The blogging community is a wonderful one, filled with so many great people. If you pray, please add the families of Josiah and Dorothy to your prayer list. If you want to win some GREAT prizes and help to bring them home, be sure to visit their sites!
Jo is a special little guy to me, because when I went to pick up Gracyn, I got to meet Jo. Actually held the chubby tigger in my own arms. He had the most peaceful face, so calm and content. His mommy was there for me during my dark moments while in Taiwan. She would chat with me until she knew I was okay. . .I can't believe he's still not home. . .but he's getting closer!!!
Dorothy is one beautiful little girl. I refer to her as "Darling Dorothy" - This is the first adoption journey I'll follow that's not involving China or Taiwan. Don't Dorothy's eyes speak volumes?? Tisra is one patient and talented mommy who's more than ready to bring her daughter home!
2.26.2009
Following Sarah needs. . .Tiffanie needs. . .
I got a good laugh out of Sarah's post today, so I decided I'd play along!!
If you want to play along you google: Your name with the word, "needs" following and see what pops up! I got to cheat - another "Tiffanie" already played the game and posted her results on a pregnancy board of all places, so I got one on my own, and 10 from her. . .
1. Tiffanie is a young high schooler, but needs help to reach grade level. Really? Geez, I thought I was in my 30's, and was a pretty darn good student!
2. Tiffanie needs a family who will allow contact with her sisters who will not be placed with her. Wish I had sisters, sorry for the Tiffanie who was placed in a home without hers.
3. Tiffanie needs to prepare for her finals next week!! Clearly I have no finals, but I do have loads of laundry and thank you cads to write!
4. Tiffanie needs to turn 18 more or gain 430 more Vampire points to reach the next level. Ummm, have no clue here. . .maybe we should ask Ramona since she's into vampires and such!
5. Tiffanie needs to lay off and be herself and not try to make herself look good and steal the spot light from the other girls. Right, steal what spotlight? Please no spotlight on the hormonal pregger lady. . .Yes, we know we've gained weight. . .leave us alone!
6. Tiffanie is a wonderful horse with a one on one personality. Peyton would love it if his mommy would turn into a horse!
7. Tiffanie needs fashion help! I would normally say this is not true, but since having kids, and being in between sizes now, this applies!
8. Tiffanie needs to be more focused in her studies. What studies? The study of diaper changing, potty training, disciplining without timeouts or raising your voice? Sure. . .I guess I do need to be more focused.
9. Tiffanie needs a gigantic glass of STFU all day, every day. Can someone please translate STFU?
10. Tiffanie needs a 10 hours long sleep. YES, YES, I do. . .
11. Tiffanie needs the least work out of all of them. I WISH!!! I SO WISH this were the case. . .10 lbs in the first trimester??? Hmmmm. . .I think I need the least amount of food, and the most amount of work out time!
If you want to play along you google: Your name with the word, "needs" following and see what pops up! I got to cheat - another "Tiffanie" already played the game and posted her results on a pregnancy board of all places, so I got one on my own, and 10 from her. . .
1. Tiffanie is a young high schooler, but needs help to reach grade level. Really? Geez, I thought I was in my 30's, and was a pretty darn good student!
2. Tiffanie needs a family who will allow contact with her sisters who will not be placed with her. Wish I had sisters, sorry for the Tiffanie who was placed in a home without hers.
3. Tiffanie needs to prepare for her finals next week!! Clearly I have no finals, but I do have loads of laundry and thank you cads to write!
4. Tiffanie needs to turn 18 more or gain 430 more Vampire points to reach the next level. Ummm, have no clue here. . .maybe we should ask Ramona since she's into vampires and such!
5. Tiffanie needs to lay off and be herself and not try to make herself look good and steal the spot light from the other girls. Right, steal what spotlight? Please no spotlight on the hormonal pregger lady. . .Yes, we know we've gained weight. . .leave us alone!
6. Tiffanie is a wonderful horse with a one on one personality. Peyton would love it if his mommy would turn into a horse!
7. Tiffanie needs fashion help! I would normally say this is not true, but since having kids, and being in between sizes now, this applies!
8. Tiffanie needs to be more focused in her studies. What studies? The study of diaper changing, potty training, disciplining without timeouts or raising your voice? Sure. . .I guess I do need to be more focused.
9. Tiffanie needs a gigantic glass of STFU all day, every day. Can someone please translate STFU?
10. Tiffanie needs a 10 hours long sleep. YES, YES, I do. . .
11. Tiffanie needs the least work out of all of them. I WISH!!! I SO WISH this were the case. . .10 lbs in the first trimester??? Hmmmm. . .I think I need the least amount of food, and the most amount of work out time!
What are you giving up for Lent?
We had our "Ash Wednesday" service on Sunday. I know, defeats the whole Wednesday thing, but it gave me the opportunity to think about what I wanted to give up - keeping in my mind that it should be something that will bring me closer to God, or help me to become more Christ-like. . .Funny story about the Ash - Our Pastor couldn't find any ash in Christian stores, so he had to go to a Catholic store to purchase it. He was disturbed!
During service our Pastor suggested Coffee and ESPN, but was quick to say, "God would never expect us to give up ESPN, right?" I don't drink coffee anymore, so that was out. . .we don't eat out much, so that was eliminated. We have birthday cakes coming up and a trip to Disneyland, so chocolate in general, seemed really hard. . .I know it's supposed to be a sacrifice, but no chocolate cake? While I'm pregnant?. . .So, collectively, Darryl and I discussed what we wanted to work on and it's parenting Peyton. . .Yes, our 4 year old is a bit of a challenge at the moment. Darryl is giving up "raising his voice" - I witnessed him in action yesterday and we was in awesome control! I'm giving up the "use of time outs" for Peyton - which may sound odd, but it's to remind me to take the needed time to parent him and talk to him, rather than just put him on the wall with his hands folded and go about my own business. Oh, and I also gave up YORK PEPPERMINT patties, which if you've followed along for a while, are a big thing for me. I have a daily dose of York's amounting to at least 2, sometimes as many as 6 patties a day!!! I've gone through many bags of them since starting our adoption journey. The money saved on my York Addiction will be donated. (I'll of course up the donation, since York's aren't exactly THAT expensive.)
Gracyn decided on Sunday that she was done with her bottle. WOO HOO!!! She's been sleeping through the night without a bottle feeding, so I thought I'd try to put her down without one too. It worked!!! Sure hope this isn't just for LENT! And did you catch my earlier point - SHE'S SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT! In HER CRIB, not our bed. AND, she's let Daddy put her down 2 nights in a row - once with a few tears, but THEY did it! Oh, my prayers have been answered! PTL!
So, what are you giving up for the next 40 days? (Or 39, I guess, since we're down 1day already!)
During service our Pastor suggested Coffee and ESPN, but was quick to say, "God would never expect us to give up ESPN, right?" I don't drink coffee anymore, so that was out. . .we don't eat out much, so that was eliminated. We have birthday cakes coming up and a trip to Disneyland, so chocolate in general, seemed really hard. . .I know it's supposed to be a sacrifice, but no chocolate cake? While I'm pregnant?. . .So, collectively, Darryl and I discussed what we wanted to work on and it's parenting Peyton. . .Yes, our 4 year old is a bit of a challenge at the moment. Darryl is giving up "raising his voice" - I witnessed him in action yesterday and we was in awesome control! I'm giving up the "use of time outs" for Peyton - which may sound odd, but it's to remind me to take the needed time to parent him and talk to him, rather than just put him on the wall with his hands folded and go about my own business. Oh, and I also gave up YORK PEPPERMINT patties, which if you've followed along for a while, are a big thing for me. I have a daily dose of York's amounting to at least 2, sometimes as many as 6 patties a day!!! I've gone through many bags of them since starting our adoption journey. The money saved on my York Addiction will be donated. (I'll of course up the donation, since York's aren't exactly THAT expensive.)
Gracyn decided on Sunday that she was done with her bottle. WOO HOO!!! She's been sleeping through the night without a bottle feeding, so I thought I'd try to put her down without one too. It worked!!! Sure hope this isn't just for LENT! And did you catch my earlier point - SHE'S SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT! In HER CRIB, not our bed. AND, she's let Daddy put her down 2 nights in a row - once with a few tears, but THEY did it! Oh, my prayers have been answered! PTL!
So, what are you giving up for the next 40 days? (Or 39, I guess, since we're down 1day already!)
2.20.2009
By tummy or by plane. I suffer from Pregger-brain. (Question for you included.)
OOOH, I may suffer from pregger-brain, but that rhymes!
Okay, okay, clearly, I suffer from pregger-brain and was not very clear in my last post. . .
1.jpg)
Peyton actually said to me the night before I took the "test" - "Mom, you look like you have a baby in your tummy." - Thanks Peyt - I proceeded to blame it on the skin (not fat, of course! LOL), left from my pregnancy with him. I thought to myself. . .kids know these things, don't they?. . .and well, I am a few days late, so perhaps it's time to pee on a stick. I know, TMI. But I did, well, I actually peed in a cup, to be exact, and there you have it. Like 2 seconds later, 2 lines appear. No doubt. I knew I was pregnant. That test was on January 12th. Took another on the 14th to be safe. . .and, I've managed to hide the news for quite some time. . .wanting of course to get through a good portion of my first trimester before spreading the news.
Other cute Peyton-isms. . .I sneezed and Peyton asked, "Mom, when you sneeze does the baby sneeze?" And today, he asked my dad, "When is the baby coming? January?" He knows his months, but not the order of them. Then again, poor big brother waited much, much longer than we ever anticipated for his little sister to arrive. When we told him about Gracyn, he insisted that Morgan was coming first. And the confusion between a baby and a toddler, that threw him for a loop. . .and well this baby, this one is in mommy's tummy, just like he was, although he did ask he was from Taiwan! You see, in our family, by tummy, or by plane, by biology, or by international adoption, it's all the norm. Apparently I managed to confuse. . .but thank you for the support and prayers!
So far, what little morning sickness I had is gone. I've gained about 7 or 8lbs, yes, I know that's much to much for a mere 10 and a half weeks.
If you're easily offended, skip the rest. . .
For those of you who didn't read Lora's comment, it made me laugh!!
Lora wrote: "Oh My!!! Isn't life something?! Okay, I thought it was an ipod too! WOW!!! How in the world did that happen? Wait, I mean I know how it happens. I mean, when did you find the time, the energy, uhmmm the space? OH NEVER MIND, who cares!!! Congratulations Tiff!!!!"
So, the question. . .for those of you who are like us, and co-sleep with your kids, or even if you don't co-sleep, and are happily married, AND have kids who tire you out, you tell me, where and how would you have, or could you have, FOUND THE TIME, THE ENERGY, ummm OR THE SPACE (place)?? If you tell, I'll tell. We'll call it a creative marital tip exchange - one I'm sure our DH's will appreciate.
Okay, okay, clearly, I suffer from pregger-brain and was not very clear in my last post. . .
1.jpg)
Peyton actually said to me the night before I took the "test" - "Mom, you look like you have a baby in your tummy." - Thanks Peyt - I proceeded to blame it on the skin (not fat, of course! LOL), left from my pregnancy with him. I thought to myself. . .kids know these things, don't they?. . .and well, I am a few days late, so perhaps it's time to pee on a stick. I know, TMI. But I did, well, I actually peed in a cup, to be exact, and there you have it. Like 2 seconds later, 2 lines appear. No doubt. I knew I was pregnant. That test was on January 12th. Took another on the 14th to be safe. . .and, I've managed to hide the news for quite some time. . .wanting of course to get through a good portion of my first trimester before spreading the news.
Other cute Peyton-isms. . .I sneezed and Peyton asked, "Mom, when you sneeze does the baby sneeze?" And today, he asked my dad, "When is the baby coming? January?" He knows his months, but not the order of them. Then again, poor big brother waited much, much longer than we ever anticipated for his little sister to arrive. When we told him about Gracyn, he insisted that Morgan was coming first. And the confusion between a baby and a toddler, that threw him for a loop. . .and well this baby, this one is in mommy's tummy, just like he was, although he did ask he was from Taiwan! You see, in our family, by tummy, or by plane, by biology, or by international adoption, it's all the norm. Apparently I managed to confuse. . .but thank you for the support and prayers!
So far, what little morning sickness I had is gone. I've gained about 7 or 8lbs, yes, I know that's much to much for a mere 10 and a half weeks.
If you're easily offended, skip the rest. . .
For those of you who didn't read Lora's comment, it made me laugh!!
Lora wrote: "Oh My!!! Isn't life something?! Okay, I thought it was an ipod too! WOW!!! How in the world did that happen? Wait, I mean I know how it happens. I mean, when did you find the time, the energy, uhmmm the space? OH NEVER MIND, who cares!!! Congratulations Tiff!!!!"
So, the question. . .for those of you who are like us, and co-sleep with your kids, or even if you don't co-sleep, and are happily married, AND have kids who tire you out, you tell me, where and how would you have, or could you have, FOUND THE TIME, THE ENERGY, ummm OR THE SPACE (place)?? If you tell, I'll tell. We'll call it a creative marital tip exchange - one I'm sure our DH's will appreciate.
When one door closes, He always opens another
This is a long one, and I know you're all busy raising kids, wiping runny noses, (and bottoms), blogging, paperchasing, bonding, and waiting for the phone to ring, so I tried to bold the "highlights" of this post. . .
The first door that closed. . .and the door He opened
The first door that closed was a down right slam in the face. It was the door that made me question my faith, made me question my reason for living. That was the door of my mom's death. Six months after that door shut, DH and I were married, and just months after that we were expecting Peyton. I had "reasoned" with God. You took my mom, so I need this baby. I know, don't bargain with the big guy, but I was at a place in my life and my walk with God that was very dark. Shortly after Peyton was born we experienced the most challenging times of our marriage. I was still grieving, DH's priority was his business, we had a needy newborn, one who wouldn't sleep through the night. . .ever. . .and neither of us was turning to God to carry the weight. We recovered from that period and decided that after having our son, we knew we could love a child unconditionally without sharing genetics. Peyton turned 1, I turned 30, (both requirements for China) and just months later we were signing an application to adopt from China.
The second door that closed. . .and the one He opened, and closed, and He opened again!We were LID on 08.28.06. Told the wait could be as short as 3 to 6 months. Four months later I inquired about switching from NSN to SN. Something was tugging at my heart. Our agency was not, and still is not able to facilitate SN through China, and the rules had just changed - no more switching of agencies without starting all over. Door closed bit. . .and then it opened again, when Taiwan was placed on my heart. We've always wanted at least 3 children, so why not submit our application for Taiwan as well. We had then learned, IA takes a heck of a long time, so no harm in getting in line. Shortly after we were wait listed for Taiwan, the time came for our LID. Well, had we been expedited, we would have received that very long-awaited call with our referral of Morgan Fay. Ouch - when that door that shut, it was a blow. It was a heavy one that slammed my pinky in the door jam and ripped my nail off with it. No phone call for us. I sat and watched other families with our LID receive their babies' photos and I cried. We actually keep in touch with one of those families, and their daughter, Leah, is precious because she is a reminder of what it could have been like, although that wasn't in His plans for us. Just a couple of months later, we were asked how we felt about toddler adoption through Taiwan. Without hesitation, we expressed our interest. Two months later, we received the referral of Gracyn. Once Gracyn Riley, then Gracyn Leena, and finally Gracyn Natalee.
The next series of door shutting and openings. . .
While we waited 10 months to bring Gracyn home, we submitted additional documentation to China for Morgan Fay, to no avail. I once again, looked at SN lists, and contemplated switching altogether. I learned about Kyrgyztan adoption, Independent Taiwan adoption, I created a profile on Rainbow kids, I talked with a domestic placement agency. Talk about a whirlwind! We've now been LID with China for almost 30 months. We assume we won't be expedited, so the wait could be another 2 years. I prayed, and prayed, and prayed. I finally prayed for a very clear sign as to what He wanted for us. I wanted to know His plan. And He made it ever so clear. . .
In summary. . .
Mom dies, God blesses us with a son. I still yearn for mother-daughter relationship, so we turn to adoption. Started with China, which taught us about other IA programs. Should have been expedited, but we weren't, and in the mean time the toddler program opens. God blesses us with Gracyn. I travel to Taiwan on the 2 year anniversary of our LID. Gracyn's birth date is accidentally listed as our actual LID for China. We start to feel that Morgan's purpose was to lead us to Gracyn. Just to be clear we're still LID, but He has also made it clear that our next child will not be joining our family through IA. Sweet Pea number 3 is due to arrive on 09.16.09. Right in between my parents' anniversary and our ours.
I had so many different drafts and titles for this post. . ."Baby Sister to become Big Sister", "The real reason why I've been MIA", "Peyton wants a 'brudder' but has no say,". . .and then I got to thinking about our journey. The ups and downs, and wonderful people we've met along the way. What would I have ever done without all of you?! We are where we are because of Him, but our lives have been shared with all of you in a way not even some of our closest relatives have experienced. We post, we comment, we pray, we support, we laugh, we cry, we ramble. . .most importantly, I think we all blog about the pain and the joy of growing our families. So, in a nutshell the above is about the pain that lead us to this adoption community, and this post, is dedicated the pure joy that we are so blessed to be blogging about.
Baby sister Gracyn, is about to be promoted to big sister Gracyn! I missed the baby days of Gracyn, but love that I have a few photos of her.
Peyton really wants a "brudder" and Gracyn, well, I think she'll be enjoying the spotlight as the baby of the family for as long as she can. Luckily, she loves babies, and she loves to help! There's certainly enough love to go around! Not sure about food though. . .these two alone are eating me out of my house!
The first door that closed. . .and the door He opened
The first door that closed was a down right slam in the face. It was the door that made me question my faith, made me question my reason for living. That was the door of my mom's death. Six months after that door shut, DH and I were married, and just months after that we were expecting Peyton. I had "reasoned" with God. You took my mom, so I need this baby. I know, don't bargain with the big guy, but I was at a place in my life and my walk with God that was very dark. Shortly after Peyton was born we experienced the most challenging times of our marriage. I was still grieving, DH's priority was his business, we had a needy newborn, one who wouldn't sleep through the night. . .ever. . .and neither of us was turning to God to carry the weight. We recovered from that period and decided that after having our son, we knew we could love a child unconditionally without sharing genetics. Peyton turned 1, I turned 30, (both requirements for China) and just months later we were signing an application to adopt from China.
The second door that closed. . .and the one He opened, and closed, and He opened again!We were LID on 08.28.06. Told the wait could be as short as 3 to 6 months. Four months later I inquired about switching from NSN to SN. Something was tugging at my heart. Our agency was not, and still is not able to facilitate SN through China, and the rules had just changed - no more switching of agencies without starting all over. Door closed bit. . .and then it opened again, when Taiwan was placed on my heart. We've always wanted at least 3 children, so why not submit our application for Taiwan as well. We had then learned, IA takes a heck of a long time, so no harm in getting in line. Shortly after we were wait listed for Taiwan, the time came for our LID. Well, had we been expedited, we would have received that very long-awaited call with our referral of Morgan Fay. Ouch - when that door that shut, it was a blow. It was a heavy one that slammed my pinky in the door jam and ripped my nail off with it. No phone call for us. I sat and watched other families with our LID receive their babies' photos and I cried. We actually keep in touch with one of those families, and their daughter, Leah, is precious because she is a reminder of what it could have been like, although that wasn't in His plans for us. Just a couple of months later, we were asked how we felt about toddler adoption through Taiwan. Without hesitation, we expressed our interest. Two months later, we received the referral of Gracyn. Once Gracyn Riley, then Gracyn Leena, and finally Gracyn Natalee.
The next series of door shutting and openings. . .
While we waited 10 months to bring Gracyn home, we submitted additional documentation to China for Morgan Fay, to no avail. I once again, looked at SN lists, and contemplated switching altogether. I learned about Kyrgyztan adoption, Independent Taiwan adoption, I created a profile on Rainbow kids, I talked with a domestic placement agency. Talk about a whirlwind! We've now been LID with China for almost 30 months. We assume we won't be expedited, so the wait could be another 2 years. I prayed, and prayed, and prayed. I finally prayed for a very clear sign as to what He wanted for us. I wanted to know His plan. And He made it ever so clear. . .
In summary. . .
Mom dies, God blesses us with a son. I still yearn for mother-daughter relationship, so we turn to adoption. Started with China, which taught us about other IA programs. Should have been expedited, but we weren't, and in the mean time the toddler program opens. God blesses us with Gracyn. I travel to Taiwan on the 2 year anniversary of our LID. Gracyn's birth date is accidentally listed as our actual LID for China. We start to feel that Morgan's purpose was to lead us to Gracyn. Just to be clear we're still LID, but He has also made it clear that our next child will not be joining our family through IA. Sweet Pea number 3 is due to arrive on 09.16.09. Right in between my parents' anniversary and our ours.
I had so many different drafts and titles for this post. . ."Baby Sister to become Big Sister", "The real reason why I've been MIA", "Peyton wants a 'brudder' but has no say,". . .and then I got to thinking about our journey. The ups and downs, and wonderful people we've met along the way. What would I have ever done without all of you?! We are where we are because of Him, but our lives have been shared with all of you in a way not even some of our closest relatives have experienced. We post, we comment, we pray, we support, we laugh, we cry, we ramble. . .most importantly, I think we all blog about the pain and the joy of growing our families. So, in a nutshell the above is about the pain that lead us to this adoption community, and this post, is dedicated the pure joy that we are so blessed to be blogging about.
Baby sister Gracyn, is about to be promoted to big sister Gracyn! I missed the baby days of Gracyn, but love that I have a few photos of her.
Peyton really wants a "brudder" and Gracyn, well, I think she'll be enjoying the spotlight as the baby of the family for as long as she can. Luckily, she loves babies, and she loves to help! There's certainly enough love to go around! Not sure about food though. . .these two alone are eating me out of my house!
2.17.2009
I love my kids, but I'm NO Martha Stewart
I love that I've received e-mails letting me know that we're missed in the blogging world, and asking if every thing's okay. . .I'm so behind on all of your blogs, including my own! Have I missed any big news???? Please do share in your comments if I have - I need to catch up!
Peyton turns 4. . .
In an effort to "keep up" - here's some pictures from Peyton's 4th birthday. His BIG day at home, his new Hannah Montana doll from us, his ATV from Gong-Gong, his cakes, yes, that's plural, his party with classmates and cousins. . .oh, and yes, the lovely photos of our messy kitchen, and me attempting to make YELLOW HORSE cookies for him to take to school. Compliments of my husband who found it amusing that his non-cooking wife, had figured out how to order a horse cookie cutter off of ebay, roll dough out (no way was it homemade), make frosting, YELLOW frosting, at Peyton's request, and all with that picture-perfect flour on my nose. . .literally. That's when the camera came out. Thanks hon.
(Be sure to watch for the frosting goatee. . .yes, my son, being the character that he is, decided while he was being sung to that it would be entertaining to plunge his chin into the cake.)
Home Update. . .
I can't believe Peyton is 4, Gracyn has been home for over 5 months now - yes, I missed that post too, and well, I decided to take the hideous wallpaper off the kitchen walls on the last day of a 3-day weekend, to end up with 2 very sick little kids both home from school, and will likely be home all week. Peyton sounds like he has bronchitis. My poor baby. Gracyn's nose is like a leaking faucet, but instead of nice clean water, it's full of slimy snot. Oh, and regarding the paci, we restricted it purely to night-night time, and then of course he got sick, and needed it on the couch, and I just don't have the heart to take away my baby's one security item when he feels like such crap. So there. . .judge me all you want. He's keeping them for now.
Gracyn is still a little anxious, and I've been working with her falling asleep near me, but not touching me or holding my hands, or me holding her feet. I've been working with firm touches. I've sort of managed for the past couple of nights to get her to lie down on her pillow, I cross her arms across her body, give her some pressure, tuck her under the blanket, and then once she's still, I caress her face, give her kisses, and reassure her that I'm there. It's not that I don't want to cuddle her, it's that we're trying to reinforce where she is spatially, and to teach her to self-soothe. More to come on that and family therapy. . .by the way, she's doing better with Daddy. Still a long way to go, but progress is being made.
Prayer Request. . .
Please pray for my kids to get the rest they need at night to make a full and speedy recovery. We've all been up several times a night.
Please pray for Gracyn to trust her Daddy, and to let him wipe her runny nose!
Please pray that Gracyn's Speech Therapist and Occupational Therapist are able to assess her needs and help her to make strides. Her speech continues to be delayed, her signing isn't really improving, and she still needs more trunk strength and faster reflexes. Poor thing face plants at least once or twice a day on average.
Please pray that DH and I are able to stay healthy while the kids battle their colds.
Well, this was the best I could come up with tonight. . .I know, not impressive, but hey, it's a post, right?
Peyton turns 4. . .
In an effort to "keep up" - here's some pictures from Peyton's 4th birthday. His BIG day at home, his new Hannah Montana doll from us, his ATV from Gong-Gong, his cakes, yes, that's plural, his party with classmates and cousins. . .oh, and yes, the lovely photos of our messy kitchen, and me attempting to make YELLOW HORSE cookies for him to take to school. Compliments of my husband who found it amusing that his non-cooking wife, had figured out how to order a horse cookie cutter off of ebay, roll dough out (no way was it homemade), make frosting, YELLOW frosting, at Peyton's request, and all with that picture-perfect flour on my nose. . .literally. That's when the camera came out. Thanks hon.
(Be sure to watch for the frosting goatee. . .yes, my son, being the character that he is, decided while he was being sung to that it would be entertaining to plunge his chin into the cake.)
Home Update. . .
I can't believe Peyton is 4, Gracyn has been home for over 5 months now - yes, I missed that post too, and well, I decided to take the hideous wallpaper off the kitchen walls on the last day of a 3-day weekend, to end up with 2 very sick little kids both home from school, and will likely be home all week. Peyton sounds like he has bronchitis. My poor baby. Gracyn's nose is like a leaking faucet, but instead of nice clean water, it's full of slimy snot. Oh, and regarding the paci, we restricted it purely to night-night time, and then of course he got sick, and needed it on the couch, and I just don't have the heart to take away my baby's one security item when he feels like such crap. So there. . .judge me all you want. He's keeping them for now.
Gracyn is still a little anxious, and I've been working with her falling asleep near me, but not touching me or holding my hands, or me holding her feet. I've been working with firm touches. I've sort of managed for the past couple of nights to get her to lie down on her pillow, I cross her arms across her body, give her some pressure, tuck her under the blanket, and then once she's still, I caress her face, give her kisses, and reassure her that I'm there. It's not that I don't want to cuddle her, it's that we're trying to reinforce where she is spatially, and to teach her to self-soothe. More to come on that and family therapy. . .by the way, she's doing better with Daddy. Still a long way to go, but progress is being made.
Prayer Request. . .
Please pray for my kids to get the rest they need at night to make a full and speedy recovery. We've all been up several times a night.
Please pray for Gracyn to trust her Daddy, and to let him wipe her runny nose!
Please pray that Gracyn's Speech Therapist and Occupational Therapist are able to assess her needs and help her to make strides. Her speech continues to be delayed, her signing isn't really improving, and she still needs more trunk strength and faster reflexes. Poor thing face plants at least once or twice a day on average.
Please pray that DH and I are able to stay healthy while the kids battle their colds.
Well, this was the best I could come up with tonight. . .I know, not impressive, but hey, it's a post, right?
2.03.2009
Happy Birthday Peyt!
Four years ago, today, I gave birth to my first child. He was expected to be a "big" baby since I had gained about 70lbs, and when they measured what they thought to be from his head to his knee, (even though I said, I think that's his foot), they swore it was his knee. So, of course, mom was right. He was just over 17 inches, 5lb 10oz, at birth. He didn't do much to help by way of the weight loss, if you know what I mean!
Peyton cried quietly, took to a pacifier quickly, needed me to hold him, and was a terrible "latcher"/feeder. Doctors had us waking him up in the middle of the night to feed him, and failed to tell us we could "stop" after a certain weight, and so, we had a child who didn't really sleep through the night the first year of his life. After all, we had trained him to wake for a bottle.
Needless to say, what a few years can do for a kid. Actually, in the last 6-9 months my once skinny boy who could barely keep up pants (a size smaller than his age) around his waist, is now in pants (a size bigger than his age) that require folding at the cuff because, well, his height hasn't caught up to his weight! I can't believe my baby is 4.
Here he is at almost 1. . .
Two pics at almost 2. . .
Last Christmas at almost 3. ..
And now, my BIG boy at 4. . .
Peyt - Mommy loves you so much and is so proud of you. You never cease to amaze or shall I say, amuse me! You are such a funny kid. You certainly know how to milk me - your cute face with your hand in the bin of Dibs, worked. You won. Hope the Dibs were worth the effort of your acting skills. You have adjusted so well to being a big brother, and sharing your mommy and daddy with your sister. She loves you! Like daddy said, she's a "monkey" - monkey see, monkey do. She copies everything her big brother does, so behave, okay?!
Happy Birthday bubby. . .I love your buba-licious tummy and smile! Thank you for being the greatest son! And don't you ever forget your promise to dance with me at your wedding. Are you really going to give up those doot-doots tonight??? Peyton said he's giving up his paci's when he turns 4. . .stay tuned for more on Peyton's birthday, and the outcome of the paci's.
Peyton cried quietly, took to a pacifier quickly, needed me to hold him, and was a terrible "latcher"/feeder. Doctors had us waking him up in the middle of the night to feed him, and failed to tell us we could "stop" after a certain weight, and so, we had a child who didn't really sleep through the night the first year of his life. After all, we had trained him to wake for a bottle.
Needless to say, what a few years can do for a kid. Actually, in the last 6-9 months my once skinny boy who could barely keep up pants (a size smaller than his age) around his waist, is now in pants (a size bigger than his age) that require folding at the cuff because, well, his height hasn't caught up to his weight! I can't believe my baby is 4.
Here he is at almost 1. . .
Two pics at almost 2. . .
Last Christmas at almost 3. ..
And now, my BIG boy at 4. . .
Peyt - Mommy loves you so much and is so proud of you. You never cease to amaze or shall I say, amuse me! You are such a funny kid. You certainly know how to milk me - your cute face with your hand in the bin of Dibs, worked. You won. Hope the Dibs were worth the effort of your acting skills. You have adjusted so well to being a big brother, and sharing your mommy and daddy with your sister. She loves you! Like daddy said, she's a "monkey" - monkey see, monkey do. She copies everything her big brother does, so behave, okay?!
Happy Birthday bubby. . .I love your buba-licious tummy and smile! Thank you for being the greatest son! And don't you ever forget your promise to dance with me at your wedding. Are you really going to give up those doot-doots tonight??? Peyton said he's giving up his paci's when he turns 4. . .stay tuned for more on Peyton's birthday, and the outcome of the paci's.
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