Two Months. (a little late!)

Dear Walker,

It's hard to believe you are already two months old! This precious time is going by so fast. You are so calm and alert. Eyes always open and taking in your surroundings. You still have that sweet newborn cry, though I know you won't for much longer, so I'm breathing it in with each whimper you make.You have only been in our family for such a short time, yet it already seems as if you've always been there. You are such a sweet, precious blessing from God.

Daddy & I aren't the only ones who have been blessed by your arrival. Your big brother and sister love you so very much! They both watch over you and protect you so sweetly. Your big sister however, has an odd fascination with your eyes. She loves to touch them. Needless to say, you don't enjoy this so much. I worried that Lilah might be a bit jealous of you to begin with, but she hasn't been. Not at all. She wants to be where you are at all times. If you are ever taken out of her sight she wonders through the house calling "caulker,.....CAULKER". She says this very sweetly, but I think you think she's coming for you, because when you hear that, you immediately launch into this wild panicked cry......like she's coming to get you (Chucky style).

Your big brother is ever the protective guardian. He believes it to be his duty to keep you safe at all times, day or night. His only problem after your coming home with us was that you weren't going to be sleeping in his room. I still find him checking on you at night. He loves you fiercely and I look so forward to watching you grow up together.

I know that the time will only go by faster as the years go by. I am treasuring every night time feeding (though those are few and far between), every bath time, and every quiet moment. I know you won't be my sweet little baby for very long. I am so thankful that God made me your mom.

I love you Walker,

Mom

Christmas Blessings

I can't believe it's the day after Christmas! Wow! This year has flown by! We have one more Christmas "get together" at my grandmother's on Sunday and then Christmas is officially over for this year at our house.

I find myself trying to stop and treasure every single moment. I know that next year my kids will be older and different and I'm trying to enjoy them just as they are right now.

Carter:
He is ever the big brother. He feels it is his duty, his privelidge to take care of his younger brother & sister. (He also tells me he wants 3 more......I am listening VERY closely when he says his prayers these days!!:)) He is fun-NY, loving and so very giving and thankful. Months ago we saw a little CAT forklift in Walmart and from that moment he knew that's what he wanted from Santa......and that's ALL he wanted.

Of course Santa delivered, and even surprised him with a few other things. Carter was so excited. He used the closest phone, which happened to come with Lilah's play kitchen, to call Santa and thank him for everything he brought him. He even told Santa that he hoped the kids who we had the charity birthday party for liked their presents as much as he did.

SO SO sweet! That party will definately be a tradition around here! Carter is so sweet and loving. He loves to "snuggle" with me and tells me at least once a day, "Mom, I sure do love you!"

Carter, I sure do love you too baby!


Lilah:

Lilah is changing so quickly these days. She is a perfect mixture of girly and tough. She will flat beat her big brother with a wooden spoon while wearing every single piece of gaudy costume jewelry she can manage to squeeze on her little 20 month old frame! She usually only gets in one smack before he is off and running and she is right on his heels, both giggling like crazy!

She is learning more and more words and can say anything she wants now that she has finally shed her pacy. My favorite thing she says is "I wuv you" and "daaaaaaaaddyyyyy" SO sweet! I wish I could bottle those up to keep forever!

Lilah loves her big brother and her little brother too. She took right to her new role as big sister, never for one minute being jealous of the new little person in her life. She loves to hold him and kiss him (complete with sound effects!....adorable!!) and must know where he is at all times! I've only heard her say "Walker" 2 times, mostly he's just "thebaby".

She loves her baby dolls, her stroller, any toy Carter is playing with, climbing, squealing, & snuggling. She is Mama's girl, and I LOVE it....

.....and I wuv you too Lilah!

Walker:

Walker is 7 weeks old. I can't believe he is already 7 weeks, yet I can't imagine that he ever wasn't here. He is snuggly, sweet, smiling, and looking more like his big brother every day.

He puckers when he cries and pouts when he gets startled.....its too cute to stand!!

He is amazingly tolerant of being held by his brother, sister, & cousins. He has developed every newborn rash known to man, yet still manages to be super adorable under all the little red bumps.

Walker has slept all night long twice now and the intervals are getting longer on the nights he does wake up to eat. I don't know if he is incredibly laid back, or if I am more laid back this time.....maybe a little of both, but going from 2 to 3 children has definately been easier (so far) than going from 0-1 or from 1-2.

He went for his 6 week checkup last week and weighed 9 lbs 1 oz and was 21.5 inches long. He is growing so fast! I treasure every moment with him as I know he won't be this little for long enough!

I love you so much Walker, I am so thankful to have you in our family! Merry 1st Christmas sweet baby!

It's hard to believe that in a few short days a new year, a new decade will begin! I don't make resolutions per say, but I am trying to make a point of slowing down, savoring and enjoying each and every moment with my babies, and with those around us.

Visions of sugar plums?



Look Mom! We both fit! (hold on Lilah!!)
Carter wanted to put Walker in the back....uhhh. no.

Cooking Christmas Breakfast

About time!

Really? It's almost been a month since I posted? It's hard to believe that our little Walker is a month old already! He is such a sweet baby. He only cries at diaper changes or when his sister smacks him with a large bottle of Bath & Body works Vanilla Bean Noel.....and he's beginning to tolerate the diaper changes a little better. The Vanilla Bean Noel, notsomuch. (it's put away, hopefully it was a one time thing!)



Anyway, it's been such a whirlwind month around here! The first couple of weeks the ladies from our church blessed our socks off by bringing food every single night! That was such a wonderful help! It allowed me to rest up and feel human again! I always forget how miserable the end of pregnancy feels until I'm not pregnant anymore. I think it's a God thing! He lets you forget the bad parts so you'll want to have more babies!



Carter is a fabulous big brother. We already knew this, but having another baby has just confirmed for us that he was meant to be a big brother. He has taken it in stride, and never fails to kiss Walker at least 150 times a day.



Lilah is doing good too! She loves "thebaby", and is sure to pick him up at least once a day. Yes, I watch her, but she is a climber and she lies in wait until I turn my back for a second and she can make her move. The good thing is that she only wants to love him, so she is always gentle (as gentle as a 19 month old can possibly be) when she gets her grubby little hands on him.



Kyle is (still) trying to get all the beans harvested, and I have been in full swing with my photography so it's been a little bit of an interesting juggling act the last couple of weeks but it has been fun! Yesterday was the first time I actually left Walker anywhere but at home with Kyle, and it was to photograph a 2 week old baby boy, so I was afraid I might weep and leak and all other things hormonal new moms do.....but I didn't!



I also didn't waste any time getting back to my parents house to pick them up!



I have to wrap this up, but first I have to tell you that Carter is going to be "performing" with the children at church in the Christmas program. Kyle has taken him to all the practices so I haven't seen it, but he sits at the piano to "practice" and sings words that I'm pretty sure would not be part of any religious Christmas song, and shows me dance moves that are a mixture of Toby Keith and MC Hammer, so I'm really looking forward to this performance.



........and I really hope that after the "performance" our family isn't asked to move to another church. :)



I'm looking so forward to Christmas this year! Our little ones are at such fun ages! This is the newest pics of the grandbabies on my side of the family.....don't you think it's going to be fun?!



...and loud?! haha!

Just a few things....

Just a few little (or huge!) victories to share with you....

*Last night Uncle Clay & Aunt Tammy brought Carter & Lilah to the hospital for a visit! YAY! To say that their mom & dad are missing them would be the understatement of the year! I can't tell you how many times Kyle has reminded me that he hasn't seen them since Saturday morning, except for a brief time Sunday night. Their daddy is missing them more than he would ever admit!

*During their visit last night we attempted something that could have very well gotten us all thrown out of the hospital. The NICU has very strict visiting policies. ONLY parents and grandparents can visit. NO siblings. Not EVEN if they are my babies. (I know, right?) Well, during one of my visits with Walker yesterday I looked away from him long enough to realize where we were in the building and notice that there was a door just across from his bed that led outside. I asked his day nurse about bringing the kids up to the door in hopes that they could see their baby brother....she was all for it, but didn't know if they'd be able to see through the dark tint on the windows.

Well, Aunt Tammy & Uncle Clay brought the kids by and were up for my plan, so Daddy went around the parking lot with them while I went back to the NICU to start Walker's feeding and plead my case (insanity?) with the nighttime nurses. (disclaimer: I may have had a bit of a hormonal "episode" in front of them the night before so I was afraid they wouldn't go for it...but they did!) They had the attention of the entire NICU as they pecked their little fingers on the door and there wasn't a dry eye in the place (or outside that door) as we all watched a big brother and a big sister see their baby brother for the first time! As of right now, I believe that ranks right at the top of my favorite Mommy moments!!! Carter & Lilah had the biggest most precious smiles on their faces and were so very excited to see their long awaited Walker! Preccccious!!

Thank you Clay & Tammy SO MUCH for braving the remnants of Ida, the dark, cold, and rain, and making this moment possible!!!

**And! to top off a very near perfect NICU day, Walker opened his eyes for me for the VERY first time at his 12am feeding!!!

This mama is going to sleep one happy lady!

p.s...have I mentioned that Walker has Hair?? Our other two babies had none...for a long time!

Baby Mine....

We are so excited to introduce you to the newest member of our family!

Walker James Pike made a surprise appearance on Sunday, November 8 at 7:44pm cst!

He weighs 6lbs 8oz and is 19 inches long. My awesome Dr came in on his weekend off, immediately after his family arrived home from vacation to do a c section. Have I mentioned that we think he is awesome???! I was a nervous wreck as it was, had I been left in the hands of anyone else, I'd have lost it for sure! A HUGE HUGE thank you to Dr Harnsberger (and his family) for sacrificing the last hours of their weekend for the sake of delivering our baby safely!

Since Walker was still 4 weeks early, he had to go directly to the NICU because of some problems with his breathing. He has since been taken off the vent, and is breathing really well on his own. Hopefully, he'll be able to come home in a day or two!

At this point, I have only gotten to hold him twice and I just fed him for the first time this morning! We are having to do bottle feedings right now to measure how much he gets, but hopefully he'll be able to nurse in a couple of days.

So far, he is an amazingly calm baby boy, and seems to be oblivious to all the loud noises going on around him in the NICU. (this will most certainly come in handy when he comes home!)

Carter and Lilah still haven't gotten to see their baby brother since only parents and grandparents are allowed in the nicu. Carter is really bummed about it, and Lilah isn't sure exactly what's going on, but she knows she doesn't like it! I'll be glad to get everyone home together so we can get into some sort of routine as a new family of five!

Kyle and I have both been really shaken by all of this. We are so thankful for healthy children and while it is so hard to leave Walker behind when we exit the NICU, we know that he is healthy overall and pass by many beds of babies who are so much sicker than ours. We are so blessed!!

Thank you for all the calls, texts, visits, flowers, food,housecleaners, babysitters, and especially for the prayers! I'd also like to give a big thank you to Jason, Amber, & Loren for the fabulous Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice they brought me yesterday! SO GOOD!

I can't tell you how much we love and appreciate you all!

Fabulous Fall

I love fall, don't you? I love it when the leaves start changing. I love it when the corn gets picked, and the pumpkins are ready to be harvested. LOVE it! It probably helps that I love all things "comfort food". The first day it was remotely cool & rainy I jumped at the opportunity to make Loaded Potato Soup. Yum! I've also made Taco soup, and rest assured as soon as I make it to the grocery store again, there will be homemade chili in my crock pot!

This fall in particular I'm loving the cooler temperatures. I have never been pregnant during the heat of late summer before and I must admit I herded my little ones outside many mornings super early so we could get in our outside time before it got too hot for mom. We are all loving the weather so much we can rarely be found indoors during the daytime now.

A few days ago I was even inspired enough to attempt flying a kite with them on a particularly windy day. If this baby decides to hang out in utero longer than I like, I might try that one again. I seriously thought I would give birth right in the front yard after that little bit of fun.

I forgot how much (ahem) running was involved in flying a kite.

I'll pause now while you experience the full visual of that moment..................



As for what's going on around here, I'm staying pretty busy with my photography. The first round of Fall Portraits is this Saturday.....and I'm SUPER excited about that! Then I have a few appts scattered through next week and another round next Saturday, then a few here and there up until delivery. I have lots of ideas that I can't wait to use over the next few weeks. God is really blessing us with this new venture!


Baby is doing great, rolling and moving. I'm going to the Dr every 2 weeks now and probably after this Friday's appt every week. This Friday I have a 4D ultrasound scheduled so I'm hoping he/she will cooperate and we can get a good face shot! I have good ones of both Carter & Lilah and will treasure them always!


On a side note, since Kyle was laid off in May I have dealt more with insurance than I care to and learned something that didn't shock me, but did further convince me of the awesomeness of my OB. I hear a lot of people say their insurance doesn't pay for ultrasounds, or only pays for 2, or won't pay for 4D ultrasounds. Get this. My Dr does an US at every single visit throughout the entire pregnancy, but they only bill for 2.....and! if your insurance doesn't cover those, they don't bill for any of them!! How is that for fabulous care??!


So, in honor of the rain I can hear hitting the windows now (which has been hanging around here alot lately, but who can let a little rain keep them indoors?), I'll leave you with some of my latest fav pics of my little ones. I so love them and have them ordered to hang in the playroom which is super colorful.

50 Days.....

Have you noticed the little baby ticker on the sidebar? Have you noticed that it now ticks right at 50ish days?

I have to admit, that makes me a little nervous.

Okay, a LOT nervous.

I'm super excited to meet this new little baby, I'm excited to see Carter & Lilah's reaction to it. I can't wait to see which name we will get to use (yes, brace yourself, we have them picked out!!!).

I'm just a little more nervous this time about the c section. I don't even know whether or not I blogged about the last one, but it didn't go exactly perfect. We thought it did...until a nurse became alarmed by some problems that I was having shortly after being brought to recovery. I don't even remember all the details other than there was much puking, and a blood clot, and I was pretty much unconscious for the majority of the day and night.

My awesome Dr assures me that it was a freak thing and I have no reason to be concerned, so I'm not too concerned.

But I am nervous.

So, if you think of it, would you please send up a prayer on my behalf regarding this nervousness? ...and maybe one for my husband and dr who have to deal with me and this "nervousness"?

Thank you!

Now, on to the good stuff! We are going to meet this baby in 50ish days!! Did I mention we have names picked out? Wanna hear them?

In the event we have a girl: Harper Sydney

In the event we have a boy: Walker James

Either way, the middle name will be after my husband's father.

Now, I really have to get my rear in gear and get some "nesting" done before baby's arrival.

I'm going to start on that right now.

Really, I am.

Right now.

Sk8tr Babies....

Lilah's the one on the right. (not really, but I can totally see her rockin' some of these moves!..ha!)......and Carter HAS been asking for skates. hmmmm...

Potty Training..Victory?

So, Carter decided one day a month or so ago that he was going to poop in the potty. He's been peeing in the potty for months now, but he'd have a meltdown when I merely suggested he try furthering his potty skills to include number 2.

In case you didn't know it, we live on a farm. From our house you can hear the neighbors occasionally, but you can't see them. They can't see us either, unless of course someone is hiding in the woods in which case that person would deserve whatever abnormal happenings they happened to observe.

Anyway.

It's not a big deal if Carter pees in the yard....

...or off the front porch.

...or the back porch.

It's not really even a huge deal when he pulls his pants down to relieve himself in the Frankies parking lot. (he was with his dad....his dad was mortified..lol) If you aren't local, Frankies is THE one and only convienence store in our town.

Today WAS a bit of a big deal though.

We took a little road trip to the poultry supply place in Albertville this morning. Kyle & Carter went in and Lilah and myself sat in the car. After 10 minutes or so the passenger door opened and Carter was standing beside the car. Pants down.

"Mom, I need you to wipe my bottom."

Gulp.

"Why?"

"I pooped."

GULP.

Sure enough I got out and went around to the side of the car where he was and there it was. All nine inches of it. (I'm estimating here....I didn't actually measure it)...but it was big.

Thank goodness the parking lot was gravel. Thank goodness my etiquette classes paid off and I had the forethought to cover it with gravel....(very discretely, I didn't want to call attention to us or anything)...then proceeded to wipe my child's rear, pull up his nice clean big boy undies, and strap him in his carseat.

Kyle came out of the store just in time for the rear wiping part. He said, "What are you doing?"

I pointed to the little mound of gravels and said, "Don't step right there....Hurry up and get in."

I wish I could tell you how many shades of red his face turned. Can you say "mortified"?

Me? I was just glad he didn't poop in his big boy undies. (or the car, or my house!) Yuck.

I'd say it was a victory.

....also Dad, for future reference, this is what happens when a 3 yr old tells you he needs to potty, there isn't a public restroom in the place, AND dad sends said 3 yr old into the parking lot ALONE to find his mom and let her deal with the problem.

Just so you know.

Ultrasound=UltraCool!

Check these out! Isn't it AMAZING how fast a baby forms and grows in the womb? Actually I should say, isn't it MIRACULOUS?

Ultrasound 4/15/09

Ultrasound 5/27/09

Ultrasound 6/24/09

My doctor visit yesterday went great! He told me I was carrying high this time, which is good, because I thought I was either having serious upper gastric issues or this baby was in an odd place for this point in my pregnancy. (half way there considering I'll probably deliver at 38 weeks as usual)

I'm really happy to know it's baby moving and not my intestines.

I'm sure you are too!


lol.

The baby must have really enjoyed his/her time with the ultrasound machine yesterday as well, because he/she put on a show during the ultrasound and has been moving like crazy ever since!

It's A.........

Test.

A Test that tells you if it's a Boy or a Girl.

It's not an ultrasound. It's a cup. And you pee in it. And then it tells you.

Or does it?

You can decide for yourself. My results are about as clear as mud. The "sample" is supposed to match up to the strip color on the bottle with either "Boy" or "Girl" written on the side of the bottle.

Super scientific.

Don't judge me, it was a gift.


Depending on the lighting the sample basically matches whichever color you convince yourself it matches.

As of right now, we are not planning on finding out what this baby is. I actually had two different sonograms at my last visit, and one dr offered up a guess. I declined to hear it and it. was. painful. See, that same dr offered an early guess with Lilah and he was right. My dr's office does an ultrasound at every visit which will make it hard not to find out! However, I do love this about them and in my opinion it only adds to their overall awesomeness!

Whatever it is, I am feeling baby moving now from time to time. I thought that this time it would be a breeze to recognize baby's movements since, you know, I've done it a time or three. But actually I didn't figure into those calculations the fact that I pretty much always have one of my babies kicking me, poking me, climbing on me, ...so, sometimes it's pretty hard to tell which one it is I'm feeling.

You may remember that we knew what Lilah was from about 15 weeks and we FINALLY agreed on a name about a week before she was born. Actually I'm not really sure you'd even say we agreed, more like, Kyle wanted to get some sleep and I wouldn't shut up about a name. Panic mode had long since set in. He finally said, "I don't care what you name her as long as it isn't Layla." I sat straight up in bed and said, "How about Lilah, then?"

"Sounds good to me...Goodnight!"

LOL.

We may be in trouble here.

I'm due November 20thish. Maybe he/she will have a name by Christmas....

Also, this is my 401st blog post! THAT is a LOT of babbling!

To Ignore or Not To Ignore?

BabyCenter sends me out these helpful little messages every month or so for Carter & Lilah and the age they are at during that month, and now for the new pregnancy each week. I actually look forward to getting them since they have lots of good info packed into each email.

However, the one I got today for Carter's age I'm not so sure I agree with. Here's a portion of it:

"You're so proud of your angel's burgeoning vocabulary — until words like "poopie head," " stupid," "dummy," and worse creep in. "Bad" words are all around your child: They hear grownups cursing at traffic, pick up foul language from TV, and trade exciting words (the ones that seem to get a rise out of Mom or Dad) with playmates and siblings. Alliterative silly words ("poopy doopy") are favorites because they are so fun to say and hear. The quickest way to make this kind of language disappear is to ignore it. If you make a fuss, you're only showing them how powerful certain words are, which makes them want to say them all the more."

I'm just not sure if this technique will work with my little guy. He, and frankly most every kid I know, will just continue to repeat the "words" more and more loudly until they get a reaction of some kind.

Or maybe I just hang out with and birth "that" kind of kid.....

Today we were driving up the mountain and this pokey car just kept hanging out in the lane that was ending. I slowed down to let them merge but they were basically about to drive their Buick off the side of the mountain and land smack on top of the city of Trenton.

Anyway, I had pretty much come to a complete stop by this point to see what this Buick was going to do when she finally swerved like there was no tomorrow over into my lane.

I said, "You Big Dummy, watch where you're going." I said it really calmly, because I wasn't surprised. I knew she was either gonna swerve or go airborn.

Anyway, turns out I'm the big dummy, because I spent the rest of the drive home, 15 minutes or so explaining to my son what a "big dummy" is.

Which is kinda hard.

Thanks a lot Fred Sanford!

To ignore or not to ignore?.....that is the question!

One, Three, Five.....

I had a Dr's appointment today.

....and we HEARD and SAW a beautiful, sweet, STRONG little heartbeat!!


Our little ONE, which if you are keeping track will be number THREE, is due on December FIVE. (5th actually, but that didn't work out nearly as well in the title....One, Three, Fifth....not quite as good. no?)

However, when I informed Dr. H that I would like to give birth on December 3, (you know, since he was taking requests and all) then went on to explain that Carter was born on the 1st, Lilah on the 2nd, and how cool would it be if THREE were born on the 3rd? He laughed ....kinda loud, and said, "yeah, we're looking at a November baby". My other two were 2 weeks early so this one will probably be about the same.

....and really, how awesome would it be to have a Thanksgivingish baby? For my husband and I to go from years....yes, years, of fertility treatments, 2 miscarriages while on said treatments in 2003 & 2004, to giving up on our dream of children after the last failed IUI in May of 2005, to miraculously finding out we were pregnant in Oct 2005, giving birth to a beautiful baby boy in June 2006, finding out we were expecting Lilah in August 2007, and giving birth in April 2008.......

.....for someone who barely dared to dream of one baby, much less two,......to even hope, pray for a third seems almost too awesome to even imagine! What better time than Thanksgivingish to have that baby enter the world?

I'd say that would be God's time.

Thank you so much to all who are praying with us for this little miracle. Please continue to pray for the health and safety of this baby and the sanity of it's mother...:)

.....Once I can feel it moving, I promise I'll chill out.

Update

So, my Dr's appointment this morning revealed a "very early pregnancy". Which in my mind is wonderful and scary all at the same time. It's wonderful because I got to start on the progesterone shots that I took with both Carter and Lilah the first 12 weeks or so really early. The ultrasound today actually looked pretty much exactly like the first one with Lilah. Pretty much like a big chunk of cells. It's scary because it's still so early and I didn't get to see or hear a heartbeat or much of anything today. Hopefully by the next visit, April 15, we'll be able to see more.


So!

Please keep us in your prayers!

2 weeks is a long time sometimes.

Diego &/or Olivia....

....those are the names Carter has picked out. As soon as we told him that God had answered his prayer, the first thing he said was..."Diego & Olivia are coming?!!" Then he said, "or is it just Diego? Or just Olivia?"

In case you're wondering, Diego & Olivia are two of his favorite TV characters. Diego is an animal rescuer and Olivia is a smarty pants little pig.

I actually find myself quoting Olivia a lot.

Her mom says to her, "Olivia, you wear me out."

Olivia quickly and exasperatedly responds, "You wear me out too, mom"

lol.

Anyway, while I can pretty much say their won't be an actual Diego, it is true that Carter's prayer has been answered.

We'll see to what extent on Wednesday when I go for my first appointment with Dr H.

I'm also my normal nervous excited. Excited because I know what can happen. Nervous because I know what can happen.

Please pray. I know this is God's timing. He showed us almost 3 years ago how much better His timing is than ours. Still, we sure appreciate your prayers for the health and safety of this baby, and for Kyle's job (and our insurance) situation. I know a lot of people keep quiet for the first few months, but I have come to realize that for my sanity, it's much better to know I have many prayers going up on our behalf!

Thanks in advance for yours! Ya'll are awesome!

p.s....my Dr appt is at 10:00 EST on Wednesday if you can spare a prayer at that time!

(I thought surely the first box of 3 must have been defective, so I bought a different brand for the fourth...lol)

A Birthday Wish.....

This is Carter's Birthday Wish to two of his Bff's who today turn 3. KayLee & Karalina. Carter loves to sing, he LOVES to sing Happy Birthday, but these girls are the very first to merit piano accompaniment!

It's always his idea to sing, where to sit...and even what to wear. (Note he has on his Mater PJs for this occasion) Also note, he did not want Lilah anywhere in this picture, he wanted to do it all. by. himself.

Lilah had her own idea though. She is sitting right beside him on the floor singing her own little version of Happy Birthday.

and here is their reply....

I'm not sure if the replee is Kay Lee or Karalina, I can usually tell them apart, but not on cell phone cam. Either way, it's adorable!

I just couldn't keep all this adorableness to myself today...just had to share!

Happy Birthday Karalina & Kay Lee!

Eleven Months

Dear Lilah,

I can barely believe that eleven months ago this very morning you came into this world. You were so calm and alert as soon as you arrived. A little cry here and there that's all, and that's exactly how you've been every day since then. Calm, alert,.....little cries here and there.

You love to laugh and "talk". You are the fastest crawler I have ever seen. Carter is even amazed. He gets down to try to crawl with you......and can't even keep up! You are doing a bit of cruising here and there, but haven't taken any steps on your own yet. As I've said many times, I'm in no hurry for that!

Your big brother is your biggest fan, admirer, and body guard. He keeps close watch over you and lets us know when you are approaching danger of any kind. He always wants to know where you are, which is giving him quite the workout these days! You are giving me a workout too, since you seem to want to put everything you find in your mouth! There is a lot for me to keep out of your reach with Rambo running around.

Bath time is something you love! You love to smack the water and make a big splash. This makes your big brother squeal, which only makes you laugh harder. I have a feeling you are going to be giving Carter a run for his money very very soon!

I am so enjoying watching you grow and learn. Carter is determined that you learn to close your eyes and hold your hands properly when we say our prayers. You don't always like it when he closes your eyes for you. You are very patient with him while he teaches you colors, numbers, and ABC's. He is currently working on teaching you that you should always say please and thank you. It annoys him greatly when you laugh at him instead of saying the words as he has instructed you to. It really ticks him off when you shake your head violently during his teachings.

You bring such joy to our lives, Lilah. I am so grateful that God allowed me to be your Mom. I love you so much.

Love,
Momwho needs four wheels??

Nine Months

Dear Lilah,

It seems like just yesterday we were waiting for your arrival, yet you've been with us for 9 months already! You are growing and changing so fast! It seems as though you learn something new every single day. You are crawling here and there, but standing up is your favorite thing to do! I wouldn't be surprised if you took off walking just any day now. I'm not in a hurry for that at all! I know that when you take those first steps, you won't be a baby anymore, you'll be off and running way too soon!

You love to clap and say "Yayyyy" for everything your big brother does, after every bite of food, and this past Sunday during every song that was sung. You even raised your hands "praise style" after every few claps! It was adorable! You must have tired yourself out because after a few minutes I looked over and you were sound asleep sitting straight up in Kenneth's lap. Your nap paid off though because when Tammy reached back and got baby Clayton, you were ready to chat him up! I don't think he expected such a little girl to be such a talker though, because he was ready to go back to his dad pretty quick!

So far you are saying Mama, Dada, bye bye, Yay, something that sounds alot like Carter, and lots of other chatter that we haven't quite decoded yet! One thing's for sure though, you are gonna be a talker!

You have two teeth making their way through, and my goodness are they giving you a fit! You are kind of funny though. Instead of crying, you do this mad growl sort of noise and bite on your finger....like you are determined to fix it instead of let it hurt you. You also have developed a warning scream when Carter is getting too involved in your business. That is hilarious! He covers his ears and tells you "Be quiet Lilah! You're hurting my ears!....or, You're getting on my nerves Lilah!" It kind of hurts my ears too, but it seems to work at keeping him from bothering you too much so I can certainly handle it!

Actually, I rarely have to worry about him bothering you. The two of you play so well together! Carter almost always makes sure you have something to play with before he gets something for himself. He loves you very much and you love him very much too! Your eyes light up every single time he's around you. Like you just can't wait to see what he's going to do next! I hope the two of you always love each other as much as you do now!

You are such a delightful baby. You are always smiling and your eyes always sparkle. I look so forward to watching you grow and learn! I love you so very much and I thank God for blessing us with such a precious baby girl!

Love,
Mom, ....or as your saying so sweetly these days "MaMa"

"Grow Some Up"....

"Lilah needs to grow some hair up".


"Lilah needs to grow some teeth up."


These are the words of the wise one.

Yes. Carter.

Well after being grumpy and fussy and one serious Mama's girl for the last few days, Lilah finally grew up some teeth.

Well, one tooth.

It just came through yesterday.

I don't think Carter could have been more excited about Lilah "growing up some teeth"!

Wonder how long before she uses it on him?

No News....good news?

....I seriously think I may have to ban TV from my house. Tonight my husband, children, & myself were sitting in our living room, my husband and I were having a conversation and the news was on. World news, I believe.

I was faintly listening to words here and there but obviously Carter was paying attention because as he was pushing his tractors on the ottoman he said:

"S#x Tape.....(short pause) S#x Tape....(another pause) S#x Tape"

ummmmm..... WHAT!?!?

Kyle & I just stared at each other in complete shock and disbelief.

Is this really newsworthy?

Top Stories: War, Rumors of War, Earthquakes in diverse places, S#x Tape???

I am pretty sure every single American could live without knowing THAT!

disclaimer: I also wanted this situation documented due to the simple fact that I have no doubt this phrase will come out of my baby's mouth again.

I have an idea of when that might possibly happen:
1.Sunday School. 2. Awana. 3. During Church. 4. At his Maw Maw's. 5.At the dinner table during one of the 15 or so Christmas get-togethers we'll be attending over the next weeks. 6. In the Walmart check out line when I already look like the "Mom of the Year".

Oh yeah. I know it's coming.

UGH!!

You have been warned.