Lounging around......

Every once in awhile, we get a day like today...a morning with not much to do except hang around the house and enjoy one another. No where we need to go....no need to hurry....I LOVE mornings like this!

Luke has grown fond of helping me to wake up his baby sister from her naps (not in a bad way...he always waits for me to tell him its time to get her up!). He loves to creep quietly into her room and peer over the edge of the crib to bid her a happy "hiiieeeee, sissy!" complete with a huge, loving smile! Ellie loves this too and squeals with delight when she sees Luke! Its precious to me! This morning was no different, and as I watched the two interact over the crib rails, I just had to run downstairs for my camera, as I begged Luke to just stay there...just for a minute longer! They were so stinkin' cute together. Luke wrapped his arms instinctively around Ellie's back and started talking to her in the sweetest, most loving, big brother voice! She giggled and grinned.....beaming at her brother! Again...precious moments!


Eskimo kisses.....




Of-course, with my camera in hand, I just had to take s'more pictures! :)




Then Luke decided he needed to be in Ellie's crib with her, so they clowned around awhile!

We ventured down the hall to my room after that, so that I could finish up getting ready for the day. I thought this was a fun catch....

"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!!!" :) teeheee! He LOVES jumping on beds! Ellie's not quite sure about it just yet though! :) But she sure didn't mind playing horsey on brother's back!



Oh I LOVE these kids!!! Aren't they the best!?


PS....how do you like my new digs?????

First Day!

Today was Luke's first day of preschool!

We began the celebrations last night with a special dessert made just for Luke (lemon bars! mmm!), served on our favorite red 'You are special today' plate. (And of-course we wrote the occasion on the back, along with the date, so we would remember!). Luke was feeling so proud about eating on the Red Plate and feeling very...well...SPECIAL!

As we ate, we talked about the day ahead and all the fun things he would get to do at school! He was all smiles! He gobbled up his treat and headed off to play for a little bit, while Ty and I lingered at the kitchen table, watching our son and talking about how it feels like such a short time ago, we were carrying him into the house for the first time...our little 4 pound 12 ounce miracle baby, and here he is....starting preschool. Time indeed goes much faster than we realize!!

After our treats, we decided that a height measurement was in order, so we all marched into the laundry room...

At just a mere 38.5 inches, he certainly won't be the tallest kid in the class, but that is just fine with us! :) Then it was off to bed, for a busy day lay ahead of us!

This morning, Luke awoke with brightness and excitement in his eyes! He struggled a tiny bit before getting dressed with a little stinky attitude, but we chalked it up to nervousness. Once we talked through what the day would be like, he seemed to relax a lot more. I did the typical mommy-thing and tried to take a few photos of him before we left. He was in a silly mood!

And by the time we were ready to head out the door, he was so excited that we couldn't seem to get him there fast enough! The whole car ride down to school he talked about how he was going to see new friends and play in the sandbox!

Ty was able to be with us this morning at school, so Luke rode in Daddy's arms all the way to the classroom. He seemed a little nervous again as I signed him in, but as soon as he saw that good 'ol sandbox and the other kids playing there, he was off to play, without a care!

All of us parents looked on and chatted together as the kids played for a few minutes before officially starting the day. When one of the teachers rang the little hand bell to signal the start of class, Luke came to my side and seemed a little tense again...you can see it in his eyes!

He clung to me then, and as we neared the door to his class, he pushed back towards the outside and didn't want to go in. I swooped him up in my arms then and we walked in together. He was near tears. :( But no sooner did he see the kids in the far corner of the room playing with moon sand in a big tray, did he scurry out of my arms and off to play again! Music quiet played through the room, and it was all very quiet and calm! All the children who were there seemed to be crowded around this tiny little sand table, and all of us parents were lined, cameras in hand, on the opposite wall, watching and smiling! :) It was pretty neat to see the kids all so suddenly at ease! And out of the semi-silence Luke calls "Hi Mom! Come 'ere.....look!"

I wandered over and watched for a minute, caught up in this little moment and feeling a little lump in my throat as I watched my sweet firstborn now suddenly a big boy!

He was happy and content as Ty and I decided to head out. We both kissed him goodbye, told him we loved him and I reassured him that I would be back in a few hours. "Okay, Mom. Bye! Love you!" And that was it. He was as happy as a clam! No tears, no worries. Just content and calm. Beautiful. It was beautiful!

I snapped a quick picture of part of the playground as I left, just so you could see. There is a separate area just to the left side of the picture where they have tricycles and cars, along with a painted road to ride on, equipped with traffic signs and everything! There is also another climbing gym over there too. Such a fun, big outdoor area!

I went home after dropping him off, as I will some mornings. Other days, I plan to do my errands and save a bit on the gas! But I have to say that I was in 7th heaven when I returned home, placed my sleeping baby in her crib for a nap and ventured downstairs to a QUIET home. At 10am!!! What a NICE luxury for me! I definitely can get used to this!!! I was able to check off a few things on my to-do list while Ellie slept, and before I knew it, it was 11:30 and time to head back out to get my munchkin!

When I arrived at school, I found Luke engrossed in his favorite activity.....digging in the sandbox! He didn't see me right away, so I just lingered near the wall to watch him. Ms. Aly (who turns out to be the daughter of Ty's mom's good friend from work!) pointed me out to Luke, the biggest smile spread across his face and he called out "Mommmmmmmeeeeeeee!" as he ran, open armed, my way! He nearly knocked me over with his hug, which, I of-course LOVED! He was so, so, happy you guys! Full of energy and joy! His eyes were bright and his face red from the heat! I could hardly make out his words as he spoke so quickly to tell me all he had done in the few short hours he was there! He invited me over then, to share in his delicious birthday cake (that he made just for me!) made of sand and topped with a straw-candle! Sweet boy! I let him play a few more minutes, before I signed him out and were headed to the car. He literally bounced the whole way to the car...giddy and happy at his adventures of the day! "We went on a bear hunt today, Mom! It was so much fun!!!". And so began all the wonderful re-tellings of the morning's fun! He can't wait to go back!

I once was lost, but now I'm found.....

We *almost* lost Ellie's Snuggie yesterday. I say *almost* because I got a call just an hour or so ago that our precious little Snug has been found! Hallelujah!! We took the kids on their first trip to Sea World yesterday (more on that in a minute) and I made the silly mistake of bringing Ellie's snuggie along inside the park, in hopes that it would help her to nap in the stroller while we were there. Let's just say that I have learned my lesson and won't do that again! Next time, Snug will stay in the car!

We were literally on our way out of the park at 5pm yesterday, when, in a throng of people, Ellie threw her snuggie overboard (a game she has loved to play with anything and everything lately!). She had been doing this ALL day with anything that she could get her pudgy little hands on. She would grab something, inspect it...play with it for a moment and then **poof**...out of the stroller it would go! And usually, I was speedy enough to retrieve whatever it was. But, amidst all those people who just happened to be exiting the Shamu show, Snuggie somehow got tossed out and I missed it! We had only gone about a half of a block from the last spot where she had chucked it out to the spot where I looked down and realized it was gone again (yes....you'd think I would have learned my lesson by then and put Snug up!) :( I sent Ty on a snuggie-search back through the crowd, certain that he would come back with it. But when he rounded the corner empty handed, my heart sank. I went back searching myself and was almost brought to tears when it was no where to be found! :( Her snuggie is so important to me (and will be to her in time!) Her Meemaw gave it to her, and it is just like Luke's with the exception of the color! She has slept with it every single night since she was born and she has already grown attached to it. At bedtimes, she will quickly calm down when Snuggie is handed to her. She snuggles into with her face and you can just tell how she loves it! So to loose it was so sad for me! Ty went to the Lost and Found to see if it had somehow been returned, but it had not. :( He wrote up a little report with our phone number and a description just in case, but I wasn't hopeful.

Until this afternoon when the phone rang and the caller ID showed that it was Sea World! They had Snuggie!!!!!! When I told the nice lady on the phone how THRILLED I was that it had been found, she told me "I had a special blanket when I was little too, and I was devastated when I lost it, so I understand." Awwww...sweet lady. I could have kissed her, that's how happy I was to hear that snuggie had been found! It's on it's way in the mail tomorrow and will be washed and as good as new in no time! Yay, yay, yay!!!!!!

As for the rest of the day, we had a wonderful time!! Luke had such a blast there! We started off in the new Bay of Play, where he got to see Elmo and refused to take his picture with Cookie Monster! :) Our neighbors Bill, Kristin, Adam and Emily went with us, and Emily happily posed for a shot with Cookie, but not Luke. Uh-uh. No way! After that, he climbed through the massive climbing gym-thingy with Ty and we rode a few rides together (one with Mommy and one with Daddy). We went to the dolphin show next, and he was all smiles as we watched those beautiful creatures swim and perform! And in true Mommy form, I got choked up sitting there watching the joy grace his face and Ellie clapping wildly along with the crowd! It was a special moment!

The rest of the afternoon was spent fighting the crowds (it was so, so, SOOOO busy there yesterday!) and trying to stay cool while we visited the sea lions, visited the tide pool area where Luke explored and touched the sea stars, and visited the manta ray exhibit. He giggled wildly when he finally got to touch the fin of the manta ray! He thought that was pretty amazing and kept reaching his hand farther into the water in hopes to touch one again! We stayed much longer than any of us anticipated, as all four of the kids were being so well behaved! I don't think we exited the park until close to 6pm (we arrived around 11am), and everyone konked out in the car from exhaustion! It was a fun day! We are looking forward to going back again sometime to see the things that we missed, like Shamu and a few of the rides. Our passes allow us to go back once more before May. Pretty cool! But I think we'll head back when the weather isn't so hot and the crowds are sure to be less! Maybe late fall or early spring! We'll see.

Hope each of you are enjoying a wonderful weekend as well!

Meet the Teacher Day!

Today was the day Luke got to visit his new preschool classroom and his new teacher! His 'official' first day is this coming Tuesday! We have been gearing him up for this big day for some time now, and while I know that Luke felt a bit of trepidation in going today, he was also very, very excited! We have been by the school a couple of times now to pick up paperwork and what have you, so he has already gotten a sneak peak at what fun things are there! Today, he could hardly wait to get out to the 'giant sandbox' and dig awhile!

We picked up his folder of paperwork yesterday and learned that he will be in the Green class and his teacher will be Mrs. McCann. Last night, as I tucked him into bed, I asked him if he remembered his teacher's name, and I busted into roars of laughter when he sheepishly looked at me and said, "Mrs. Nizbit!" (For those of you who have watched Toy Story a zillion and one times like we have, you know that in one part of the movie, Buzz gets 'kidnapped' over to the neighbors house and ends up being forced to play tea party with the little girl there. She names Buzz "Mrs. Nizbit"!) I laughed so hard at his out-of-the-blue response that we were 15 minutes late getting to bed! He just cracked me up! He accurately recalled Mrs. McCann's name this morning, but I think we might just keep her 'special' name as a silly little secret joke between us! LOL!

Luke did great upon meeting his teacher! He was a bit shy and nervous for a few minutes, but once he saw all the cool things in his room, he quickly got busy playing and was comfortable! So much so that I actually had to bribe him to go when it was time to leave! (oh! did I say bribe?? I...er...mean encouraged! LOL!) He instantly gravitated towards to markers and paper when we arrived, and was happy to sit and draw Mrs. McCann a picture of himself at the table. She expressed to me how impressed she was with his ability to draw people and write letters (only an L & U), given his age. Of-course, being his mom, I am proud of and impressed by him too, but not in the sense that I think he's 'advanced' for his age, like she alluded to. Maybe she was just trying to make me feel good! :) LOL! He quickly made friends with a boy named Aiden after that and they seemed to instantly gravitate toward one another. In no time, they were building train tracks with the blocks and racing their cars on them together!

The school is everything (and more!) than I hoped it would be! Very play-focused, with the philosophy being that kids will learn best through their natural 'work' of play. They do, of-course, do academic things like learning reading, letter recognition, learning the calendar, seasons, days of the week, etc, but it is mostly through the medium of play. I LOVE that! Very appropriate for 3 year olds! The atmosphere is so warm and inviting there...you can just feel it as you enter. They are Christian-based too, which I am also very happy about! They'll even get to go to chapel once a week!

All in all, it was a great 'getting to know you' morning! Luke is SUPER excited to go back on Tuesday! And I am excited for him! (And, to be honest, for myself too! Three hours twice a week with just Ellie and I will be special for us too!) This will be a grand adventure for him! As we pulled away from the school, Luke remarked "So, Mom.....my class didn't look green to me. " I giggled. I guess in his three-year-old, concrete mind, the idea of him being in the green class was taken literally! :) Cute, cute!

One year

Ellie's first year in review, for those of you who weren't here on Saturday...

I think I'm still having a hard time believing that my Ellie is a year already! It has just gone by much to quickly! I told Ty on Sunday, after the party and the busyness were through that I felt both a sense of relief and sadness. Relief that the party was over and the chaos of the weeks preceding as well, but sadness that this marks the end of the last first year I will ever experience with my babies. :( The thought, even as I type it, brings tears to my eyes. At this moment, I so desperately don't want her to grow up!!! I want her to stay small enough to cradle in my arms! But I sadly know these days are numbered. :( Why does it have to pass us by so quickly?! I guess that is why I am a picture fanatic; snapping image after image in my feeble attempt to stall time and capture who she is in THIS moment. If only I could capture the touch of her skin or the sound of her voice, or the sweet smell of her hair in those photographs too. If only....

I took Ellie for her one year checkup today. She must now recognize the doctor's office and what it all means, because no sooner did I set her on the exam table to undress her did she begin to get cranky and irritable. She was fine prior to and upon leaving the office, but while we were there she had very little interest in the toys or binky I brought for her, and she actually threw a couple of mini tantrums. :( I don't blame her, really! After all, the visit did end in two pokes!

As for her growth, she is doing just fine. Just an ounce under 20 pounds which placed her in the 25th-50th percentile according to the nurse. 25th to 50th????? Hmmm. I think I'd be happier with a solid number like 35th, but whatever. She eats like a horse...sometimes MORE than her brother at any given meal, so she must just be a calorie-burning machine! She's a lean-bean too, with a height of 30 inches, placing her in the 75th percentile there. Maybe she'll be long and lean? That would be okay!

We didn't talk much about the urinary reflux, so I'm guessing the plan at this point is to just hang tight until/if more problems arise? Dr. Mailander had mentioned that she really didn't think there was much for us to do at this point anyway, and we're not thrilled with the idea of a drawn out course of antibiotics either. So waiting is just fine for us. She's doing great... there is no harm in letting her be for now!
Whentime allows, I will post some of the pictures from her party on Saturday, but at this moment that would entail me actually having to load them on to the computer. I haven't even looked at them yet! So, be on the look out for those soon.....or not so soon. teeheehee.

I'll do it MYSELF!

Ahhhhh....the phrase that I have heard a ba-zillion times a day for weeks on end! Those words, coupled with the jerking away of whatever it is that I am trying to help Luke with and the wrinkling of his little nose that often leads me to throw my hands up into the air, half the time in surrender and half the time in frustration! Yes....we are at that stage of being 3 1/2!

Ironically, it was this very afternoon, as I sat quietly near a sun-drenched window in my bedroom, praying and reading my Bible that I asked God to help me not only learn directly from His word, but also from the every day, real-life things that happen to me. I asked that I would have a teachable heart, and that in those days when I struggle to find a few minutes of quite with Him, that Jesus would teach me through my own daily experiences...through the simple things that usually go unnoticed or get glossed over in my day. That I might be more sensitive and watchful for those little lessons.

I didn't have to wait long for my first lesson.

It was bath time. Luke, Ellie and I were huddled into their tiny bathroom together, and I was feebly attempting to dress my bare-bottomed three year old before my very tired baby completely melted down into a puddle of tears. I was tired. I was flying solo on the bedtime routine tonight, as Ty was gone for a bit. It had been a long, busy weekend and I felt myself rushing headlong into what I hoped would be a quiet, restful evening (once the kids were in bed, that is!) I made the third (and final) plea with Luke to just please allow me to help him get his pj's on, when his words and that wrinkled little nose rang out loud as thunder and resonated in my heart. "I want to do it MYSELF!!" He turned towards the bathroom door then, and as I retreated from my mission to dress him, the thought instantly came to me.... "How often do I do this to you, Lord? How often do YOU throw your hands up in frustration when you try to help me but I resist?"

Oh dear! Here we go with lesson #1! For those of you who know me well, you know that I am stubbornly independent! Fiercely so at times. So this first little lesson that the Lord had for me tonight was not just haphazardly shot in my general direction from Heaven. Oh no! It was a well-aimed, direct bulls eye into my heart! And out of the mouths of babes no less! My babe! Thank you, Lord for this. I'm listening.

I tried to think further into this moment....to derive from it the lesson Jesus had for me, and I've actually pondered it now for some 24 hours. (See...He got me thinking!) I realize that, in many ways, I sometimes behave no differently towards God than my three year old son behaves towards me. I vie for independence (power?) and struggle against what I know is best for me, even when the help that is being offered to me would make the task at hand go easier or faster, more peacefully, or just have a better outcome all around. I want to figure things out on my own and at times, I (figuratively speaking of-course) stomp my feet and throw a tantrum when it doesn't turn out as I'd like it to. But much like how my preschooler doesn't want to take the time to listen to the reasoning as to why the help offered to him is good, I too am guilty of wrinkling up my nose and demanding that I figure it out myself...whatever 'it' may be at the time! I chuckle to myself now as I type, imagining our merciful, loving, all powerful, all knowing God standing beside me offering help through His word, or a friend or whatever, and me behaving like Luke did last night!!! Thankfully, I can see the humor in my transgressions, and I know that God can too, because he loves me so much!

Now, in my own defense....I am learning to be patient...to listen to the help offered and accept that is has value well beyond my ability to understand it! God is growing me in this area. But apparently, from the little moment I had with Luke last night, God also wants me to know that I there is still ground yet to be gained here! I can see now that it is in those moments when I struggle to do it myself that I need to remember more often than not, my heavenly Father has a much better plan and a much better way of handling things than I do!!

Thank goodness!!!

365 days ago....

...I gave birth to a precious, 6 pound, 10 ounce, beautiful baby girl! It was such a peaceful, joyful, serene day, and her temperament from those very first moments has always echoed that. Mellow and easy going....happy and, at times, boisterous. I love her more than words could ever attest to! It amazes me how much I love her....how a momma's heart can adore both her children with such intensity! I am truly blessed! I love you, sweet Belle! You are my angel! Happy, happy birthday, Love!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Welcoming Baby Haven

Haven Anneliese, born yesterday August 13 at 12:46pm! She weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces and was 19.5 inches long! Mommy and Baby are doing incredibly well!
Isn't she beautiful???!!

I was incredibly honored to be a part of such a special day! We arrived at the hospital an hour or so after Haven's birth and visited with Sarah and Nick's family while we waited for Sarah to get settled. We got to visit with Angel for a time prior to their specially arranged meeting with sweet baby Haven....their first time as a family of 5! I was thankful beyond words to have this little photography hobby of mine, because it is was for the purpose of photographing this special day that I was there, in the room, when the boys first met Haven. Hudson's reaction was priceless. He walked slowly into the room, a look of astonishment and joy gracing his face, and as he drew close to Haven said "I LIKE her!" in a way that sounded like he hadn't been too sure of what his reaction would be before hand. And when the boys first heard her cry, they both threw their hands over their ears! teehee! :) They spent much time lingering over their new sister, stroking and kissing her; inspecting her tiny features and loving on her. She really is a beautiful baby!

We got to spend a good chunk of time bonding with Sarah and Haven, but also with Angel. I was so glad for that time as well. I'll tell you friends....that boy is AMAZING! (As if we didn't already know that!) When you look at this child, sitting in his hospital bed and you begin talking with him, he is the same Angel as always...full of spunk and life. Vibrant and silly! He walked all the way (and back) to Sarah's post-partum room and spend a considerable amount of time visiting there. Looking at him, if you didn't know the torment his body had been through in recent weeks, you really wouldn't know how ill he was or what an incredible road to recovery lies ahead of him, save the two IV poles jammed with medication after medication. As we got ready to leave the hospital late last night, we spend another bit of time with Angel, just the three of us. He was playful and spunky, despite the late hour (10pm!) and kept teasing me that he was 'gonna take me down' someday. (He was on a wrestling kick just then!) We were able to help him prepare for bed and then our time at the hospital drew to a close and we bid him goodnight. I am just so, so, SO thankful and honored to have been part of such a special day in their lives! A blessing indeed!
With another busy day ahead of me as I prepare for Ellie's birthday this weekend, I will draw this post to a close with several pictures of the day yesterday.

What an amazing day! Thank you, Sarah for letting for me be a part of it!

A New Day

I awoke this morning early, before the alarm, to the twitter of a bird outside my window. The air was cool and crisp as I wandered downstairs to cozy up with a warm, inviting cup of coffee. I gazed out the kitchen window as I poured alertness into my mug, shrugged off the cloak of sleep and breathed in peace. Today is a new day. Fresh, without blemish or mark. A new day full of promise. This is in stark contrast to the way I fell asleep last night. For yesterday was a day marked with busyness, stress and exhaustion. I went to bed near tears last night, laying down my bible with an unusually heavier heart than when I opened it, and snuggling deep into my pillow as if I could somehow bury the day in it. I don't much care for days like yesterday. I think I fell asleep praying for a morning much like this...one of peacefulness and ease.

Standing in the kitchen, the sun began to peek over the horizon and bounced rays of light off the scattering of clouds. God painted the sky with beautiful hues of pink and lavender and I thought, "A baby will be born today". Long awaited, precious baby Haven will meet the world today...in just a few hours as I sit to type this. And this morning, as I ponder the day ahead, I marvel at God's unending grace, provision and love. How this child, woven and knit together inside her mother, was perfectly timed and perfectly planned by God. From my earthly perspective, in recent weeks, I have often questioned God's timing and reasoning for things. Not that I have doubted His wisdom and power, but rather, in my humanness, I search for reasons why. But those questions always only lead me back to one thought "God knows. He is in control and He has a perfect plan." Yes. God, and God alone knows why He sets certain things in motion and plans things as He does. And thank goodness for that!! Thank goodness that there is a Master Planner overseeing all that is in this world! What comfort I find in this thought!

This morning, as I gazed out at this new day before me, breathing in God's assurance that His timing is perfect, all my questions and anxieties fell away. Peace settled in their place (if even only for a time) and I grow excited to meet this little, long awaited precious baby who is wrapped in prayer. She will come into a family and into a life that is, in this season, surrounded in busyness, stress and anxieties, but just as I awoke to this new day of peace, her birth will be a sweet, refreshing, cozy refuge for her family....a little slice of heaven.......a safe haven for their weary hearts.

Looking forward to meeting you in a few short hours, sweet child. Praying for your arrival to be safe and peaceful!

Doing well!

As I sit down here at the computer to blog, I feel a bit overwhelmed and not sure what to even post. We've had several weeks of busy, busy days...full of so many wonderful things and a few not so wonderful things. Oh how I wish I could revisit them all and share them with you. I never even posted about our trip to the lake or the beach this past weekend or any of the other fun things we've been doing. I feel sad that I haven't had time lately to blog like I *used* to. It is a season though and in awhile I will *hopefully* be back to my normal blogging routine. We'll see.

BUT....since so many of you have been asking, I wanted to let you know that Luke is doing well! I am sorry not to have posted sooner. His bleeding has actually been pretty much non-existent since we saw Dr. Shah 8 days ago. Like I said before, it comes and goes. But I believe that it is our prayers at work in his little body!

We received a letter over the weekend that was an estimate of the costs related to his colonoscopy. It was actually listed as a "colonoscopy with biopsy and a polypectomy". Hmmm. As I thought, it will be an out of pocket cost to us until we reach our deductible for him of $1500. Then anything after that will be covered at 70%. Ironically, they estimate the costs of the procedure at $1573! Yikes! That is something we were NOT expecting! The letter also stated that the procedure was scheduled for August 18th! Something I was completely unaware of, as no one from the office ever notified us of this. So....I've been in contact with (left messages for, is more accurate) Dr. Shah's office to have the date rescheduled and to get answers to several questions we have regarding the prep. for the procedure and such. Hopefully I will hear back today. We are just not prepared to do the procedure in less than a week. Ty will need to reschedule his own work hours to be there with us, and we will need to figure out care for Ellie as well. Then it comes down to preparing Luke for all the things leading up to the procedure, as it is those things that will be the roughest for him. Since he will be sedated for the actual procedure, that will be the simplest part of it all! :)

SO........all that to say that we are still in limbo. But he did AWESOME for his blood draw that day! He was completely a SUPER HERO and did all the things I asked of him! He held still, breathed with me, listened carefully, and much to my surprise, didn't hardly even flinch when she poked him! Not even a tear either (which was most definitely okay to do, but he didn't!). I was so, so, SOOOO proud of him! We went and got an ice cream afterwards together since he did so well! Big boy!

And now, seeing the clock I realize I must get going. But not without a little picture of my "Belle" who will be having her first birthday in just FOUR more days! Can you believe it? This year has flown by! She is such a doll, isn't she!? I love, love, LOVE her!

More to come! Thank you, as always, for checking in and keeping in your prayers!

Back briefly....

Hi friends...

I am back, but only briefly to let you know a little of what has been going on for us this past week. There are a couple of things that I think are prayer-worthy that I wanted to share with you, if you wouldn't mind lifting them up to God on our behalf.

In a quick nutshell, for some time now, Luke has been intermittently complaining of his bottom (rectum) hurting or being sore. When we look, the outside has just looked red and diaper-rash'ish around that area, so we have been 'treating' it by keeping it clean and coated in cream. But in the couple of days before we left for the lake and then several times since then, he has had episodes of rectal bleeding when he stools. :( The worst I had seen it was on this past Wednesday morning, just prior to a scheduled visit to our pediatrician, when the toilet was completely red. :( It has not been quite that bad since that day, but there is still some mild bleeding going on somewhere. Our pediatrician ran a few tests (stool samples) to check for parasites and such, and referred us back to the gastroenterologist (Dr. Shah) that Luke saw for his reflux as an infant. That appointment was this morning. Dr. Shah examined Luke, asked many questions and was very thorough in determining what he thinks is going on with him. There appear to be two separate things going on with Luke's poor little bottom. :( First, the outer redness and soreness and second, the bleeding. He does not think that they are related. Dr. Shah thinks that the redness, oozy (sorry if that is TMI) and sore outer bottom is/was possibly caused by a simple strep infection around the rectum, since it has gotten better recently. It did, however, cause a fissure internally, which is tender for Luke. A blood test this afternoon will confirm this.

Secondly is the bleeding. Because the bleeding is also intermittent and there have been episodes of more than just a smear on the tp after stooling (ie, that day the toilet was full!), Dr. Shah wants to rule out a polyp via a colonoscopy. :( I will tell you that that part I am not thrilled with. I asked many questions and made sure I accurately understood why the test needed to be run and what exactly he believes is the culprit, and at this point, all indicators lead to a polyp as the most likely cause. He did not believe that it was Crohn's, or colitis or another syndrome that I can't remember the name of (some type of diverticulitis, I think????) and because the quantity of blood was more than just a drop or two, he did not believe the fissure was the cause. That would have only bleed a small amount, I believe.

So....we are waiting to hear back from the doctor's office regarding insurance approval (I think we will have to pay out of pocket though) and to set a date for the colonoscopy. It will most likely be the 18th, I think, but I will let you know.

While I am not super worried about all of this (I think Ty is more concerned than I am) I am appropriately concerned and glad to be working towards finding out what is going on. But Luke is at a funny stage now developmentally where he is expressing ALOT of fear with even going to the doctor's office lately. This is very new for him, as he has always been so easy going with doctors. Even my best Child Life preparation for the simplest things like a routine ears, nose, heart/lung exam is not working to calm him. Strange. He literally tried to run out the door of the waiting room this morning when they called his name and immediately burst into sobbing, trembling tears. This is very unlike him! I will be taking him for a blood draw this afternoon, and because he has been so anxious, I am more than a little concerned as to how he will do. I am going to do a little teaching before we leave, but seeing how it hasn't helped much for even the general stuff, I am not holding out much hope for a smooth poke today. :( And the colonoscopy....well....that will be a whole different ballgame with needing an IV, sedation and all. So if you would, please just say a little prayer both for the cause of this bleeding to be accurately determined and also for his little anxious heart to be receptive to and trusting of Mommy's teachings and support. :( Poor little guy. I am so thankful I can prepare him though! That is a blessing!

I am off for now to get a few things done before naptime is over and we head off to the lab! Before I go though, I wanted to tell you that I was able to see Sarah yesterday to help her gather her things for Haven's arrival on the 13th, and she seemed to be doing very well! Her demeanor was calm and peaceful despite it all, which spoke volumes to me about how all those prayers are working! Angel is doing much better after his partial closure last week. He was in a significant amount of pain, but it is slowly improving. He will go back in for another surgery on Wednesday to close the remaining portion, so please be in prayer for this, as well as his pain to be minimal afterwards.

More to come. Love to each of you.....