were in order and we were ready to start our lives together.......but God had a different plan.

God's plan was that Bryan's time on this earth was up....i guess we will never know the reason until we see Jesus in heaven. As hard as it was to accept, His plan was not for us to spend our lives together as husband and wife. I remember feeling so out of control, the shocking reality that at any moment the rug could be pulled out from under me and MY plans terrified me. Almost instantly, I knew I had to go to the One who knows all....the One who has created all....in order to find peace and rest. He is the One who holds this world in His hands and I knew He would hold me and He did and He still does! I find peace in knowing that even though I don't know what tomorrow holds.....God does.....and He will give me the strength to get through whatever crosses my path.

I also realized that the reason I am here on this earth is NOT to fulfill MY plans but to seek Jesus and to fulfill His plans for my life. He is the One who created me, He knows all and sees all so why would I look within myself to see what path to take. Since I was created and because I know nothing but what I can see in front of me, why then would I try to do things on my own? Shouldn't we be seeking Jesus, God, for guidance and for help?

He loves us so much and He wants a relationship with us. I am so thankful for the relationship I have with Him.....I remember talking with one of the ladies at Bryan's church after he passed away and telling her that I was trying to remember the scripture "all things work together for good".......and she said, yes but remember it says "And we know that all things work together for good to those WHO LOVE GOD, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) She emphasized that this scripture is directed only to those who love God....this really spoke to my heart. I think so many people quote this scripture but they don't ever see the power in it....they don't ever see it lived out in their lives because they aren't truly loving God.

Don't get me wrong I am not saying that what happened was good or that Bryan's death was good but I am saying that I called out to the Lord, He carried me through the darkest hour of my life, I fell deeply in love with Him and His word......and He has brought good in my life......He has given me peace in trials, hope in heaven, forgiveness from my sins, joy in Him, and love unexplainable! And He is slowly changing me and molding me into His image although I have a long way to go. AND I believe Bryan is in heaven singing with the angels.....joy unspeakable......even though he is deeply missed by friends and family.....he would not want to leave the presence of our Father.....I find comfort in that!

I will end with Isaiah 61:1-3 one of my favorite scriptures "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has annointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified." In my Bible commentary it says Jesus took these verses as His text when He preached in Nazareth (Luke 4:16) and announced that He was ushering in the Year of Jubilee (Lev 25). It is a time of releasing the slaves, canceling debts, and making a new beginning. Today, those who trust Christ begin to enjoy their Jubilee; those who reject Him face judgment.

When I read these verses I feel my heart leaping in my chest and I imagine myself pumping my fists saying YES YES YES.....like I was at a Colts superbowl game watching the running back run across the field and into the end zone for the game winning touchdown.....lol....you get the idea! There truly is hope in Christ!

signing more

Today at lunch I was feeding Israel chicken nuggets and I am pretty sure he was signing "more". I just recently started signing "more" and "all done" to him so I feel encouraged to teach him a few more signs. He likes to communicate and he is very good about "talking/babbling" and reaching toward something to communicate what he wants instead of whining or crying. Before I had kids, I thought teaching kids to sign was silly but I see the value in them being able to communicate their needs/wants before they can say a lot of words. When I sign to him I always say the word along with the sign so he can learn the word too.

schedule

This is the schedule I try to follow with Israel, I don't follow it to a "T" but you get the idea! He has recently changed his schedule since he has been getting up at 7 instead of 8!

7:00-wake, nurse, solids
7:45-8:00-blanket time
8:00-8:30-playpen time
8:30-9:00-mommy play
9:00-11:00-naptime
11:00-wake, nurse, solids
11:45-12:15-playpen time
12:15-1:00-free play, errands, or outside play
1:00-3:00-naptime
3:00-wake, nurse
3:30-bath (every other day), free play, outside play, errands, etc.
5:00-solids and dinner prep while Israel is in highchair
mommy play, free play
Daddy play sometime after dinner
8:00-bedtime

10 months

Israel turned 10 months old on the 6th! Only 7 weeks until he turns 1 year old. What a big boy. He has developed such a personality in the last month or so. He just started putting his hand to his ear to talk on a pretend cell phone.....haha. If I say "where is Israel?", he will cover his face with his hands and then take them off...then I say "there he is!" It is so cute! I am realizing that he understands a lot of what I am saying. He bear crawls pretty much everywhere now instead of the standard hands and knees crawl....everyone thinks it is pretty funny. He has started to let go of furniture while standing and will cruise from one piece of furniture to the next. He loves to play ball and even has his own golf clubs that he likes to use to hit balls around the house with. He likes to roar at people because daddy and I do this when we chase him around the house on all fours...LOL! One day at Wal-Mart he was ROARING at the people that walked by him....it was hilarious! He also talks a lot in his baby jibberish....I love it! He is such a blessing. I was thinking and sometimes I am concerned I might love him too much....I know that sounds wierd but I do love him like crazy. I guess I just want to make sure I love him in a healthy way not too smothery or obsessed...but this week I had two people tell me out of the blue....without me mentioning my thoughts that our love for our children is a reflection of how our heavenly Father loves us! I believe these people were used by the Lord to speak into my life about how much Jesus loves me....it really did blow me away when I related it to the way I think about my son and the thoughts I have toward him.....It is crazy to think that He loves me like that and MUCH more! Thank You Jesus for Your love....I would be so lost without You:)

Cool site for mom's with young children

I just found this web-site for children's learning activities and I LOVE it! It gives a lot of great ideas for learning activities you can do with your child that are age-appropriate. It was neat to see that I am already doing some of them without even thinking about the fact that I am teaching Israel things he needs to know. If you are interested in checking it out you can go to www.learningdevelopmentactivities.blogspot.com

pics of the week..............

I love this lil guy! I have to strap him down in his high chair in order to get a good pick of him....the kid does not stop moving......uh oh, I think I am in for it...lol!

"ni ni" and....... what is on my mind at the moment

Israel says "ni ni" now....I say it to him every time I lay him down for naps or bedtime....he loves it! He says it back to me, it is so cute! I am pretty sure he has also been trying to say doggy, he says something like "do do"......when I say doggy he looks for our dog....he definitely knows what the word means....but this week I caught him trying to say it while looking at dogs. I think the word took on new meaning for him because he was introduced to 4 new dogs this week besides our dog. He loves dogs....he has ever since he has been aware of them.

I went to a baby shower today for a church friend named Sarah. I sat with several other moms from church and other acquaintances. Israel stayed at home...it was so nice to be out of the house and have adult conversations with other women that I have so much in common with... they all have small children AND they love the Lord. We talked mostly about our kids, which is always fun.

Until recently, I have never seen the importance for having female friends than I do right now. Sometimes I crave the interaction and special connection found only in a female friend. Through my high school years I had a lot of friends and I LIVED for my social life. But it was very superficial....don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my friends and I had great ones but it was a time where I didn't feel comfortable within myself....I don't think I felt comfortable totally being myself with all of the pressures to be cool and all. Then in my college years, I so badly wanted to do well in school (since my grades suffered in high school b/c of my social life and the things I got involved with) so I got a boyfriend and we pretty much secluded ourselves. I had women that wanted to be my friends, and they were, to a degree....but I wasn't a very good friend b/c I chose instead to spend EVERY moment possible with my boyfriend. (I apologize ladies! I know some of you read this blog occasionally) I was a bit of a recluse and people probably thought I was a bit strange holing myself up in my room 24/7. Looking back, I was very lost in this time in my life.....thank the Lord, I am finally found:)

Now, I am married to a wonderful, godly man......and I feel safe, secure, I don't feel I have anything to prove.....I have a lil boy, whom I love dearly........I am settled in my skin, in my life....but still striving to be better.....and I want to have deep, meaningful, godly friendships with other women....to rub lives with them, share wisdom, laugh, cry, love, live, pray together and for one another......I see how important this is and how the Lord wants us to share our lives with others besides those we live with....it is part of being a witness of His great love.

I have realized that I do have a best, female friend and I have to say that it didn't come easy at first.....I love her dearly......she is my sister-in-law and we met just before I started dating her brother........we hit it off great and then things got distant between us, I don't even know what really happened but I know that Satan did not want us to be friends....I think deep down we both wanted to be friends and what can I say but that the Lord has restored our friendship, 20 times! What a blessing it is to be friends with someone that you don't feel like you have to impress and can just be your "loser self" with, LOL!....someone that listens.......and is ALWAYS encouraging.....loyal......keeps secrets. Even though we are at different places in our lives, we still have so much in common because of our relationship with the Lord. She inspires me and I am proud to call her not only my sister, but my friend.

So, if you sometimes think that making and keeping friends is more work than it is worth....remember that EVERY beautiful relationship IS work, you have to give of yourself and spend time and energy to get there....BUT in the end it is worth it just to have that someone you call friend! Okay, I didn't plan for such a mushy post but there you have it....I guess the Lord is laying something special on my heart................that I need to be better about reaching out to other women that might be looking for a special friend.

9 months and randomness

Oh man.....my baby is getting so BIG! I can't believe he is 9 months already. When I had him, in my head I couldn't even imagine him older than 6 months. He has grown a lot in his social interactions in the last couple of weeks. He likes to look at me and laugh for no apparent reason, just to watch me laugh back at him....HAha...it is funny! He is now handing me items, upon request and randomly. He will also feed me his Cheerios...lol....sometimes, just when he feels like sharing. The last couple of weeks have been tough on him...he has been trying to cut his top two teeth for the past month...finally last week the top left one broke through, the other is so close. He went through a growth spurt and grew 1.5 inches in less than 2 weeks. And he was sick for the first time...it started with a cold: sneezing, snotty nose, dry cough...then he ran a 102 degree fever off and on for 3 days....as a result would wake up every night around 2,3, or 4 and couldn't go back to sleep unless I held him.....I have to admit, I loved the cuddling, even if it was in the middle of the night. Then, once the fever went down he broke out in a rash all over his body. I did some research and this is the exact symptoms of roseola....they get a cold, then a fever, then a rash. Nothing you can do, except Tylenol for the fever, it is a virus and has to run its course. He is still nursing 4 to 5 times a day so the nursings seemed to help calm him in the middle of the night.

He is now 30.5 inches long and 20 lbs 4 oz. He is pulling up on everything and today he even started stepping up on things while he is holding something, to make himself taller....he stepped up on two different toys and on daddy's head....lol! I love him so!!

In other news....I found a web-site that I really like that I want to share about homemaking that has sample schedules and ideas for cleaning routines. It is at http://www.flylady.net/

She has a lot of good ideas on there for making and keeping a home more presentable.

I am learning to knit....currently, I am almost done with my scarf and am also working on a throw. They both actually look really good so far. It has been a lot of fun to have something to do with my extra time. I have also been working on a scrapbook of Israel's first year that I plan to be a gift for his 1st birthday...something he will enjoy down the road.

Oh, and how about that sunshine and those few warm days we had last week. A wonderful preview of what is to come. So excited for summer to get here and to play outside with Israel. I took him out on those few warms days....he got so excited and giggly as the sunshine and wind hit his face. I just know he is going to have a blast exploring this summer....good thing we have a GIANT yard!

Well, that is all for now! God bless!

A good day

Today is a good day....not that I have particularly bad ones. But you know those days where all is going well and you feel like a good mommy and wife....well this is the kind of day I am having. I LOVE these days!

Lord, help me to be pleasing in Your eyes....I can't do it without You.....You are the source of my strength..................and help all the other mommies and wives out there to rely on You to lead them through their days so that others can see You in us. In Jesus' name, AMEN!

8 months

Well, a little late with his 8 month post! Israel is doing great...he is continuing to develop his personality each day. Oh, where to start?? He is pulling himself to stand up and will cruise down furniture just a bit if he sees something he wants. He can get down from standing position easily now and is very tough as he doesn't cry if he does have a rough landing. Lately when I put him down for bed and naps he gets so happy...he will sit up and I will wrap his blankets around his shoulders and will say over and over "night, night, I love you" and he will smile and giggle and lower his head to the bed and say "ni"....it is so stinkin' cute. He has always been good about sleeping but I can't believe he actually gets happy about sleeping...ha....I think it has to do with the routine or something. He can throw a ball and wave bye-bye now. He likes to throw both hands up in the air over his head. He likes to do the thing where you take your hands over your lips to make the sound and he likes to do it to others as well. He has shown no signs of stranger anxiety as of yet. He LOVES attention from his daddy and initiates play with him. He likes when I hold him and daddy plays with him. He is very social with his daddy...probably because his daddy is very social:) I LOVE this age.....it seems he does something new everyday! He is a very easy baby and we are so blessed to have him in our lives.

As a family, we are great! Work is still slow for Jer but busy season is about to start so we are just trying to soak up all the time we have together. I love having him home during the days right now. He studies the Bible almost all day and we have good discussions about the Lord, our desires, and ways we need to grow. Some mornings he goes to church to teach the kids at school their Bible class. We are still teaching the youth at church and are hoping to get to know them a bit better this year. We would like to go places with them, have them over, hang out! They are a good group of kids and we really enjoy being a part of their lives.

Israel's cousin Jude turned 1 last week and he had a birthday party at Pizza Hut. It was a lot of fun to watch him dig into his own personal cake and to reflect on how much he has grown over the past year and how fast time has went. In no time, we will be getting ready for Israel's first birthday.....I think I might cry. I see more and more everyday how he is gradually going from baby to lil boy!

Have I mentioned that I am ready for spring?? Well, I am. I don't remember EVER having a longer winter....I think they added some extra days to the calendar. I think it has to do with the fact that I don't feel like I had much of a summer with Israel being born at the beginning of the summer and me being indoors most of the time. SOOOO.....hopefully those warm spring days will come early this year!!

I guess that is all for now!! ENJOY the snow while it lasts:)

Crawling

Israel started crawling on Wednesday, January 13! It was so awesome and I was so proud....haha. He has been so close since around Christmas. It just took him a bit to get the hand movements down. He started crawling at exactly 7 months 1 week old. The next day he didn't crawl much but on Friday he was following me around the kitchen and has been perfecting his skills since.

Jeremiah was a little disappointed that he was gone when he took his first crawls but I was actually able to get it on video. Jer was gone 2.5 hours away for work all last week so at least I was able to send him the video clip:)

I have been much more busy as this guy wants to get into everything. So far he has pulled off some stripping in the kitchen, opened cabinets, pulled cords, crawled under tables, made a mess in the dog bowl (yuck), bonked his head, and tried to eat a piece of loose carpet. He is VERY curious and will cry and kick his legs when I remove him from an unwanted situation.

It truly is amazing how much babies accomplish in their first couple of years of life.....God is so smart:)

Well, gonna watch the COLTS with my hubby.....GO HORSE!!

A better version of me............

Last evening I was thinking about my life and how I want to be better. Lately, I have felt like a failure in so many areas. One area in particular is the organization area that I posted on a few months ago. I want to be a better housewife, a better mom, a better friend, a better Christian. I want to be more creative, I want to discover the gifts God has given me and to USE them! I want to have order in my home. I tend to get inspired by other people and how they do things in their homes or in their lives then I try and implement them into our lives. Then most of the things that I get excited about, I don't stick with......then I feel like a failure. I was thinking about all of this and it was like the Lord was showing me that I am not looking to Him to discover how He wants me to be a better wife, a better mom, a better friend, and a better Christian. I have been attempting to imitate others instead of imitating Christ. I have been doing these things in my own strength instead of by the power of the Holy Spirit. I believe the Lord gave me this poem as a reflection of what He was showing me.

I want to be better
A better version of me,
With every attempt comes failure
Trying to be
Not wanting to be
Unable to change
All my efforts are wasted
Until I remember.......................
To be a better version of me,
Is through Christ who strengthens me!

7 months

Israel turned 7 months on Wednesday! He is such a good baby. He has always slept great at night but for a while I had a little trouble with his naps.....but now he is to the point that when I lay him down on his belly for naps he snuggles into the bed, gives me a tiny grin, and doesn't make a peep as I walk out the door telling him "night, night". It truly is precious.

Well, this past month Israel has made a huge progression in his efforts to crawl. Starting a week after his six month birthday, he started getting up on all fours and rocking slightly and would push himself along the floor on his belly using his feet. Then he started getting up in a push-up position and walking his feet toward his hands then coming down unto his knees so he is on all fours. Then he started getting on all fours then falling forward on his belly....doing this continually until he gets to his desired location.....a sort of caterpillar crawl. Now he is starting to pick up his hands every once in a while so I think he will be crawling in another week or so.....then again it could be any day now!

He seems to be trying to communicate with us more and more. And will have pretend coversations with us if we give him time to respond when we talk to him. He does this funny thing with his daddy that if he isn't looking at him then Israel will look at him and go "Eh" until he looks at him. It sounds like he is saying "Hey". It is funny because I think I say that a lot to him to try and get his attention.....haha!

As of now he has eaten bananas, peas, sweet potatoes, prunes, oatmeal, avocados, mixed fruit yogurt, and turkey. His fav's are bananas, peas, sweet pot, and prunes.....he gets excited and kicks his legs with his mouth wide open!! He is not too fond of the turkey but he will eat it. And he really only likes the oatmeal when I mix in a fruit or veggie.

He can stand for a little bit while leaning against the couch or the toy box.....I, of course have to get him up on his feet but he seems to like standing over his toybox where he can grab toys and throw them on the floor. Lately, he has made small efforts to pull himself up using the table.....but no success as of yet. This guy wants to get into everything....he is very curious and loves to explore!!!

My dad got him a toy for Christmas that he loves. It has blocks and plays music and bins he can open and close. He loves taking the blocks in and out of the bins and making it play music. Oh, and he starts dancing whenever he hears music.....so cute!!!

Sorry, this wasn't very organized.....Just trying to remember all that has transpired over this last month with my lil guy.....he is doing new things everyday so it is hard to get it all down!! He is such a joy!