Well-baby checkup

Ellie had her 4 month well-baby check up yesterday....only a month and a half late due to our stupid new insurance and having to switch pediatricians at the last minute. Grrrr! Did I ever tell you how much I hate insurance companies????

Annnyway.......

She is acutally 5 1/2 months old right now, and at her visit she weighed in at a mere 13 lbs 6 oz....only 25th % for her age. She was in the 50th at her last visit. :( You wouldn't know it though my her chubby little cheeks and thighs!!! In fact, all around....height, weight and head circ. , she was in the 25th percentile, which lead Dr. Zaft to feel as through she is just fine and not having weight-gain issues. I, of-course, being the weight-nazi that I am from having Luke AND considering all the struggles I had breastfeeding him, still feel a bit concerned about the possibility that I'm not producing enough milk for her, but I'm trying to keep those feelings under wraps. I am sure she is just fine, and if the pediatrician isn't concerned, then I guess I shouldn't be either. Right?? We had planned to start solids soon anyway (we were waiting until she is 6 months), but we'll be introducing them for the first time over the weekend probably. I've already got the breastmilk thawing in the fridge and the oatmeal in the pantry so that I'm ready to go when I gear up enough for this new chapter. Someone asked me yesterday if I was excited for her to start solids, and I'd have to say that I'm not, really. Yes, I'm excited that she is growing and doing well, but honestly, starting solids is just one more step away from infancy and one step closer to toddlerhood. :( Her first year is nearly half over and I just desperately want to press pause on the recorder of life. Starting solids means she's growing up. Will I always feel like this??? Every step of the way???? Its just like that song 'Don't Blink' by Kenny Chesney says.....here's the link to the lyrics if you haven't heard the song...http://www.cmt.com/lyrics/kenny-chesney/dont-blink/19651456/lyrics.jhtml
Will every new milestone leave this bittersweet feeling etched on my heart????

Back to the visit.....
We caught her up on her immunizations, since the pedi-switcherooo left her a bit behind. Luke was soooo sweet while she got her 'pokies' too. He leaned in close to her (I had her craddled in my arms) and talked sweetly to her, telling her "Its otay, Baby Dirl. It will feel bedder real twit (read quick)". He was so close to her infact, that the nurse actually had to ask him to back up just a little. He was intent on being right there next to her. Kinda cute. She's been super fussy and sleepy today from the shots, so I'm hoping tomorrow is a better day. She was not a happy camper today!

Well, friends...its late and I'm zonked! But before I go, I'll just leave you with a couple of cute pics of the loves of my life. I snapped these over the weekend. Aren't they adorable???? All three of 'em!! :)

A love-hate relationship..

I decided today.....I have a love-hate relationship with the age of three. Somedays, I loathe the newfound 'attitude' that my Luke totes around and then other days, like today, I adore everything that embodies a three year old.....the playfulness, the pretending, the logic. Today was a particularly good day. He listened well, played well, ate well, and was just such a joy to be around. We had a fun time together....despite being cooped up together in this house day after day. Between the rain and the cold we've been passing around, we have had many, many, MANY days just hanging around at home. Even our attempt to make it to Gym yesterday was foiled because too many of the kids in the class called in sick. :( But today was good.

We spent the first part of the morning lounging in our pajamas, watching TV and goofing around. I 'played' with my camera while Luke watched Curious George, and Ellie was more than happy to be my model. :)






Ellie demonstrated her new skill of sitting up too! We have to put the boppy behind her, just in case though....she's still a bit wobbly yet!

And of-course she had to take a little nibble on those cute toes of hers!


After we tired of the tv and pictures, Ellie went down for her morning nap while Luke and I took advantage of some quiet time together and played Play-Doh for a LONG time. He received a new, fancy play-doh set for his birthday(thanks again, Tami!) and today just seemed like the perfect day to break it in. It definately was a hit!



Once Ellie was up again, she played in her Jumperoo while Luke wrapped up his doh-activities. Here's a little clip of Ellie flirting with me...sorry...I realized after I uploaded it that it was kinda long! And the lighting was pretty bad! Oops!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We spent some time tiddying up the house and then dancing around the family room before lunch. I think Luke might end up on Dancing with the Stars someday! :) hehehe! Ty would say he definately dances like like a white boy! :)

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Then it was lunch, naps, and the gym for me, once Ty got home from work. Not too shabby for a day that I originally thought would drag on! Ty will be heading to San Diego for most of the day tomorrow for some trainings for work, so I'm hoping our morning is as good as today!! Luke is looking forward to a special outing with Grandma and Grandpa tomorrow afternoon to see a fun puppet show at the library (I guess the man putting it on worked with Jim Hensen productions and the puppets are more like Muppets than what one might think of in a 'traditional' puppet). And THEN.....tomorrow night is date night for Ty and I! :) Yipppeee!! I'm very much looking forward to a quiet dinner with my honey! Meemaw will come to watch the kiddos so we can go out! Grandparents rock, don't they!?

Welcome Abby!!!!

Just as I finished typing my post, I rechecked Diana's blog.....

Welcome to the world, Abbigale Reese McFarlane!!!
She was born at 12:54 pm and weighs 7 lbs 6 0z. She is 20 1/4 inches long! Diana pushed for a mere 25 minutes! Way to go, D.!!!

Pins and needles....

Diana is having her baby today...she has been in labor since around 7 last night and called to tell me the news just as I was heading to bed. Of-course, talking to her stirred up so much excitement that I slept very little last night. Maybe 4 hours all together between anticipation and Ellie waking too. Brian and Diana are keeping everyone in the loop via their blog, which I checked into so many times last night! I actually just kept Ty's laptop by my bed and checked in for updates whenever I was awake. I have to say that I LOVE technology! Brian's blogging helps us all feel like we are sharing in her delivery, even when we are hundreds of miles away! I have been glued to the computer all day!! So neat!! But I'm a tired momma today! I just checked into their blog a few minutes ago though, and she is now at 10cm and ready to go! Yay! They will be meeting their precious little girl in no time!

This all makes me marvel at the miracle of life! With every new baby that is born into my circle of friends, I never cease to be humbled and awed by the complexity and miraculous nature of God. That He can knit us together...each and every intricate part of us...every minute detail...and then breathes life into our bodies at the moment of birth....it is simply incomprehensible. And amazingly beautiful. Diana and Brain will witness this miracle for themselves very shortly, and just like all of us who have children, they will never be the same!

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him." Psalm 127:3

Still fighting it.....

Ellie continues to fight this yucky bug! We are now on day 14, I think. :( The albuterol seems to be helping a bit...at-least she doesn't sound so wheezy right after them, but she still has no voice and is obviously not feeling great. Her lungs are still quite gunky, but she seems to be breathing adequately otherwise. She cried a good part of the day yesterday though. And she's so tired. I'm not sure if she is making up for her lack of sleep 2 nights ago (when she was up 5 times in a 6 hour time period!!) or if she is just lethargic. She slept better last night though, so I'm not sure what's happening. I just hate to see her ill. Breaks my heart. Praying for better health soon...being couped up in the house is making me go stir crazy!!!!

Zoo recap and a doctor's visit....

Saturday was our last chance to use our annual passes for the San Diego Zoo before they expire at the end of the month, so we decided to take advantage of the beautiful, sunny weather and visit the animals one last time. We actually didn't even arrive at the park until close to noon and Luke was a tired puppy most of the trip, but that didn't keep us from seeing all of our favorite beasts! :) It was a gorgeous day in San Diego....sunny, about 65 degrees and clear! It doesn't get much better than that! We all were in desperate need of some fresh air after being cooped up inside with this cold for so many days. And despite Ellie and Ty feeling a little below par, we all had fun! Luke loved watching the brown bears wrestle with one another and the elephants having their mid-afternoon snack. He got a big kick out of watching them use their trunks to scoop up the hay and then stuff it in their mouths. Fun times. But his favorite adventure for the day had very little to do with the animals though. All he talked about from the moment we got the zoo was taking a ride on the big tour bus. He must've asked us very 20 seconds if he could ride that thing. "Please, please, please, Mommy...can we ride da bus??? Pleeeeeese???" If he hadn't been so incessant, his pleading would have probably been kinda cute. But honestly, he drove us nuts with it until we were finally able to ride it to the other side of the park a little later in the afternoon. And of-course he cried when we had to get off. :( That's a three year old for ya! We decided to head home after visiting our favorite polar bears, as Luke was melting quickly with no nap for the day. He slept a good part of the way home....even through his sister's screams in the car. She must've been hurting, 'cause she usually loves car rides. We made it to dinner moments after she fell asleep (go figure!) and I tried to scarf down my food before she woke up and began to fuss. Ty swears she has food radar....if she knows I am eating, she will cry and fuss until I pick her up. It drives him crazy, and he cannot begin to understand why it doesn't do the same to me. He just wants to see me enjoy my meal without having to hold or nurse our daughter. But I don't mind hanging onto her (usually). I would much rather hold her and eat my meal in relative quiet, than to have her screeching in my ear the whole time.! Wouldn't you??? It won't be like this forever....soon enough she'll be eating her own meal while we eat ours and the days of needing to hold her will be a distant memory. At-least that is what we hope.

Anyway...I digress. For dinner that night, Luke chose chicken tenders to eat. His typical favorite...the one 'sure bet' for him. But on this particular night, he was in a 'mood' (much akin to the rest of the week I guess!) and after three bites decided he didn't like chicken. With his third bite still in his mouth, he looked at Ty with the look that we know all too well of "Can I spit this out please?" Ty insisted that while he did not have to eat anymore of his chicken, he needed to chew and swallow the bite in his mouth. Fair enough, I thought. And so the battle began. I'll tell you before I go any further that the label of a 'feisty little guy' that all the NICU nurses gave him three years ago has certainly been accurate as he's grown. And the other night at dinner was no different. He definitely sticks to his guns when he puts his mind to something, that's for sure!

So.....what happened??? Well, as dinner wrapped up, Ellie was fussy and Luke was refusing to eat, so we made a b-line for the door in somewhat of a hurry. It was getting late and we needed to get home anyway. We had another 45 more minutes in the car still before we got home. So off we went, urging Luke to quickly swallow that bite of chicken before we left the table. But being in the rush that we were, we never thought to check his mouth again before we left. I simply figured that he ate it and that was that. He surprised me in the car when he remained awake the entire rest of the ride home, despite only sleeping about 40 minutes the whole day AND it being dark outside already. But I didn't think too much of it. I just figured he'd sleep well in bed when we got home. It wasn't until he was up in the bathtub and I heard Ty tell him in a firm voice "Chew that chicken, NOW." that I realized why he hadn't slept on the way home. Yup! You guessed it.....my feisty, stubborn child STILL had that nasty piece of half-chewed chicken stuffed in his cheek over an HOUR after he first put it there!!! We have no idea why he was so adamant about not eating that bite, but he was dead set against not downing it! He refused to chew it through his bath and continued to refuse it as he stood naked in the bathroom, awaiting his pajamas. It reminded me off all those stories you hear from your own parents about when you were a child. At first Ty told him that he could not go to bed until he swallowed it, but quickly realized that that would not work. So we changed our tune and told him that when he decided to swallow his chicken, we would be glad to get him dressed. STILL....despite being chilly....he stood his ground. ARGH! I'll tell you that power struggles with toddlers are NOT fun things and we try our very best not to get into them with him, but at this particular moment, we were stuck and very unsure of how to handle this particular moment without teaching Luke that it was okay to be blatantly disobedient like he was being. To wrap up an already long story, I'll just tell you that the chicken saga ended with Luke spitting the chicken out, getting a firm talking to and loosing all of his normal bedtime routine privileges. He went to sleep in tears and we headed downstairs in frustration. Not the best way to end a relatively good day. :( I can laugh about it now, but it wasn't so funny at the time!

Now....onto today......

I had to take Ellie in to see the doctor today. Her cough and rattling in her chest just isn't getting any better and last night she began to loose her voice. So thankfully, I was able to schedule her a same day appointment this morning. The doctor took one listen to her chest and ordered a breathing treatment there in the office. Poor child...she just sounds awful! You can hardly even hear her cries because her voice is so shot, and her lungs sound so gunky and wet! The treatment helped reduce her wheezing, so we were sent home with a prescription for Albuterol and a nebulizer 4 times a day for the next week. That should do the trick, but if she's still hacking in a week's time, we'll need to be rechecked. She sees our pediatric an next week anyway for her much delayed well-baby visit, so I'm sure she'll just check her again then. Hopefully she is better by then. I hate to see her feeling so crumby!

Luke was a trooper during the appointment. He played peek-a-boo with Ellie to keep her from crying during her breathing treatment and was pleasantly well behaved! He's starting to feel better himself, which is helping to turn around his stinky behavior of the past week. I'm definitely ready for my sweet boy to return. He's given me a run for my money this week! Phew!!! We've had some rough days, that's for sure!

Well, friends.....that's my story for today. Thanks for sticking around to get to the bottom here. I was kinda long winded today! :) I'll update again soon...and Roni...I'll have to share my big head story with you some other time! :) Until then.....

A budding photographer....

Friday was my day to attempt to take Ellie's 5 month birthday pictures. And while I wasn't very successful in capturing her 5-month old cuteness (she has been quite sick with a cold/cough for several days and was NOT in the mood to be photographed), I did learn that Luke is quite the budding photographer. :) He was not all that interested in being in front of the camera, but kept asking me over and over if he could take pictures of me. So, figuring he couldn't do much harm to my camera if it was set up on my tripod, I taught him how and when to press the shutter button, and then set Ellie and I up in front of the lens. And wouldn't ya know! He didn't do too bad!! (Not that pressing the button when everything is all set up for you is hard work, but he IS three, ya know!) We actually had a lot of fun! He had a blast telling me to smile and say "Cheese" and I had fun being silly with my Ellie-Belle. Here are several of his shots (photoshopped by yours truly, of-course!) :)






After that, Luke, Ellie and I possed for a shot or two with the self-timer. I had to have at-least one picture of the three of us together!

..you can tell Ellie isn't feeling so hot! She began to 'melt' after that, so our session was over. :( Had it not been for Luke's cute pics, I would have chalked the whole hour up as a waste of time....I am not in love with any of the other shots I got of each of the kids separately. Maybe we'll try again when everyone is feeling better. Poor Ellie has it the worst now. She has a mighty big cough for one little girl, that's for sure! She is sleeping terribly at night...waking every couple of hours either out of pain or her inability to breathe well. I've resorted to buckling her into her bouncy seat for sleep, since it is the only way she is inclined enough to breathe adequately. I feel horrible for her! I wish there was something more I could do for her other than the humidier, suctioning (which is just SOOO much fun, let me tell you!) and an occasional dose of Tylenol for pain. We are on day 11 of this cold in our house! Its worked its way through Luke, is half way done with Ellie and is now attacking Ty too. My throat has been scratchy for several days, but hoping it doesn't get much worse. We'll see. It just feels like we've been sick forever again....having to cancel playdates and activities in order that we don't 'infect' anyone else. I'm ready to get back to normal soon!

Oh yes....thinking back to when Luke first started to feel a bit yucky reminds me that that was the day that Sarah and Laura brought their kiddos over to play for awhile that morning. (Not that they got us sick or anything...in fact, I am thankful that we didn't get them sick!!!) Its been so long, I nearly forgot that I snapped a couple of pictures of Ellie and Maddie again. Aren't they cute! I look forward to watching them grow up together...hopefully becoming great friends like her mommy and I are! :)




Big brother Luke wanted in on the action too....


Looking at these pictures makes me think that Ellie's gonna have my big 'ol head. Anybody remember that story???? She sure has a noggin on her, doesn't she?! :)

Anyway, my friends...that's 'bout it from me for today. I'm still playing catch up on my blogging, so I'll have to tell you about our trip to the zoo a little later on...and a little story about Luke's ride home then too! Until then.....

Fifteen years ago today....

I know Ty would say I'm kinda silly for posting this, and I usually don't pay much attention to January 17th any other year, but for some reason, today I am. It was fifteen years ago today that Ty and I began officially dating. FIFTEEN years. Whoa! That's half of my life! January 17th, 1993. If memory serves me correctly, we were at our friend Fred's house, watching movies with a bunch of other friends. I'm not sure why we decided to make it 'official' on this particular day, but we did. And who would have ever thought that we would be here today, 15 years later, married with two kiddos. Don't get me wrong....even through all my 'stages' (all of you who've been around us this long know what I'm talking about!), I always knew Ty was marriage material, and I always wanted to be where I am today, but at 15 years old, you really don't know for sure where your life will lead you. But God certainly knew the plans He had for us...both individually and collectively, and it is because of all the things and 'stages' we went through over the years that we are here today, tightly knit together as husband and wife. I'm blessed to call him mine, and even more blessed to have been able to do so for so many years!

Happy 5 months to Ellie...

My baby is five months today. No longer a newborn for sure....she is now a full fledged infant. I am sad to have her newbie-ness behind me. :( I miss that cuddling on your chest, sleeping in your arms stage already. BUT...I am loving her new skills and abilities. I love how she throws me the biggest grin each morning when I come in to wake her up as well as so often during the day when her eyes meet mine. I love how she coos and giggles at me and how I can just read her immense love for me in her eyes. Man, I simply adore this child!!! I think I fall more and more in love with her every day!!! It is true what you hear....even when you think it is impossible to love your second baby as much as the first ('cause I am head over heals for Luke as well!) a mommy always has more room in her heart! I love each of them so deeply, with an unconditional, aching kind of love. They are so different, but I love them just the same!!

Now....I can't lie to you all right now and say that I like my toddler's behavior all that much today though. Nope. I'm definitely struggling this morning to find the positive in him. He is being such a stinker!!! From the moment he woke up, it has been a hard day. I've already had to give three time outs and had to call our neighbor to cancel a little trip to the park with our kids because he was being so stinky! I hated to do that too, by the way. We haven't been out of our house in days and days because Luke has been struggling with a yucky cold. This morning, we probably shouldn't have even considered going to the park because he is still coughing, but I am desperate to get out and be at-least a little social. But, after several warnings and chances, Luke STILL would not cooperate or even listen to me. So, I had to cancel. It's the first time I've ever had to do something like that. My neighbor understood...she had kiddos herself, but it still sucks! I'm sure you're wondering where he is now that is allowing me to blog. In his room...having a 'required' quiet time in his bed until he can be kind again. Argh! I'm beginning to wonder if three is going to be harder than two. I'm sure that he is being such a grump partly because he isn't feeling 100% yet....and I'm sure he wants to play too (we did go out in the backyard for a couple of hours yesterday), but all those things don't make it any easier to handle. Its hard!!!! I hate days like this!!! Makes me want to crawl back in bed and throw the covers over my head and pretend I'm not a responsible mommy for a while. I'm sure you all know that feeling!! ARGH!!!!!

Okey dokey.....guess that's enough venting for now. I should go check on him...it's awfully quiet up there. Thankfully, Ellie is down for her morning nap and I'm able to just focus on him right now. Oh! How I hope the rest of the day doesn't continue like this!!!!!!!!!!

Looking back...

I was peeking in on an online friend's blog tonight....she and I had our boys under very similar circumstances (pre-eclampsia for both of us..our boys only being 6 days apart) and her entry for tonight got me looking back at where we were three years ago today. It just so happened that the journal I wrote in each day of Luke's 35 day hospitalization was sitting here on the computer desk with me. Here is what the entry said....

Jan. 14, 2003
Day 12
Weight: 3 lbs 3.39 oz (thats 1453 grams for those of you who are interested!)
Luke is getting 27 cc's per feeding....gavage-feeds
"Mommy is here again, sitting by your isolette, watching you. You're sound asleep with your binky in your mouth. We just had our 'date', and Mommy has decided that she is never going to stop kissing you once she can hold you more! I just love kissing you! :) Tomorrow is your baby shower, and Aunt Heidi, Aunt Amy and Aunt Diana are all coming to celebrate. You weren't supposed to be born just yet, Little One, but now that you are here, I am sure we'll receive LOTS of blue things! :) Love you, Pumpkin! I am so thankful to God for giving me such a wonderful little boy!"

Here he is that day...


I vividly remember this day now that I read my journal. I always called the short times I was allowed to hold him our "dates". :) I remember sitting there next to his bed after one of these, just staring at him for the longest time. I was alone, as Ty had to be at work at it was mid-morning...almost lunchtime. It was dark in there, as we were in the only semi-private little room of the NICU and I remember feeling so warm. Hot even. I also remember feeling so lonely....as if no one else could really grasp what it felt like to be a mother sitting there watching your tiny, precious child sleep behind that glass. I can even still hear the beeping of the machines around me. And I remember wondering if he was ever going to come home with me. Alas, he did....over three weeks later. And here we are today. It is very strange to look back at this journal now. Very surreal. My journal entries were always letters written to Luke...positive notes to tell him how deeply I loved him and to share my hopes and dreams for him...to him. They (the entries, I mean) were never about my own crisis at the time or the feelings of helplessness and fear I had. I'm not even sure I knew how to quantify all those things then. All I knew was how to survive....how to get through the moments. It wasn't until much later that stress had subsided enough to allow the yucky feelings to surface. :( Strange, isn't it?? We never really think that we are strong enough to get through something until we have no choice. Looking back, I certainly never thought I could endure something so horrible! And people used to ask me that all the time...."How on earth did you get through that? I don't think I could ever do that!" But just as so many of you reading now can attest to....you just do. You get through it on a strength that is not your own. And you find that you are much stronger than you thought you ever could be. We all are.

A quick second post for today...

I downloaded this cute little video of Ellie giggling the other day.....just thought that you might get a kick out of it. She is so darn cute! Full of laughs and smiles all the time! She is rolling over pretty efficiently these days and has finally found her feet this past week too. She is the chubbiest baby ever, which of-course, I adore!!! Just wanted to share her cuteness with you!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Finally....

I am so sorry to have taken so long to recap Luke's birthday. I think that going through all the photos and video, and THEN still needing to create a post to recap the whole thing seemed a bit overwhelming to me. I still have very little time these days to be on the 'puter, so it just takes me such a long time. Sorry, folks. Anyway...here I am. I tried to put together a montage that told a lot of the story of the 2 day event...hope you're too bored with my montages by now. I think even I am getting tired of them. Anyway.....here ya go! Enjoy!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Still no sign of Snuggie!

Day 5....(maybe day 6) without Snuggie. I fear he is gone for good. :( So sad. He was such a good Snug. I hope he's safe, where ever he is.

There are some leads however, as to the whereabouts of Snuggie. It is believed that the Green Monster has stolen him and is holding him for ransom for an undisclosed amount. Yes...the Green Monster. It has invaded our home in the past. Three times to be exact. This particular monster (we call him that for lack of a better term....we really have no idea if he's monster-ish or not) loves to feast on all things green. Items of other colors will simply not suffice. Green and only green. We have lost a favorite green shirt of Ty's to this monster, along with a green Thera-cane that Ty used for work and now Snuggie..who is also green, of-course. All of these things have seemingly vanished into thin air. One day they are in their proper place, and the next they are gone, with no feasible explanation as to where they might have gone. Just like that...POOF...and they disappear. In our 5+ years of marriage, we have not really lost any other items of different colors.....just green things. Strange, isn't it? Seriously people.....there is some strange phenomenon going on around us here. :) And it's not just in this house....the Green Monster has visited us both in our Redlands condo and our Highland house. It is very odd. A mystery, really. :)

As for Luke...he is coping with the loss of Snuggie much better than a few days ago. He still asks about him from time to time, and we talk about how Snuggie is hiding somewhere. We hunt for him often, but still to no avail. The pseudo-Snug I offered to him several nights ago has officially been accepted as part of the bedtime routine in lue of Snuggie. I think that Luke is actually quite fond of it....Bear Snug, we call him, since he is one of those little snuggie blankets with a small teddy bear attached to it. He'll never take the place of our dear Snug, but maybe Luke can begin to make a new life with this one. And he's not green, so maybe he'll stick around! LOL!!! :)

PS....still working on the birthday pics....almost ready to share 'em.

A huntin' we will go......

We are officially on the hunt for Snuggie. Luke's favorite, most prized Snuggie blanket has gone missing. :( And we have searched our entire house for two days with no luck and no sign of Snug. Poor Luke misses him desperately and we've had a few tearful bedtimes because of it. Oh Snuggie....where are you??????? If anyone spots Snuggie wandering aimlessly around, please return him to our poor Luke. (smirk) Snuggie, for those of you who don't know him (yes....him....Luke has personified Snuggie and often calls him Mr. Snug) is pale green in color, about 6 inches by 6 inches, soft as can be, and trimmed in matching pale green satin. He has a small black giraffe embroidered on the corner and is probably in desperate need of a bath! :)
Oh Snuggie....we hope you find your way back to us soon! Luke has no idea where he last left Snug either. :( I know we didn't take him out of the house (at-least I don't think that we did...I never allow him to leave the house for fear that we would loose him! Go figure!) so he must be 'round here somewhere. I hope we find him fast 'cause I'm not sure that the pseudo-snuggie that I gave him when he was crying for him at 10:30 last night is gonna hold him out for very long! We'll see.

I promise to keep you updated on Snuggie's whereabouts **wink** and I also promise to give you a recap of his birthday party just as soon as I can sort through all the pictures and video in order that I might share it with you 'properly'! :) Must continue the Snuggie-Hunt for now! Ta-ta!

Sleeping through...

...finally through the night, that is. And much delayed, as far as I'm concerned. Many weeks ago, Ellie proved to me that she was capable of the feat when she slept from 8pm 'til 6:30am, however in the weeks that followed, she continued to wake around 3:30 out of habit. How did I know it was a habit and not true hunger??? Well...the time was the same each night (within a fifteen minutes or so) and even though she would eat quickly with an apparent hunger, she was getting plenty of milk during the day (usually 5 full feedings during daytime hours). According to my Babywise book, all those things, combined with her age (4 1/2 months) equated to a middle of the night waking habit. And I've known this. But to be honest, I really haven't minded getting up with her at 3am. Not only is my body used to it, but it was kind-of my quiet time with her alone. I would usually only be up for 15 minutes and then it was back to bed for the both of us.

But I knew that I couldn't continue like this forever, or I'd be in a world of hurt come 10 or 12 months when my baby girl STILL wouldn't sleep through the night. So I decided it was time to nip it in the bud. My only fear: that her crying would wake Luke up. That has been my biggest concern, actually...and legitimately so, since their rooms are right next door to one another. And I knew that some crying would be in order. (Another part I hate, but what are ya gonna do?) Well....Luke still sleeps with his sound machine on, which is supposed to sound like wind, but sounds more like white noise if you ask me. And that thing has been a lifesaver for us. It drowns out all the household noises for him, so he can rest without disruption. It even muffles Ellie's occasional screams from right next door. I highly recommend getting one for those of you with second babies in the future or on the way!!

Anyway...on Wednesday night/Thursday morning, I decided to officially begin her sleep training. I resolved to let her be when she woke and set some limits as to how long I would let her cry before I went in to settle her. The first night, Ty was actually up getting ready for work when she woke (Yes.....he's up that early!!!), so he went in when I requested him to and swaddled her back up so she might be more prone to drift back to sleep. After a few more minutes of crying in his arms, she did and slept on through until 7:30. Not too shabby! She of-course was starving when she woke in the morning, but certainly no worse for wear. In fact, I think she was a happier child throughout the day! Then last night, I heard her stir around 4am, but instead of screaming for any length of time, she cried softly for about 3 minutes and then drifted off to sleep on her own. She slept through until I woke her for the day at 7:30. Oh! How I love it when what Babywise teaches works so beautifully!! It may not be for everyone, but it has most definitely proved itself effective for my two kids...even though Ellie was delayed in sleeping through until now...but that was my fault....not hers. I allowed her to continue the habit. But both kiddos have always been great sleepers otherwise. I'm thankful for that!

I can't complain about getting full nights of sleep either. Its glorious to stay in bed all night! I'm a happier momma too because of it! :)

So....that is my news for today. Luke's party is this afternoon and he is very much looking forward to it. He has been a little confused as to why there are so many 'birthday's', since we celebrated the actual day on Thursday and then have another celebration today, but I know he doesn't mind! :) He's loving getting more gifts (what kid doesn't??) and he's is super excited to have his 'Thomas Party with his friends at My gym!" It should be a lot of fun and A LOT less work for me! I'll actually be able to enjoy the party now! Yay! It will be a great day!

I'm headed to the gym for now. I love Saturday's for that reason...Daddy is home to watch the little ones while I can steal away for a little 'me time'. Ta-ta my friends!

Happy Birthday, Luke!

My baby turns three today. **sniff, sniff** Can in be that he is already a preschooler??? What happened to his infancy...his toddler hood? Three. It doesn't seem so long ago that I trudged to that NICU every day, a cooler full of pumped milk in hand, and spent hours at his bedside just staring at his tiny, 3 pound body as he slept. Then his first smile...first tooth...his first steps....my, my how time passes so quickly!

There are so many things I love about you, Luke. So many moments when I squeeze my eyes shut, just hoping against hope that I will always remember the moments...that look you give me as you hold my face in your hands and kiss my nose, or the way your lips pucker as you try so hard not to smile when you are embarrassed. Or how you tap your toes now when you feel nervous. I want to hold the sound of your voice in my mind always...the way you have learned to tell silly toddler-style knock-knock jokes or when you say something wacky and then follow it up with "I'm juss teasin' ya, Mom!" Even just the way your r's sound more like w's and your g's like d's. How when I tell you how strong or brave or adorable you are, you answer me with "I mam." instead of "I am." I love that. I love how you are so gentle with your sister and how you never just call her Ellie. It's always Baby Ellie or your more endearing Baby Dirl (read girl). You are such a good big brother! Such a sweet spirit. And when you want to be, you can be the feistiest child I've known! :) Diligent and precise and strong willed, but with tenderness to balance it all out too. God's perfect mix of it all. You are my sweet, precious son and I love you with a love so deep and pure that it makes my heart ache just to think of it. Makes me think of how God loves us...and how my love for you cannot even compare to His love for you. You are His first and mine second, and I thank Him now for allowing me to be your mommy. You are one of my life's greatest gifts. I love you, sweet boy. Happy Birthday!

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