Thankful

I'm doing pretty good at this update thing, let's see if i can keep it up throughout the holidays...Well, life with 2 kids and David as a husband never really gets boring. I may feel somewhat bored at times, but it's really not.

Abby is 5 months old...and she's crawling! She started almost exactly at the 5 month mark. She's still slow at it, but i know that once she gets the hang of it she's gonna be flying. I still laugh at how fast of a crawler Ben was, soo funny! She already makes a bee line for anything that's brothers...he's not too crazy about that. She has her 2 bottom teeth and i know she's working on another somewhere...but i cant figure out where. She woke up this morning with a runny nose, so i really hope its just from teething and shes not getting sick.

Sunday evening David was out at the shop working on his jeep and the kids and i were at home. Abby started getting fussy and i didnt want to put her to bed yet because it was too early, so we went for a drive. We drove out to the shop and Ben ended up staying out there for a little bit while Abby and i drove around for a while. I had just pulled up at the house and David and Ben were going to head home in a bit when i got a text from david saying "come quick!" so i flew out to the shop and found out ben had stepped on a rusty piece of metal and it went into his big toe. He was screaming his head off when it happened but david gave him a gobstopper and he was fine, haha! Anyways...i couldnt remember if he had had his tetanus shot, so we were worried about that. We got him cleaned up and put a bandaid on it and went home. I looked at his shot record, and yes, he has had his shots. I called the dr. office on monday morning just to make sure, and they said everything was fine, but he is due for a checkup and some shots...dang! Taking a baby for shots is one thing, but taking Ben for shots is not gonna be fun. He has an appointment on friday afternoon...so not looking forward to that. That was our excitement for the weekend.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. So far it looks like its just gonna be our little family and Davids mom and step dad and maybe his grandpa, which is fine with me. As much as i like spending the holidays with as much family as possible, it'll be nice to just have a small crowd for thanksgiving since im the only cooker in the crowd. But i have already been planning in the back of my head...what food, table decorations, etc. But i also have been reminded to think of what im thankful for. Some people on facebook have been challenged to write something they are thankful for every day from now until thanksgiving that they are thankful for. I think its a wonderful idea. Today i am thankful for my sweet husband. He has stuck with me for almost 5 years (and they havent been 5 wonderful years either), he has given me 2 beautiful children, he works hard so that i can stay home with the kids, and he loves me for who i am. We have definitely come a long way since getting married and i love him more every day. So, i would challenge everyone to think of something you are thankful for every day and maybe write it down somewhere!

November already?!

It seems like everyone has been talking about their blogs today, so it motivated me to update mine, not just by posting, but a new layout and everything! And, if anyone cares, you can see exactly how old both kiddos are on the side --->

Well, it's November already. Time flies! Mom and Dad came out for their visit last month and we had a wonderful time. I am so completely blessed to have such wonderful parents. I know that they are busy people and 900 miles isn't exactly close, so i feel extra blessed that they are able to come out here and can get us back to Texas as often as we do.

Ben and Abby are doing good. We have been spared from getting the flu or any other illness unlike lots of other people. It's amazing how healthy Ben has been, especially since we got the allergies and eczema under control. Everyone always wants to hear funny stories, and i usually have plenty of them with a Benjamin around. He gets the Hilights magazine in the mail, and i guess he just noticed it this afternoon, so he came up to me and said "mom, i want to show you something. I want to do this" so i looked at it, and it was a cartoon of some kids making turkey cookies. They traced their hands in the cookie dough to make the turkeys (like we always made the paper ones in school). I thought it was a cute idea, so we got the stuff to make them this evening. I put Abby on the floor to play and Ben and i sat at the dining room table to make cookies. Ben was really excited to begin with and a little hyper, so by the time we were done cutting out the cookies and i put them in the oven, he was REALLY excited! I told him good job when we were done and he started jumping around and laughing and he went over to Abby who was laying on the floor and he wanted to give her a high 5...well...she obviously wasnt giving him the response he wanted, so he high 5ed her forehead! Oh my goodness, that boy is crazy! This afternoon i decided to put some music on because Ben is grounded from the TV for the next 2 days (for reasons im just not going to get into because im still a little ticked) so anyways...we were hanging out in Abbys room listening to music and Ben wanted me to dance...hah...i told him im just not that into dancing and i told him to dance. He said he would teach me how, so he started shaking his booty and other odd movements and told me to just do that...it was pretty funny. Having kids is the best source of entertainment!

November 1st would have been my brother Aarons 20th birthday...geez. Bittersweet day. I thank God that we were given the 16 years we had with him, but its also just sad that we dont get to celebrate anymore birthdays with him, and he was my birthday buddy. We both had november birthdays. The last time i saw him was for his 16th birthday and we went ahead and celebrated mine and his birthdays together. Man i miss him. I wish he could be here to see Ben and Abby and Annie. But i know he's in a better place. November 18th will be 4 years...but, it will also be my sweet niece Annies 1st birthday!!! So exciting!

Anyways...we seem to be staying pretty busy. David got an old jeep that he's been tinkering on and taking out to the desert alot. It's nice that he has a project that he enjoys working on and thats not a constant source of frustration. I've been doing several different crafts...sewing, hairbow making, crosstiching. I've really been having fun making hair bows for miss abby, one to match each outfit, haha! I keep finding different methods of making them and have had fun trying them out to see what i like.

Thanksgiving is just a couple weeks away, and then Christmas right after that! We're going to be here for tgiving and in texas for christmas. The kids and i are flying out on dec. 11th and Davids not going to get out there until Christmas eve, and then were all leaving the 29th. Looking forward to a nice long visit! I'm going to leave you with a picture of Aaron and I celebrating our birthdays together and the new jeep in the family! Happy Fall everyone!

waiting....

My parents are on their way here right now!!! Yay!! I am so excited. Ben knows they're coming, but he doesn't know they're coming today. I have learned my lesson on telling him when were going or they're coming, he gets super excited and doesn't sleep well, so i told him they were coming, but i think he thinks they're coming tomorrow. I did tell him that if he took his nap he would get a surprise when he woke up, and he seemed to think that was a good idea, haha! Were planning on going to San Diego in the morning and doing something...don't know what that something is yet though, and mom booked us some rooms at a wonderful hotel for Saturday night, and then Sunday were going to Balboa park to hear the spreckels organ concert (its a huge organ, I'm sure we will have pictures) and then do some shopping. I'm just excited they're coming!

In Abby news, she cut her first tooth today!!! She really handled it pretty well, she would get fussy at times, but if mommy or daddy were holding her, she was fine. Shes also trying to crawl!!! Only 4 months old, crazy little thing! I think its her size though, shes been doing everything early it seems, and I'm sure she gets jealous of watching her brother run circles around her, and shes ready to join in! She had her 4 month check up last week and had to get some shots which she handled like a champ and she weighs 16.5 lbs and is almost 26 in. long! The Dr. told me to start her on food, but I'm taking my time with that. She did try carrots and squash and seemed to like both of them. Shes a very healthy and happy little girl!

Well, nothing else too exciting going on here. I will have to post after my parents are here, I'm sure we will have stories and pictures.

:-)

Updating blog = fail! We have been staying fairly busy, even when were home i stay busy with keeping everyone fed, clothed and clean. Today was the first day ive really seen that summer is going away! My morning routine is to get Abby settled on her blanket on the floor for her morning tummy time (usually Ben has already been awake for awhile) i go into the kitchen and get the coffee going and look at my indoor/outdoor thermometer. It is a normal occurance in the summer for the outside temp to be 100 by 9 or 10 in the morning...so i was VERY excited to see that it was only 78 at 9 this morning! So, i made a decision, we were going to the park! Oh man was it nice! There was a slight breeze too, and fresh air just does wonders for a person.

Labor Day weekend we decided to try our hand at camping. One of our favorite places to go to beat the heat is Toro Peak. Its just outside of palm springs. It's always gorgeous up there and quite a bit cooler. So, we took off on friday afternoon and got up there that evening. Setting up camp with 2 kids is a bit challenging. Ben was kicking dirt everywhere(i know no one taught him to do that...i think God just makes boys to do that kind of stuff), Abby was hungry and fussy so i was feeding her, David was making a campfire and trying to set up our huge tent by himself, which he was successful at with a few grunts and groans (reminded me of similar vacations with my dad, haha!) The kids slept great both nights we were there, David and I not so much. The first night we were too cold (made sure the kids were nice and warm though) and the 2nd night our airmatress was mostly deflated, but hey, ill take sleeping bad so my kids can sleep good anytime! Saturday, Davids mom and stepdad came up and spent the day with us. We just hung out around camp and enjoyed the beautiful weather and scenery and then we went exploring some in the truck. We found an old car that was down in a ravine (this seems to be a regular occurance for David, finding abandoned vehicles). Sunday, we packed up camp and started down the mountain on the Sawmill trail. Its an old trail that they used to get to and from an old sawmill, pretty cool. So overall, i would say our first camping trip with both kids was a success.

Abby is 3 months old now!! She seems more like a 5 month old though, its gotta be because shes always been so big though. She loves to laugh and smile and talk to us. Shes very alert too, she likes to be held facing out or sitting in her carseat where she can see. I love her to pieces! Ben is doing alot better with her too. I dont think hes very jealous of her anymore. When she gets fussy he will go over to her and try to calm her down and then when it doesnt work he gets frustrated and starts making loud noises of his own...so then its doubly loud for me! Oh well. Im in heaven, i have my sweet boy and girl, 2 of the most beautiful children in the world! I am soo blessed!

Our trip to Texas in August was wonderful, it went by too fast though! We went to my friends beautiful wedding, went to Carlsbad Caverns, which were amazing! I would definitely recomend them to anyone. Of course we did some shopping, went to a baseball game, and best of all just spent time hanging out. Mom got me into cross stiching, which i love! It lets me unwind at the end of the day, and i just love creating something and i can make some really fun gifts! Mom and dad are coming to visit us in the middle of october and i cant wait! I almost told Ben today that they were coming, but decided against it because in the past when ive done that, he has bugged me and bugged me about when theyre coming or when were going and then he gets extremely hyper the day before or of and wont sleep or anything, so, im just going to keep it a surprise for him!

I dont think i have much other news, or at least nothing super exciting. I should probably go take a nap now while both kids are taking their naps...even though i have tons of laundry that needs to be done and a kitchen that needs to be cleaned...im pretty sure my bed is calling my name louder!

love my babies!

Well, life has been fairly uneventful, which is ok. We have been keeping busy though with little weekend trips, which keeps me sane since i stay home most all the time. We went to the river 2 weekends in a row. We are sooo fortunate living where we do, i know that it gets insanely hot, but we have soo many things to do in relatively close proximity. We have San Diego 2 hours away where theres the beach, parks, shopping, zoo's, etc. Then we have the mountains in all directions of us that each have fun little towns or just cooler weather. And then we have the Colorado river thats only 45 minutes away. My all time favorite thing to do in the summer is to play in some sort of water...pool, river, ocean. So far, both of our babies seem to like the water as well. Ben lovesss playing in it and Abby loves sleeping in it, haha! We got a little floatie for her and we cradle her in it and she falls asleep, but only if its being rocked by the waves or someones hand. And, our new tradition it seems is to go eat at the Cracker Barrell after a day on the river, yumm!!

Ben and Abby are both doing good, both growing like weeds. Ben is staying healthy, and to me that is one of the biggest blessings. Abby is healthy, and so far i dont see her having any of the skin problems that ben has had, praise the Lord!!! I really think his problems (eczema, allergies) stem from being on the antibiotic for so long. Abby will be 2 months old tomorrow! Man time flies! I have to take her to the doctor on friday for her check up and she has to get her first set of shots, i think she has to get like 6, and i HATE it. I would take them for her if i could. One of my least liked things is having to watch my babies be poked and prodded. But, im going to be a responisble mommy and take her anyways, and then hold her and cuddle her and tell her how sorry i am that i had to let them do that, haha! We think shes teething already too. She constantly wants to suck/chew on something (she seems to like daddies hand alot) and she drools and fusses alot. Ben teethed early and so did david and i. Im just glad i know what to expect this time, i was completely blindsided when ben started, i had nooo clue what was wrong with the child until i saw the little tooth poking through. Also, she loves to smile and talk to us, especially her daddy. She had a very long conversation with him last night, it was soo precious. She was just lookin up at her daddy and grinnin at him and working that mouth and making all kinds of noises! Watching my kids learn new things is one of my favorite things!

Were leaving for Texas in 9 days!!!!! Yayyy!!! We cant wait! Im sooo ready to see all of my family and friends, Ben is ready to see everyone, he keeps asking me when were going, David is im sure ready for some vacation, and i know abby is ready to meet everyone (or at least vise versa)

Not much else going on in our lives, just loving our babies and living life. I'll leave you with a picture of Abbys favorite river activity (for those of you who may not see it on facebook).

about time!

man i havent posted in a longgg time! ive been wanting to, just havent found the time. as im sure you know, Abigail is here!!! yay!! finally. it didnt all go as I had planned, but i know it went as God had planned. for those of you who dont know about Abbys birth, ill explain. So, i went to the dr. on the tuesday before my due date and he checked me and i just wasnt progressing the way he wanted me to, so he told me to come back on friday (which was my due date) at 8:30 that morning so that we could get things going if he felt i was far enough along in dialting and all that to induce. So, we just really felt like it was going to happen, so my parents decided to go ahead and drive in on thursday (bethany was flying in later that day). Friday morning my mom and i went to the dr, they decided to hook me up to a machine that monitors contractions and fetal movement, everything looked good, was having some contractions and fetal movement was good. The dr. checked me and he still wasnt too happy with my progress and abbys head just wasnt very low. he then decided to measure her to get an idea of how much she weighed...well, just a week or so before that she weighed 8 lbs. 6 oz. or so and usually babies stop growing the last 2 weeks or so, so he wasnt expecting her to be much bigger than that. so he was surprised, with the rest of us, that he measured her to be 9 lbs 6 oz, give or take. he also measured her head, and i cant remember the #s, but theres a certain size that they have to recomend that you have a c-section, well, her head measured over that. so, given the circumstances, he really encouraged me to have a c-section and told me that i had an 85% chance of having a smooth labor and everything going fine, 10% chance of going through labor and then having to have an emergency c-section, which just isnt safe, and then a 5% chance that i could have her naturally but she would be all banged up and could have permanent damage (physical, mental, etc.). i of course started crying, i hadnt really even considered having to have a csection b/c i had ben so easily. but i also knew i didnt want to take that 5% chance. so they told me to go home, talk it over with david and call back before noon and let them know and i would get in there and have a baby at 3 that afternoon. We talked it over and knew it was the best choice, no question. so, by 3 that afternoon i was in the hospital being prepped for the arrival of abby. (i can already tell this post is gonna be long...) so here is my c-section experience...david was with me while they got my iv in and my catheter in and all that, but then when they took me into the operating room he had to stay out, which neither of us was too pleased. my anesthesia was a spinal tap, which is alot like an epidural, but the needle goes all the way into the spine...well, he had to do it twice. it wasnt really painful, but just knowing what he was doing and not having david in there bothered me. i immediately went numb and they laid me back on the table and tole me i might have some nausea and i might kinda panic. i usually dont get the side effects from medicine, but i immediately started getting nauseous, so the anesthesiologist gave me some medicine for that and it subsided, then i started to panic, i felt like i couldnt breath and was just very uncomfortable, so he gave me some medicine for that. i thought david would get to come in after that, but the drs came in and started cutting me and then david got to come in. he got to see my insides, and he likes to tell everyone about it, not that he particularly enjoyed seeing them. but he was there with me while they pulled her out, and he said when they pulled her out she was all purple and we didnt hear any crying. but i guess its common for csection babies because they arent squeezed thru the birth canal that they have fluid in their lungs, so the nurses started working on her and i heard all kinds of suctioning and then i heard her start squealing, and of course i just wanted to see her. they got her all cleaned up and just let me get a glimpse of her face and they took her to the nicu for monitoring because of the fluid. not that i coulve held her or anything. i was sooo out of it from the drugs. david had to leave the room with abby. so the finished stitching me up and then moved me to recovery. i was soo out of it, but my bed was right by the nursery windows, so i remember hearing all of our family getting to see her for the first time, that was really sweeet, i just wish i couldve been with them. i finally got moved to my own room after i was able to feel my feet and legs a little. i didnt get to see abby until 9 that night, but it was worth the wait. we were both healthy and she immediately latched on for her first nursing, which was a great relief to me. i got to keep her in my room the whole time, and i had the room to myself, so it was easier to have guests in and out. i may not have liked the effects of the anesthesia, but im just thankful that i have a sweet healthy little girl on this side of the world. she is such a blessing to us all and i cant describe the love i have for her and ben. theres nothing like being a mother, especially to 2 of the most beautiful children in the WORLD!!! haha. oh and i forgot, for those of you who dont know, abby weighed in at a whopping 10 lbs!!! and like i said, i was pretty out of it from the anesthesia, but i remember when they pulled her out everyone was like "whoa look at the umbilical cord! its huge!" haha! i guess the bigger the baby, the bigger the umbilical cord.

abby is 6 weeks old today and healthy and growing. shes soo beatiful, and im excited to say that her eyelashes are growing growing, so i think she will definitely be able to compete with her brother in that area, haha! i also had my 6 weeks checkup today and everything is fine with me too. my body has healed and bounced back a whole lot faster than i coulve imagined.

my sweet benjamin turned 4 years old last week!! where has the time gone?? it seems like just yesterday he was the new little baby in this house. its kind of shocking to hold him after holding abby, hes not my baby anymore, hes my lanky little boy. it kinda makes me sad, but at the same time it makes me thankful because he too is a healthy little boy, and we all know the health issues he has struggled with.

well, i think i will finish this post for now. i will try my hardest to update as much as possible, but having 2 little ones leaves me very little time to myself!

just waiting

Wow, I didnt realize it had been so long since i posted last. We've been semi busy, nothing super exciting. David has been fitting in some off roading trips the past couple weekends, and im glad he's been able to because he just really enjoys it...except when he breaks stuff...but even then he still usually has a good time. Ben has gone with him once or twice but Ive stayed home or have had other things to do.

I had a baby shower at church 2 weekends ago. There were about 20 women there, some i knew and some i just recognized, so it was really special to me that women who didnt even know me came. It was really neat because while we were snacking on some delicious food made by a couple of the women, everyone went around and told about themselves and gave me some advice on being a mother either to multiple children or to daughters specifically. It was just really sweet. I got some really cute clothes, accessories, etc. (or i guess i should say Abby did). I have a couple pictures of the decorations and everything but i honestly dont know where my camera is and im gonna be lazy right now and not go looking for it. But, just to get a little mental image, there was lots of pink, flowers, balloons, and just really cute stuff.

Today was a tiresome day. I had a dr's appt. this morning. From what he told me last week, i thought he was going to set an induction date for next week...well, he decided to not do that. My cervix just isnt thinning out like he wants it to, so for now, im still pregnant! hah! Im not miserable though, thank goodness, but im definitely getting bigger and bigger every day and it makes it hard to sleep well and really just to get around very well. My next appt. is on tuesday, so hopefully i will have started to dilate at least a little. Its hard though, because with Ben i knew when i was going to have him so mom was able to be here, but this time its just a matter of not really knowing what my body is doing and we cant really plan like we want to, but i just have to keep reminding myself that God knows best!

Besides my dr. appt. this morning, we had to have the bug man come and spray the house and yard. I needed to have my quarterly service anyways, and wanted to get it done before Abby was born, but I also found a flea in the house. I only saw one, but i want to be safe rather than sorry. We dog sat my mother in laws dogs a couple weeks ago and appearantly they had gotten fleas, but we of course didnt know that until after the fact. There are some stray cats that like to hang out on the side of our house, so were assuming thats where it all started. So anyways, we had to have the house sprayed for that too, and when they spray for fleas you have to stay out of the house for 5 hours. The bug man didnt get here till 2, so ben and i went and had a late lunch at carls jr and he got to play for a while. Then we went to the mall and walked around and he did some of the little rides. I did buy Abby an adorable little bathing suit that i had my eye on, and it was 50% off plus i had a coupon, score! Haha, now im just ready for that little girl to get here so i can see it on her! After that we went and took david some dinner and then i drove Ben around for a little while so he would fall asleep and take a little nap (he was starting to get grouchy) and he did, but then he woke up pretty grouchy. So we went back to the shop and hung out with David and Ben got to drive his truck in the dirt and he was in a better mood. But all in all, im pretty tired. I busted my booty yesterday to get the house clean for the bug man and was tired from that on top of not being able to relax in my own home for most of the day today. Oh well, I dont have anything else planned for this week...unless miss abby decides to make her appearance, which i wouldnt be one bit disappointed.

Well, i think that pretty much catches up the main things going on. Ill post again after my next dr. appt. or if something exciting happens.

Allergies

Well, I took Ben for his allergy testing this morning...It went ok. They did a scratch test on his back, which is just little pricks of the stuff on his back. He kinda fussed and squirmed, but never went just bonkers. After the nurse was done putting it all on his back they gave it 15 minutes or so and thats when he started getting uncomfortable, he wanted to scratch it, but we kept him as preoccupied as possible. The results are pretty overwhelming...but I think i was expecting it because it didnt surprise me too much. They rate stuff by 4 being the highest and adding a + or multiple + depending on how allergic he is, so here are the results...

4+'s - peanuts (already knew)
wheat (i was highly suspecting this)
walnuts
corn (he said this is a pretty common allergy)
eggs (thought he had outgrown that, guess not)
yeast (there goes all his baked goods)
3+s - soy(hah! i was kinda shocked! and he didnt have a milk allergy)
mold
most grasses, bermuda being the worst and st. augustine being the best
trees (olive trees (which give off the most pollen in the desert) ash tree (which is common
down here) and mulberry (which we have in our yard))

So, those were the biggies. And big they are. But i had already started leaning towards the idea of him having a wheat allergy. He said it would be hard to change his diet, but he did give us a plan. He told me to put ben on zyrtec every day. Its like 1/2 tsp a day, mainly to help with the outdoor allergies but also to see if that alone would help him with the food allergies too without having to alter his diet to significantly. So, Im supposed to do that for 2 weeks and if thats not making a big change, then alter the diet (no baked goods, nothing with corn, which includes corn syrup, etc.) and then 2 weeks after that he said we could introduce 1 new thing and see how much of an impact it has on him and go from there. So im not totally overwhelmed. We have other options besides bread (rice, potatoes...) and taking that nasty corn syrup out of his diet sure wont hurt and would be a good change for all of us. He enjoys his fruits and vegies thank goodness and then he can eat meats.

The other good news is that he will almost certainly outgrow these, with the exception of peanuts. He said we will probably see a big difference by the time hes 7 and all the way till hes probably 17 or so. So there is hope!

That's my news from the doctor. I'm going to make a shopping trip this evening by myself so i can read ingredients (im going to start taking as much wheat, yeast, and corn products out now). I also found out that some girls from church are going to throw me a baby shower on the 16th! Im excited! But one of them told me i needed to go register for more stuff, so im gonna go to Burlington Baby Depot and Macys to register for more fun stuff, so i guess that offsets the label reading at the grocery store. I will keep you updated on our progress with all of this.

Abby's Room!!!

boredom

Well, David went out of town this weekend and Im already bored out of my mind!!! He left yesterday afternoon to go up to Northern Cali where he went to bible college. They were having a reunion type thing. I really wanted to go, but its just too close to Abbys due date and its an 8 or so hour drive, so Ben and i are at home. I have plenty to do, just a lack of energy to do them. But im pretty determined to finish Abbys room tomorrow. All i have to do is change the sheets on the big bed, dust, clean the floors, and take out the trash. So, not much, just need to get in there and do it, and i know i will feel much better after i get it done.

Last weekend I took Ben to the Childrens Fair. They hold it at the park thats just 2 blocks from our house. I took him last year and we had a HUGE meltdown. I remember he screamed the whole way home (we walked home). This year was much better. No meltdowns!!! They have all kinds of booths set up, from food and snacks to health awareness kinds of things. Most of them give away free toys and books and stuff. After getting his loot from the booths, we rode the little train they bring in, which he loved! By then we were getting a little hot and tired, so we got some kettle corn and a drink and sat by the pond and watched the ducks and a guy drive his little motorized boat around. Then, this was the point our meltdown started last year. Let me back up for a second though. I dont know if its just the valley or california in general...but they dont have snow cone stands...and we live in the DESERT!!! Its sooo hott here, i think its almost a sin that they dont have snowcone stands here! But, there is a little company that has a trailer that sometimes parks in different parking lots and then they cater for parties, its called Spears Hawaiin Shaved Ice. But, they come to the childrens fair. Its a huge hit at the fair, so theres usually a decent size line. We were waiting it line last year when Ben threw his fit. But, because im pregnant and from midland(where you can get a snowcone any time of year) i wanted a snow cone. So we attempted it. We waited in line for at least 30 minutes...and we had success!!!! He started getting a little restless, but he stuck it out for me!

Ben was supposed to have some allergy testing done on Wednesday, so we got up and went to the dr. for our 11:30 appt. just to find out that we didnt have an appt....needless to say i was a little ticked...but appearantly when we went into the dr. last week and he got the shot and cream for his skin, they told my mother in law that we were going to have to reschedule that appointment...well i never got the memo. So, i rescheduled for next tuesday. His skin is doing great still, but im ready to get some answers allergy wise. I really think it will be a big answer to our problems.

I went to the dr. today and got to see miss abigail. She's looking good and my water is good. Shes got a strong heartbeat, I love hearing that every time. 5 more weeks to go until my due date. Im getting more and more anxious every day. Im just ready to hold that little girl in my arms and look at her. Im so looking forward to having a baby in the house again. I know that it means alot of work and some sleepless nights, but im ready! And i cant wait to see how Ben is with her. Im just really looking forward to this change in our lives.

Well, i dont have anything else to say. My boredom has been cured for a little bit...hopefully i can fall asleep soon and not toss and turn, but i never sleep very well when david is gone, hes like my security blanket. I love my husband. Hes the best. Ok, well, hope everyone has a good weekend!

eczema = yuck!

Well, I havent really said much about Bens skin lately, mainly because it has been so frustrating and all consuming that when ive sat down to blog, Its been the last thing i wanted to talk about. But, because things are looking up and we see some light at the end of the tunnel, i will fill you all in. As i posted earlier, we took him to the iridologist when we were in TX and felt very positive about it all. His skin started to clear up and then got worse and then just kept getting worse. He rarely slept through the night because he would wake up just scratching the heck out of his skin. We would put him in the footed jammies to keep him away from his legs, but then he would scratch his arms. And if we put him in regular jammies, he would scratch his legs, and when he scratched his legs, i mean he pretty much scratched them raw. It was pretty scary looking and just flat painful looking. I guess the good thing is is that he never seemed to be in constant pain, just when he was scratching. But if finally got to the point where he was scratching more and more and it was obviously getting out of control. It was all over his legs, arms and starting to get on his face and neck. So, the doctor that david has used since living here is Dr. Strong, and he is an allergy specialist. We decided to make an appointment to get some testing on Ben to see exactly what he's allergic to and eliminate that or those things from his body and see if that could be the cause of his eczema (which is probably pretty likely). I called this past monday and they couldnt get him in till next wednesday (i think he sets aside longer times for the allergy consultation). I felt good about that, but in the meantime Ben was still scratching like crazy. My mother in law(she knows the staff really well there) offered to go in with me tuesday morning at 8:30 to see if they could just give him something to calm it down until we could get some more answers. Im so thankful to have had her with me, it was a big comfort and help. Anyways, dr. strong looked at it and said it was definitely eczema, severe eczema. He gave him a steriod shot to just calm it down and get it under control and then put him on an antibiotic just in case there was any infection and then prescribed a cream for when he gets off the antibiotic that will relieve inflamation and itching. Ben hasnt scratched since that appointment!!! His skin still looks a little yucky, but its obvious that its healing. Before it had a pocky look to it and would ooze and then crust over and scab where he scratched it to bleeding. Now its smooth and you can see the sores are healing and im sure some scarring, so its still red. But its pretty amazing how much it has healed in 2 days. Its so nice to not have to watch him every second of the day to make sure hes not scratching and just for him to not be miserable. It just feels good to have some relief, mostly for him, but for me too, it was starting to take a toll on me. I had a couple break downs after a couple of huge fits of him scratching it raw (im sure these pregnancy hormones dont help either). But, thats where we are right now, i will update after we get the allergy testing done.

On Abby news, I went to the doctor on tuesday afternoon (it was just a day full of doctors). It was just an appointment with the ultrasound tech. I got to see our sweet little girl. Shes growing soo much! I remember when i first was pregnant you could see her whole little body on the screen and now you can just see her head. Everything looked good. I also got my glucose screening test results back (high blood sugar test) and everything was normal. I had a feeling it was, but they just wanted to make sure. I go back to the dr. on the 1st and then ill start going every week until she gets here! I cant believe im almost done, it really seems like this pregnancy has flown by. I can definitely tell im at the end though, im really losing steam. I cant seem to get the energy to finish up her room, much less finish my chores around the house. I get bursts of energy here and there and get things done, but not enough to get it all done. I guess it will still be there tomorrow...

The weather has taken a change for the worst...its hot...already...like in the 100's hot. We got a nice little cool spell just a couple days ago though, and it was windy today, so maybe it will cool it off just a tad for a day or 2. Im just glad im only going to be pregnant at this very first part of summer, and not all the way through. Im really looking forward to Abbys arrival, cause that also means my momma is coming!!! And probably Bets and HOPEFULLY my dad (hint hint to my dad) My mom is planning on spending 2 weeks with us, and i couldnt be happier. She will get to spend some special time with Ben (who adores her) and some special time with our little Abby girl. Plus she will be able to help me make the transition from having 1 kid to 2...which im honestly a little nervous about...not so much taking care of them, just being able to give them both the attention they need without one feeling neglected. Anyways, im getting excited!

I think ive made this post long enough. I didnt realize how late it was. David got called out on a job. Like i said, its windy, and appearantly the sign at Dennys was about to fall off and they needed someone to come weld it back for them. Stinks that he had to go out so late, but i guess the overtime is nice. Hope everyone has a good rest of the week!

pictures

So i said i would post some of the pictures Annalesa took this past weekend, well i want to post ALL of them! She is such an amazing photographer! God has given that girl a gift!!! So, here is the link to the album on my facebook, and just so you know, Anna is starting to do her photography for a living...*hint hint*

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/album.php?aid=2026504&id=83500987&ref=nf

Easter

So, I havent been doing so good at updating this thing regularly. But, here is an update of our lives over here.

I had a dr. appt. last tuesday. Everything looks good. Abby is about 4 lbs, shes a growin! The only not so great thing is that my blood sugar is high. I have to go take another glucose test that lasts 3 hours. It's not really a big deal, theyre just making sure everything is ok. Ill probably go do that tomorrow. My originial drs appt was on thursday, but i guess Dr. Gocke was going to be busy or something so they called me tuesday morning and asked if i could come in that day at noon, so i agreed. I took Ben with me, which was ok the first couple times, but he's gotten bored with it. He did pretty good for the first 15 or 20 min. of waiting and then he started getting hyper, climbing on chairs, being loud, etc. Then when we finally got back to the room, he started getting fussy and cranky. So he basically threw a fit for the rest of the appointment. I sent David a text and told him what was going on, and he drove straight over. But by the time he did get there, we were just walking out of the drs. So david had a talk with ben and then he took us to a nice long lunch. It was nice to spend some time together, all 3 of us. It seems like weve all been running in different directions.

We had a good Easter weekend. My cousin Annalesa came down from L.A. for the weekend. She got it late friday night and stayed till sunday afternoon. Saturday we decided to go exploring. We took her over to Yuma, AZ (about 45 min. away) and went to the old yuma prison. Its really neat. I think it was built in the late 1890s and they closed it by the early 1900s. But they have some of the original jail cells and everything. After that we talked the boys into eating lunch at Cracker Barrel, yum! That place is so good! After lunch we started driving through the desert. Our goal was to show her this place called The Hole that we discovered(i may have mentioned it in a past post) and then to another place called Salvation Mountain (a mountain/hill that a man painted with scripture etc.), but we only made it to the hole. It's a random place in the middle of the desert that has lots of plants and vines and stuff, its really cool, but you can tell its getting hot because it wasnt nearly as green and lush as the last time we went. We headed on home after that, we were all pretty much on empty. We went to church on Sunday, I had nursery duty, so David and Anna went to the service. I got to sit and rock one of the newborns the whole time, so i was content. After church we just came home. I made brisket (sp?), cheesy potatoes, garlic bread, salad and peach cobbler! It was all just way too good. Then we did a little easter egg hunt for Ben in the backyard. It was fun/funny. Then we did a little photo shoot. Annalesa took a bunch of pics over the whole weekend, so Ill post some when i get them from her. We had a good time, and its always nice to spend holidays with family. She left around 3 or so and we layed down for naps (me and ben). That evening we had been invited to some friends easter party on their farm. She goes all out for it. We were running a little late and had missed the egg hunt and the easter bunny, but she was so sweet and had left a patch of eggs for Ben to hunt, he got some serious loot. Missing the easter bunny was probably a good thing, he did NOT like it last year. We had a good time though.

We had a full weekend, but a fun one. We were all nice and tired though. David decided to stay home yesterday, which was nice. Ben got to play with him and i got to get out for a little bit. It was a nice lazy day. The evening was really nice so we walked over to the park and flew davids airplane that Bets got him for christmas and then Ben played on the playground for a while. I woke up thinking it was monday, but were already at Tuesday! Time flies!

Only 7 1/2 more weeks till miss abby is due! I'm getting closer to finishing her room, and when im done ive decided ill do a little video tour of it for everyone.

Ok, i think im caught up on our current events. Ill try to do a little better job of updating more often, but sometimes theres just not much to report. Hope everyone has a good week!

Wild Animal Park

I'm finally getting these pictures posted! I tried to do it earlier in the week but something wasnt working, so i did try. The weathers nasty today, so were just laying low in the house. There's supposed to be a movie under the stars tonight at church on the front lawn, but they said if it was still windy they would move it inside. At least they didnt cancel it, Ben's looking forward to it. Well, here's the pictures, I didnt take too many, but hope you enjoy!


Ben rode the carousel with Grandma Marla.

They had a Little Tykes jungle gym for kids, so we took a break there. He of course had to ride the jeep.

Ben driving.

Ben and Grandma on the African Adventure tour. It's a little tour around the natural environment they have set up for the African animals. We saw lions, zebras, hippos, giraffes, and all kinds of other animals.

Ben had fun. The day was beautiful. We got free passes for a year to go to the wild animal park or the regular zoo, so we will definitely go back and see other animals!

(I never know what to title these!)

Ive been slacking in the blogging area. I guess weve been semi busy, but not overly. David just left for the weekend to go on a Christian off roading trip. He always has fun and im glad hes getting a couple more trips in before Abby is born and before the weather is just too hot to do that kind of stuff. Usually Ben and i get really bored when David is gone, but thank goodness, Marla jumped in and invited us to go to the San Diego Wild Animal Park tomorrow. I think Ben will enjoy it. We took him one time before he was even a year old, so you can imagine his interest in it, haha. So, were looking forward to that.

I had a doctors appointment on Wednesday, well actually it was an ultrasound appt. with the ultrasound tech. She did the 4D ultrasound, which is just amazing! I will try to get some of the pictures on here or bring a disc next time i have an appt. with her and then i can put them on here easier. So far i can tell that Abby is probably gonna resemble her big brother! She has that round face, full lips, and she even has a good amount of hair. When we first started looking at her, we thought her hand was in front of her face, which isnt unusual, but Mayela (the ultrasnd. tech) was trying to get Abby to move her hand so we could get a full face view but she was being stubborn and wouldnt move it. So she started looking at the rest of her body and we realized that oh, thats not her hand, it was her foot! It was funny, she was all folded up with her feet in front of her face. So i got to see her little feet and toes. And i am 100% sure that Abby is a girl! Haha! She was able to get a good view of her 'parts'. It's all just so amazing what were able to see these days. I have another appt. with my doctor in 2 weeks and i will ask him how much she weighs and let everyone know.

In other Abby news, i spent a good chunk of last weekend and early this week sanding and painting the dresser for her room. David has to do some modifications to it though because the drawers always fall off track. But as soon as all of that is done i will be able to start really putting the room together.

Well, i dont have much other news. I will take pictures at the zoo tomorrow and post those sometime soon. Hopefully i can keep Ben and i entertained this evening. Thank goodness hes taking a nap. When he doesnt get his nap these days, he is just impossible! Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Oh, I want to wish my 'little' sister a very happy birthday too! She is 17!!! that is just so weird to me. I remember when i was 17 (not that it was too long ago, but still). So, Happy Birthday Bets!!!

Abby's Bed

Here is a picture of Abby's bed. The rest of the room is a mess right now. I'm going to sand and repaint the dresser and then i need to hang stuff up on the walls. Hopefully i can get most or all of that done within the next couple days. After everything is done I will take more pictures. (Ben wanted to be in the picture too!)

home

well, im back in Cali! im glad to be home, but i miss my other home and my family there. We had a very busy 2 weeks, so, it flew by! i will try to catch you up on the past 2 1/2 weeks.

we got to midland on tuesday evening and daniel, ellen and annie came over for dinner. I just have to say, my little niece is not only beautiful, but she is one of the best babies i have ever been around. She is just soo sweet and always has a little smile on her face. on wednesday i had to goregister at a little boutique called La Bebe, for the baby shower bets and ellen were throwing me and my mom and i got busy with our baby bedding project. We went to a couple fabric stores and picked out the coordinating fabric to go with what i already had. We brainstormed and got some of the pieces cut out and ready to be sewn, and then left for Fort Worth on Friday morning. For those of you who dont know, my dads parents live in ft. worth, and they hadnt met annie yet, so we thought it would be a good time for all of us to go. We had a good time, got to see a couple cousins and an aunt. We did a little shopping, of course. We got back to midland Sunday afternoon. We had a good time.

The rest of the week consisted of sewing and running errands to get stuff for sewing! haha! It was alot of fun though. My mom and i were both dreaming about baby bedding. We got things done alot faster than i think either of us were expecting, so we were able to do more. I now have a crib skirt, bumper pad, 4 sheets (that she made plus some i got from the shower), toy bag, and an adorable quilt/tummy time blanket. We were so anxious to see it all put together that mom went and bought a baby bed so we could put it all on it. She had been wanting an actual bed anyways just because shes got grandbabies!

On Thursday we went out to Nana and Papas for dinner and for Ben to ride the tractor(which is really a riding lawn mower, but we will let him call it a tractor). The evening was beautiful, so we just sat outside and enjoyed each others company and watched ben take rides with Papa and Pots on the tractor. He loved it! We took pictures, but ill have to get them from my parents. I just think it is so special that Ben gets to do the things hes done with his great grandparents, I remember 2 of my greats, but they were both older and in nursing homes. Nana made her famous spaghetti for dinner and cherry cobbler! yum! it was soo good! and my aunt marla and pam and james all came over too. It was alot of fun.

Friday was a wonderful day. We made an appointment with an iradologist. Mom and dad took us to one when we were little and thought it would be a good thing for ben. Basically what she does is looks at your eyes and can tell what is happening with your body. She showed me a chart of the eye and what all the different parts tell you. Its really interesting. Ill see if i can find a picture of it to put on here. But, just to get ben comfortable with what she was gonna do, mom and i let her look at ours real quick. She just used a little flashlight and a little magnifying glass. Immediately she saw that mom had a problem with her thyroid and i was anemic. Ben let her look at his and she saw that he had exzema (duh, but she saw that it was that and not yeast like we thought it could be) and she saw that his kidneys and bladder were healing! yay! she saw lots of other little things in all of us, but nothing major. So, she told me to get ben on a probiotic and flax oil (which we had already started) and then she put him on 2 other herbs. all of these things can just go in his juice and the flax oil is in the form of a strawberry banana smoothie. She said his skin would start to heal and then it would get bad again and then it would heal on up. We all felt so positive about it all and not overwhelmed by what she told us to do. By the end of the appointment Ben layed his head down in her lap and gave her a big hug, haha! I will keep you updated on his skin. Because he did so good, we went and took a picnic lunch to the Dennis the Menace park (aka the airplane park to ben). (here is a link to some iridology info and the charts of the eye that i was talking about http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridology)

Sunday we went to church, and because of the time change they told the kids to wear their pajamas to church (just for fun) but Ben was not having any of that that morning. And he had some really cute pjs to wear! oh well. My baby shower was at 2 that afternoon. There were 36 people there! I felt so blessed and spoiled rotten! Miss Abigail got some of the cutest clothes and other fun things. It is way more fun picking out little girl stuff than it is picking out little boy stuff! haha! But it was really good seeing all of the friends and family that came. Ellen and Bets did such a good job with it too. There were pink flowers, pink balloons, pink cupcakes, yummy cheeseballs and crackers, a really good fruit tray, and delicious punch! They just did such a good job and it meant so much to me that they would think to throw me a shower while i was in town.

The last 2 days we just ran errands and tried to lay low and rest. We had such a good time, and got alot accomplished. But it was definitely time for us to come home. Ben missed his daddy and i missed my hubby and I was definitely ready to sleep in my own bed and my own room with no benjamin noises all night! Our flight got in at 7 pm on tuesday night and david came and got us, but his truck broke in the process. Thank goodness he has friends all over the place, so we were able to go to this guys shop and fix the truck so we could drive home, but the downside of that was we didnt get home until 1 am, and we were still on texas time, so it was more like 3. I was feeling a little delirious at that point. But we are home and its good to be back. Im still trying to catch up on sleep and of course chores that need to be done around here. Ive started putting Abbys room together, but its gonna take a little while. I will take pictures when its done though. I will leave you with a couple pictures from the shower!

Me and my beautiful sisters at the shower

look at all that pink!

precious Annie girl at the shower

Ben holding Annies hand (i think he will be a good big brother!)

lazy Sunday

Well, I should be doing laundry and cleaning house because we are leaving on Tuesday, but ever the procrastinator, im doing everything but what i should be! I will probably get busy after i type this, but i did just wake up from a nap so im still a little on the lethargic side.

Let's see...it was another pretty uneventful week, we didnt do a whole lot until the end of the week and somewhat this weekend. Friday night, David helped a fellow off roading buddy take a group of his youth kids from church out to the desert. I think the had a fire and did hot dogs and stuff like that and then took the kids on rides in the desert. David likes that kind of stuff (obviously). We also had been invited to a surprise retirement/anniversary party for some friends of ours at church, the Hunts. Ben and I decided to go to that, and my inlaws went too because Marla is good friends with Mrs. Hunt. It was very nice. It was at our church, the decoration was beautiful, the food was excellent, the cake was YUMMY, and the surprises were soo fun!! They have 4 (grown boys). 3 of them live in the area (were good friends with their son Andy and his wife Sarah(and some of you know im good friends with Sarah, she used to live across the street from us and has a son named Tristan)). But, their other son is in the military and is stationed in Virginia, so obviously they dont see him as much as theyd like. Him and his youngest son flew in and added to the surprise of the party. And then towards the end of the party Andy and Sarah surprised everyone with the news of Sarahs pregnancy! We are all just sooo thrilled for them. This will be Andy's first child (even tho he considers Tristan his son). But it was so much fun to see The Hunts reaction to surprise after surprise and to see how many people love them and care for them, and how much love they still have for each other after 45 years of marriage. The counseled David and i before we got married and are a wonderful support to us, especially in the beginning. So, we had alot of fun at that.

Saturday we all kinda slept in. Halfway through the day I decided to go get a pedicure (and have a little alone time, mainly from Ben, haha) and David and Ben went out to the shop to get some stuff to trim one of the trees in our front yard. Half of this tree is almost dead, but the other part of it is still just fine. But, he needed to trim all the dead branches off. After that i made dinner, or i attempted to grill ribs (for David). Well, i didnt have enough charcoal to get them done very fast, so david went and got me some more, but it was getting late. We were invited to go to the symphony with a friend of ours and it started at 7. So, we were rushing around trying to eat the rest of dinner (the ribs would have to wait) and get at least a little cleaned up. The symphony was good. Usually its at Southwest High, but they were hosting a quiliting fair, so it was at Wilson Jr. High. Southwest has a much better auditorium for that kind of thing, and Wilson just had a gym for it. The music was still very good though. We took Ben, and i kinda had an idea he wasnt going to last because he didnt take a nap, but we thought we would try it anyways (the concert was free, so we wouldnt be losing any money). About halfway through the first half, he said he didnt like it, haha. We made him sit through the first half (maybe i shouldnt say sit, we tried to keep him as quiet as possible) and then we left at intermission. He still got a little dose of culture! I think he did like the music, he was just too tired.

We woke up and were getting ready for church this morning when David checked his phone. He had put it on silent the night before and forgot to take it off. But he had a message from some guy he knows who was off roading in the desert last night and broke something and then someone else was broken, and since David has the shop, he usually has parts too. I dont think he had the parts, but his truck has the power to pull broken stuff out! Haha, so he jetted out of here to save the day and Ben and i went on to church. David had nursery this morning, so i took his place, but hes going to have to take my place while were in Texas, so were even now. The kids were pretty good this morning. Some of them were fighting over toys and we had a couple crying outbursts, but they were pretty easy today.

Well, I guess i should go get some things done so im not running around like a crazy person tomorrow trying to pack and everything. I told my mom though that its not going to be too hard to pack this time because I only have so many outfits i can actually wear! Which is fine with me, I hate packing anyways. I think ive gotten it down to a fine art, and i think my dad is always surprised that i keep it under the 50 lb. weight limit! haha! Well, I cant wait to see everyone in Texas within the next couple weeks! I may or may not have time to update this thing, but will definitely update when i get home.

I love the smell of rain

wow, i didnt realize it had been a full week since my last post. I dont guess a whole lot has happened though. It's raining today though! I didnt even know we had a chance of rain, so i was pleasantly surprised when i started hearing the pitter patter on the roof.

Tuesday I went to Bible study. I'm enjoying it sooo much. If any of you ladies get the chance to do the Esther study, I would highly reccomend it!

Friday night we went to dinner with one of davids new friends, Sean, and his wife Lynette and their little boy Colin. It was nice. They are fairly new to the valley and dont know many people, and its always nice for us to meet people who David has something in common with and who have kids.

Saturday, Valentines Day, I was planning on cooking for my boys, but I just really didnt feel like it. David had gone to a wedding that afternoon for a coworker and Ben and I stayed home. He came home with a beautifully wrapped present and it was a very pretty cross to add to my collection. I made heart brownies for my boys and Ben and i made homemade cards for David. We all got cleaned up and decided to try beating the crowds at the restaurants and went to Johnny Carinos. We got there just after 5 and there was already a wait. We didnt end up having to wait too long, thank goodness. So we had a nice dinner, then we went and rented a movie. Not a bad Valentines in my book.

I did get quite a bit accomplished this past week/weekend by way of Abby's room and the office. We had a big desk in the office plus a small computer desk. The big one just attracted clutter, so I decided to get rid of it (it was just 2 filing cabinets under an old desk top from the shop). So, i moved the filing cabinets up against the wall next to the computer desk and we brought the big book case that was in the babies room, and put it where the big desk was. Then i moved the dresser in Abby's room to where the book case was and was then able to bring in the baby bed! Yay!! That was my big goal. I have all the furniture where i want it now, now i just need to straighten things up.

On a Benjamin note. His skin was doing horrible. It would start to get a little better and then he would go to bed and scratch it and it would make it worse. Last night we drew the line, it was just getting ridiculous. I dont really want to take him to another dermatologist, because they will just prescribe some kind of steroid cream. I had been thinking of what could be causing it. His diet? His clothes? The weather? I got some dye free scent free detergent for him, and we got him a really good humidifier. I was reading something about eczema last night and found out that some of the food triggers are milk, peanuts, fish, and SOY!!!! agghhh!!! The only thing on that list that Ben has on a consisten basis is soy. When i weaned him i weaned him on soy milk. He has at least 2 cups of it a day. So, starting today, he is no longer drinking soy milk. I really think this might help it quite a bit. So, i will keep you updated on his progress.

Well, thats all the news and happenings i have for now. Were leaving for texas in 8 days! I am sooo excited. I miss my family and cant wait to see that adorable niece of mine. And my sweet sisters have informed me that they are throwing me a baby shower while im there. I cant wait!

Weekend

Our weekend was pretty uneventful, given the fact that David was gone. Saturday, Ben and I were pretty lazy. I did move some furniture around in the babies room (nothing heavy). The dresser that I have in that room is not so good. We used it when Ben was a baby and the drawers are really hard to pull in and out and they get off track easily because some of the plastic tracks stuff (dont know what its called) is missing. I looked online and couldnt find anything i liked in the price range i liked. So last night i asked david if he could fix that old dresser and then im going to sand it and paint it (it's just a plain wood, with a gloss coating and i did a black crackle on the top of it). So that will save us some money and i always like putting my own touch on stuff like that. I'll probably find some cute knobs or paint some to go with the colors in the room.

Sunday, I had nursery. We only had 4 kids and there were 3 helpers in there. It seems like every time I have nursery, (every 2nd Sunday of the month) i get the screamer. I got there a little late but was still the first helper to arrive. The nursery coordinator and another lady that was teaching across the hall were in there and there was a new little one in there just screaming his head off. I took charge and just held him and patted his little bottom. He fought me for a while and then settled down, but then he would start up for a minute or so. He continued this pattern for at least half an hour. My arms were getting extremely tired from holding him and standing and patting (he wasnt heavy, he was 2 years old, but really small). Finally he let me sit in one of the rockers and he fell asleep. He slept most of the rest of the time. Needless to say, I was tired after church. I told Ben he could rent The Incredibles movie because he kept seeing stuff about it but had never seen it. So we did that and ate some lunch and then took naps. David got home around 4:30, I was very glad for him to be home!

Ben woke up kinda early this morning, before i was ready to get up, and told me he was gonna take his pull up off and that he needed to go potty. I told him to go for it (from the comfort of my bed) and so he did! I was very proud of him. Then he came back in to tell me he finished and then said, "oh, i need to go" and off he went to the bathroom and a few seconds later said "mommy i pooped" so i told him not to flush it and i jumped up and ran in there to discover he had!!! Yay!!! I told him how proud of him i was and said he could pick out 2 prizes from his 'Potty Prize Box' (box full of little toys and candies put together by my mom and me) because he went potty all by himself. So, i think we are on the road to success! YAY!!!

The weather has been kinda weird today and this past weekend. It had been in the 90s, but on friday it cooled off some and then rained quite a bit saturday morning. It has stayed pretty cloudy through today and today its really windy, cloudy and chilly. We also had either 2 earthquakes or 1 earthquake and an aftershock this afternoon. They were fairly big too. Not to worry anyone though, none of the earthquakes ive experienced here have been big enough to do any damage, just makes stuff on the walls jiggle and you feel like your house is riding a tidal wave, I actually think its kinda cool.

Well, im done rambling for now. Hopefully this week isnt too eventful or too boring...

abby's room

this is the fabric my mom and i decided on for abby's bumper pad and some accessories. im sooo excited about it! i had kinda settled on a different pattern because i couldnt find what i was really looking for. but, the one i had decided on was discontinued, so i got a really good distributors name and went from there and found some super cute stuff. but this is just the beginning. ill post pictures when me and mom start on it. I cant wait!! this has already been so much fun. me and mom were on the phone alot today talking about patterns and fabrics and other ideas. i cant wait for feb. 24th!!!

Is it nap time yet?

I am sooo tired! I thought i would write a blog while im waiting for Bens nap time, so then i can have nap time too! Wednesday all 3 of us went to San Diego for the day. David was having some work done on his truck so i followed in my car so we could go do stuff. He had to take care of a couple other things and then we went and ate at the Souplantation. Yummm!! It is soo good, one of my favorite places to eat there. Then we went to the beach. It was a beautiful day. Ben got some sand toys and played in the sand and then said he wanted to go swimming...hah! The PAcific is sooo cold! So i told him he could stick his feet in, so he did, and he liked it, but that was as far as he wanted to go. By then Davids truck was done and we wanted to miss as much of rush hour as we could so we headed out. David had to stay longer because he sold an axle to some guy. Ben and i went to Viejas (outlet mall) and got some dinner and looked around a little. Ben picked out some outfits for his baby sister at Carters. It was really sweet, and he really did pick them out on his own.

My dad ordered some clay stuff for Bens skin. He has had horrible skin issues (eczema, dry skin, sensitive) since he was only a few months old. But my dad found this stuff and sent us some. You can put some powder clay in the bathtub and soak in it. I didnt think Ben would go for it because he can be funny about getting dirty sometimes, but he loves it! And it makes his skin really soft. Im optimistic about it. We need something to work for his poor skin!

I had a doctors appt. today. I took Ben with me because he did so good last time we went and he seems truly interested in seeing the baby. He keeps telling me that we need to take the baby out of my tummy though, haha. I keep trying to explain to him that we need to let her grow. They did confirm that its a girl, So, Abigail Ellen Byrum should be joining us in the next 4 months or so. I just finished my 23rd week, so im over halfway there. Dr. Gocke said she weighs 1lb. 8oz. right now and shes about the size of an envelope. She's getting very strong too. She especially likes to kick when I lay down for a nap or for bedtime, but i still enjoy feeling her move around. I just cant wait for her to join us out here!

David is leaving for our churchs' mens retreat this afternoon. So he wont be home til probably sunday evening. I thought i might start working on the babies room. Just moving some furniture around and cleaning. We'll see how much energy/enthusiasm i have tomorrow!

Maybe i can go lay Ben down for his nap early...he better take a nap too, I'm tired. I guess thats what i get for staying up too late and having an early dr.s appt. Oh well, I think we will be fairly lazy this weekend.

Sheesh!

Well, today started out good. I go to a Tuesday morning womens Bible study at my church, and we had been on break for the holidays. We started a new study today though, its the new Beth Moore study on Esther. Im really excited about it, I think its going to be a good one. Then, afterwards, we took David some lunch, and then needed to run to the grocery store. Ben was doing pretty good for me, so i didnt think much of it. We get to the store and he says he doesnt want to ride in the basket, he wants to walk. Now, that can be an ok think and it can be a bad thing. It's bad when we have to go by the toys because he will start looking at them and he will throw a fit when i tell him its time to leave. But its ok if he just walks when we dont have to go by that stuff. Today was one of those days, so i let him walk. We got everything we needed and went to check out. All of the regular lanes were packed, so we went down to the self check outs which were a little busy, but not bad. I scan all the groceries and have them bagged and ready to go when Ben decides to throw a major tantrum. I still dont really know what it was all about. I think maybe he wanted to push a button or scan something, but im not sure. So instead of making a huge scene, i just start pushing the cart outside. The whole way to the car he is crying/screaming and trying to keep me from pushing the cart. We finally got to the car, i shove the bags in and put ben in his seat and then have to wrestle him to buckle the seatbelt on his seat (let me tell you, that little boy is sooo stinkin strong its not even funny), finally get him buckled in and he continues throwing his fit allllllll the way home. Ungh!!! So, he got a nice little spanking and talking to when we got home and was promptly put down for his nap. The baby started kicking after everything was quiet, and i just said, "sorry about all that little girl, but just you wait, im sure one day you will be the one doing that" haha! Oh well, i just hope he wakes up in a better mood after his nap.

We are going to San Diego tomorrow. David is having some work done on his truck and im driving up a seperate car so we can do other stuff while he waits for his truck to get done. It should be fun, we dont go to san diego as much as we used to.

Friday is my next doctors appointment. I always like seeing the ultrasound and hearing the heartbeat. I think I'll take Ben. He went with me last time and did really good, and he seemed really interested when he got to see the baby.

Last but not least, Ben and I are coming to Texas! Mom booked our flights today. We will be there Feb. 24 - Mar. 10. A good 2 weeks. I am really looking forward to it, and getting to see everyone. Well, I think i should go rest a little before Ben wakes up. Hopefully our afternoon is better than our morning.

Live and Learn

Well, this week has been pretty uneventful, so that's why I havent blogged. I guess yesterday was pretty eventful, but im reluctant to write about it so my parents dont freak out. My morning just didnt start out good. I woke up from a bad dream, which is never a good way to wake up. Ben and I just lounged around for a little while and then got ready for the day. We were going to run some errands and take David lunch (which we do almost every day). David always gives me a hard time for texting or calling him to see if he needs lunch everyday, so i decided to not call him unless he called me and told me he didnt need lunch. So i hadnt heard from him and proceeded to leave the house to bring him lunch. Well, i was stopped at a stop sign, just around the corner from my house, was waiting to turn left (onto Ross, which is fairly busy) and a teenage guy, maybe 16 or 17, came up to my window and started knocking on it. He told me some guys were trying to jump him and asked if he could get in my car. I shook my head no and continued looking to turn onto Ross. The guy quickly walked around to my passenger side and tried getting in. Thank goodness my car doors looks automatically when i start the car, and i hadnt rolled my windows down. I was starting to get a little flustered, and then the traffic cleared somewhat and i was able to pull out onto Ross and get away. I dont know if he meant harm or was really trying to get away from those guys or what, but of course i wasnt going to take a chance with Ben in the car (or even if i was by myself). So I drove straight out to the shop, and right before i got there i got a text from David saying he already got lunch. Of all days!!!! So i got upset when i got to the shop and just drove off. I came home and David followed because he knew i was upset. We called the police to report it, just in case, but there wasnt much they could do since it had been about 30 min. since it happened and i didnt get a good description of the guy. David stayed home the rest of the day, which was nice because he has been soo busy lately.

We were supposed to go on date night last night, but Davids mom called and asked if i would go shopping with her. She wanted to get a new outfit for her other daughter in laws baby shower. I was more than happy to, and we had a very successful shopping trip! Marla and i arent very similar at all, but we have learned to enjoy each other and our differences, so it was nice to get to do something like that with her.

We dont have much planned for this weekend, or at least not at the moment. I did some pruning and fertilizing in my yard this afternoon (which may sound crazy for january, but its been in the 70s and 80s all month pretty much).

Well, i suppose that's enough for this post. I don't want anyone worrying about my little encounter yesterday, I kinda see it as a living and learning experience and thank God He kept us safe. I dont want to live in fear.

First Blog Entry

So, I thought I might start a blog so that I can keep everyone updated without having to write each individual all the time! There is so much happening in our lives right now that I thought this would be a good time. I will try to update it as often as possible, or as long as there's something new to tell.

Our latest news is that we are having another baby! Yay! It wasn't completely expected, but we are all sooo excited! As of my last drs. appt., were having a GIRL!!! My dr. was being very cautious though and told us he would confirm it at the next appt. (Feb. 6). But the nurse in there kept saying it was a girl. Just to play it safe we havent bought anything girly yet, except for a cute little sleeper that was on sale for $2. Can't resist a bargain. My mom also offered to help me make the baby bedding (bumper, skirt, etc) which i was overjoyed at because i have been looking all over the internet and havent seen what im looking for. So this way I can get what i want and learn some sewing skills from my momma, and i think it will be alot of fun! So were planning on tackling that project when Ben and i go out for our visit in March.

On other exciting, somewhat gross news. Ben pooped in the toilet today!!!!!!!!! You cannot understand how excited David and I were! We have been working on this since July!!! It was like it finally clicked today. The downside...he got the runs right after that. So we did have an accident, but i dont blame him, its all new to him, and having that problem at the same time just doesnt work well together. Oh well, im still very optimistic about the goal of having him completely potty trained by the time this baby comes.

Well, i think thats about it for my first post. I know i could write about more, but i dont wanna make it too long! I will try to post fun pictures occassionally too. The one above is of Ben playing at the shop with his Daddy and his new snow chains.