Blessed Beyond Measure

The Best Days

2011-09-08T16:54:00.000-04:00

This week in the "Facebook World" is one of those weeks where you can really feel like a minority. On Tuesday, especially, I felt like the only person in the whole wide world that wasn't sending my 3 year old to preschool (although I know that isn't true). Not that I needed to make myself feel better, because Brian and I are more than okay with our decision, but I thought I would make a little video for my girls. I am not trying to start a debate about preschool either, I just believe that these truly are THE BEST DAYS for me and I wouldn't trade a minute of them for anything! I am also so very thankful to my own parents for instilling in me a heart of "Mothering" and although I know it was never easy financially for them, I truly appreciate the things they sacrificed so that my mom was also able to be home with us, every day! Enjoy! :)

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Happy 5 year Homecoming!

2011-06-19T07:00:00.025-04:00

I find it hard to bring myself to write this post this year. Not that I don't want to commemorate this day or even remember Daniel because those that are closest to me know that I remember and think about Daniel daily. Part of me just doesn't want to think that it has been 5 years already. Five seems like a number that is just so defined, a number that might make it okay for me to part ways with things that I have been having a hard time to let go of in regard to Daniel, a number that makes it all seem very real. Have I really been with out Daniel in my life for five years? Can it really be five years since I last saw him smile or heard his voice speak my name? It just doesn't seem possible.

Right after Daniel went to be with the Lord, thinking about commemorating a FIVE year homecoming just seemed impossible and yet, here it is. I would like to reflect on the biggest thing I have learned during this 4th year of grief and healing. If you had the pleasure of knowing Daniel, then you knew that he always said "If just one person could be impacted by this, it is all worth it." Well, this year I had the opportunity to share God's story of redemption in my life through Daniel's journey at a MOPS meeting. I can not begin to tell you how that opportunity impacted me and many others. That was in March and still to this day I have people coming up to me and thanking me for sharing and then they share with me how God has used our story and testimony to bless, grow, and/or encourage them. Total confirmation of what Daniel and I prayed for so often during his battle with cancer.

I feel as though our story of grief, sorrow, pain, suffering, and brokenness has truly turned into a story of REDEMPTION; thanks only to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I have talked often of how Daniel and I were victors through Christ and that cancer certainly did not hold us down; don't get me wrong, Jesus is always the victor in our lives, but looking back at how far I have come in 5 years, He is my REDEEMER as well!!!

The blessings in my life are an amazing testimony to that. I am so thankful for this redemption and healing; and I am confident that healing, growth, and continued blessings will continue to come from Christ, no matter what circumstances this life throws at us. I pray that others can be blessed by this truth as well. Even though Daniel has been with the Lord for 5 years now, it is still my daily prayer that others will be impacted in some way and specifically grow closer to the Lord by knowing him through me and by seeing what God can do in our lives when we are open and willing, especially through his Grace!

I would like to share with you all the recording of the talk I gave at MOPS. My disclaimer though: I am not a professional public speaker and I can definitely use a lot of growth and encouragement in that area; but with that said, I hope this might be encouraging to you in some way.

I also want to share this song. A friend recently shared it with me, stating that she knows the singer/song writer and believes this song resembles my life. Laura Story, the singer and writer of this song, walks a similar road that I once walked. Her husband, less than two years after they were married, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. That was in 2006 and they still continue to battle. She wrote this song among those struggles and it is very timely when it comes to understanding God's blessings and redemption. I LOVE this song and I hope it can bless and encourage you in some way too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What if your blessings come through raindrops? What if your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you’re near?
What if trials of this life are your mercies in disguise?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To learn or read more about Laura Story, you can visit her site @

http://www.laurastorymusic.com/bio

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Loving Memory of Daniel Lee Gregory

November 13, 1978 - June 19, 2006

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,

whohave been called according to his purpose." ~Romans 8:28~

Chyler is trying to walk!

2011-06-03T15:19:00.000-04:00

Chyler Anne is (almost) 15 months old now and really trying so hard to walk these days. She took her first "real" steps about a month ago on Mother's Day, but has not shown any interest again until recently. On Wednesday after a long car ride home from NY, she took a bunch of steps at my parent's house and has continued to try and get moving here and there. Walking takes so much balance and the poor *Happy* kiddo is always giggling or laughing and constantly knocking herself down. I was able to get a few steps on video today though, amongst all the giggles. Here she goes...

Outnumbered

2011-04-18T17:00:00.015-04:00

That's right folks...Come late October 2011, Brian and I will officially be OUTNUMBERED!!!

To say that we are thrilled about the blessing of two new little feet in our home would be an understatement. We are over the moon ecstatic about this new blessing that God has given us and we feel equally blessed that He has chosen to entrust us with another little life.

Brian's Valentine's Day "Gift" - I put the positive test in a box!!! And he certainly was SURPRISED!

New shirts for the Big Sisters "To Be" :)

I think it is safe to say that we are even more excited about sharing this news with "the world" NOW because of all we have been through the past 9 weeks since finding out we were expecting. The next part of this post might be a little "TMI" (too much information) but I am happy to share in the hopes that it might help some one else some day. Also, this kid already has an amazing "God Story" as it grows in my womb, so we would like to share that as well. However, if you don't like TMI, then you can just be excited about our initial news and stop reading now. LOL!!! :)

On Friday, February 11th I started feeling really dizzy, every time I would lay down, or even bend down to pick up Chyler, or stand up, etc. I honestly felt like I was going to pass out. The entire world would spin round and round, it was the strangest thing. I had mentioned it to Brian (who was working that weekend) and he suggested that I get it checked out on Monday if it was not better. On Sunday after church, knowing that I would need to obey my husband's wishes to see a doctor on Monday, I decided to pick up a pregnancy test at the grocery store; because of course I was NOT pregnant, but wanted to rule it out; after all, we have been very careful to make sure that we didn't get pregnant. Well, you know how those tests tell you to wait until the morning to use them, I was so confident that it was going to be negative whether it was morning or evening, so that night, while home alone, I decided to take the first test (it was a 2-pack). Needless to say, I took the test and within 2 seconds (literally) the positive line was appearing. Again, I was home alone, so I totally started flipping out. Pacing the floor saying "Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!" Looking back now, I think I was in shock. LOL! So, instead of calling the doctor about the dizziness on Monday morning (Valentine's Day), I was sharing the wonderful news with Brian and assuming the dizziness was just an early pregnancy symptom. We were both very surprised!! :)

A week went by and we were literally both in shock and trying to figure out how this happened (haha!) But it looks like my cycle was thrown off track because of still breastfeeding, so when we thought we couldn't conceive (based on our "natural family planning" chart), we actually did! :) Once again, we are reminded how much God's plans are much greater than our own; certainly we thought Chyler would be at least 2 and the girls would be sharing a room, we would own our own place, have a bigger house, etc....we would have things all figured out....Nope! God's plan prevails! :) We are now very thankful for 9 months to figure all these things out! :)

Well, after that first week went by, we were just ecstatic as the news set in, and then boom! Everything changed in an instant, such as it seems with life. On Monday night, February 21st I was at Bible study and I went to the restroom only to find that I was bleeding - bright red blood - bleeding. :( My heart sank. I excused myself calmly and left Bible study immediately. As soon as I got home, I crawled in bed next to Brian and I told him the news. We were both terrified but also in prayer that God would protect our baby. I even found myself pleading with the Lord to save this baby. I was unsure how Brian and I both would get through this type of loss.

The next morning, I was still bleeding and so I called our midwife and went in to have my blood drawn for HCG levels to be checked. Two days later I had my levels checked again, and the following Monday, February 28th they called to tell me that the numbers went up, but they were not doubling like they think they should so they scheduled an ultrasound. We went in for the ultrasound a little nervous about what we would find but were elated when we saw a sac with a teeny, tiny baby growing and although I was only about 5-6 weeks pregnant, there was a tiny flicker of a heartbeat....113 beats per minute. Such a peaceful moment for both Brian and I. However, they also spotted a bleed. A small area behind the (establishing) placenta that was bleeding. :( This was concerning and a little unsettling for us, but after seeing that heartbeat we were just so thankful and really placing trust in God for full protection over this tiny little life.

The weeks have obviously flown by and I would like to say that the bleeding has stopped, however, that has not been the case. But the glorious news is that after 3 ultrasounds later (that is more than I have ever had with the girls), the tiny little life inside of me is developing and growing and happily bouncing around in there. The bleeding has continued on and off for the past several weeks, but has slowed down considerably. Our midwives have diagnosed me with a subchorionic hemorrhage, which is just a really big medical term for a bleed in the uterus. Through prayer, we are confident that the Lord is healing it and we are so thankful for a precious blessing growing in my healthy womb!!!

Many have asked why we have waited this long to tell "the world" that we are expecting, (I am now 13 weeks along) and my main answer would be that we like to tell family in person, if possible, and this past weekend was the first time we were with my entire (immediate) family (see video below). Because of travel plans we were able to tell both sets of parents and siblings in person when we were expecting Chyler, but due to living so far away from all our family, my parents and siblings were the only ones that we could tell in person this time. I was able to catch the moment on video and here it is!

The other reason is just because of all the stuff that has been going on this pregnancy (also, we didn't "spill the beans" with either of the girls until I was 12 weeks along). Of course we know that babies are blessings from the Lord and we desire to share that news with all our friends and family; however, we also know (a little too well, on my part) that the Lord "gives and takes away." If the Lord saw fit that we were to only have this baby for a few weeks, than that is something Brian and I would have wanted to deal with in private. So, with that said, we hope that if any of you are disappointed that we waited to share the news, you will understand where we are coming from and you will still be committed to praying for us over the next 27+ weeks left of this pregnancy. :)

We thank you in advance for your prayers and are thrilled to introduce our newest blessing to you come late October (or early November, as our babies tend to be late arrivals)! :)

Happy 1st Birthday Chyler Anne!!!

2011-03-04T07:00:00.030-05:00

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY CHYLER ANNE!!!

It is amazing to think a whole year has gone by so quickly. This has truly been the fastest year of my life. We are so blessed by your sweet presence and we have loved watching you grow every moment. We pray daily that God will continue to bless you and keep you healthy and we look forward to LOTS more moments with you in our lives. What a sweet, sweet girl you are Chyler! You always keep us smiling! And you are Mama's girl, through and through! :) We love you!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!

2010 Christmas Cards by Shutterfly

2010-11-28T17:09:00.004-05:00

So excited about the beautiful Christmas cards I just made using Shutterfly! Here is a sneak peek! Can't wait to get them in the mail soon and then send them out to all our family and friends. If you have any photo gifts or card needs, be sure to check out all that Shutterfly has to offer!!! Great site & Great deals!

I LOVE Christmas cards! Merry Christmas!!!!

Good Blessings Religious Christmas 5x7 folded card

Get custom photo Christmas cards online at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Christmas Cards

2010-11-18T23:37:00.001-05:00

I LOVE Christmas cards!!! In fact, many of you might remember this post that I wrote 3 years ago about how much I really do LOVE Christmas cards. LOL! :) So, with all that love, you must know how excited I was to read about this promotion from Shutterfly. As much as I love Christmas Cards, creating them, sending them, receiving them, I also LOVE getting stuff for FREE! If you are a blogger and you share about Shutterfly on your blog, you can get 50 FREE Christmas cards too!!! Check out the promotion! This is definitely worth blogging about!!! :)

I love using Shutterfly for photo needs. I have created notebooks, calendars, thank you cards, Christmas cards, ornaments, and lots of other things through their web site. It is a great way to personalize any gift and they always have great prices, selections, and wonderful quality photo products. I am excited to select my 50 free Christmas cards this year and I will be sure to blog about them and show you how they turn out.

I plan on taking some Christmas pictures of the girls in their matching Christmas dresses during Thanksgiving weekend. I can't wait!!! I am so excited to dress up TWO little girls this year! I will have to decide which card layout to select, but these are some of my favorites...

A Tribute to The Veterans

2010-11-11T15:25:00.000-05:00

Today is Veteran's Day and while most people enjoy this day as a day to sleep in, or not have school, today is a day that we should remember all of our Military men and women both past, present, and future. Joining the military and being in the military is one of the greatest sacrifices I can imagine. Being willing to die for your neighbor, brother, sister, and country. Truly inspiring.

Because we live in Virginia Beach - a Military City, I know so many wives who live months with out their spouses, raise babies, and even give birth while their hubbies are away - SERVING. It is a sacrifice all around. So thank you to those that serve, those that have served, and the families that endure it all. Thank you. May God bless our troops now and always!

Thank you also to my amazing hubby. One of the most humble US Marines I have ever met. Never asking for a pat on the back, never looking for praise, just always willing to SERVE. I love him for that! Happy Veteran's Day honey! Love you and thank you for serving our Nation! We all know that Freedom comes for a price and I thank God that you will be able to share stories with our girls and teach them to appreciate what Military men and women do for us as Americans!

A Tribute To The Veterans - Watch more funny videos here

Monday's Movie - November 8, 2010

2010-11-08T07:00:00.009-05:00


Here's the "Monday's Movie" button. If you want to do a "Monday's Movie" post please feel free to use this button (right click on image and select "copy link location" then paste in your own blog post) so you can link back to my page as well! Enjoy!!! :)

Sierra Swims - 2 years old

I originally scheduled this post for September 27th. To say that I got a little busy and less blogging occurred is really unnecessary. :) Hopefully you all will forgive me.

At the end of the summer, Sierra finally mastered swimming (with her bubble) on her own. I am so proud of her! I really hope that the long winter months don't cause her to forget all that she learned last summer and I am hoping that she will be swimming on her own (with out the bubble) in no time at all. She is such a fast learner, I am sure she will catch on quick. Maybe swimming lessons are in our future. :)

For this week's Monday's Movie, enjoy some video I took of her swimming around in our friend's pool on the 1st of September (please ignore all the chatter in the background...Jaime and I were discussing the impending Hurricane Earl that was headed our way). :)

Chyler Anne - 7 months old - Month in Review

2010-10-30T07:00:00.304-04:00

Because I have been a bit behind on posting “monthly updates” I have decided that I am going to post a “month in review” type of post to report how much Chyler is growing and changing. So with that, here is a “report” on Chyler’s 7^th month!

Chyler’s 7^th month of life has been very full.

Not only have we been on many great adventures, including, but not limited to, another road trip to Rochester, New York and a week spent at Mimi & Papa’s house in Richmond, Virginia, we have also grown by leaps and bounds too.

Chyler hanging out with her "Great" Aunts in New York

Chyler started solids this month and her favorites by far are squash and avocados. We only did rice (which we made at home) for about a week or two and then we moved right into veggies and fruits. She has enjoyed everything she has tried so far. I followed the same list of first foods that Sierra did, and she has shown no dislikes for any of them. Girl loves to eat!

The cutest pumpkin in the patch!

She finally started rolling over both ways and although she still prefers her back and sleeps only on her back, she will on occasion roll from side to side while playing. She does get on her tummy on occasion, and I still try to do the tummy time, although she is not really a big fan. But when she is on her tummy, she is pushing up more, but still not showing any signs of wanting or desiring to crawl.

Finding her toes! :)

She also perfected sitting up on own this month and loves to sit and play and watch her big sister. Her balance has become nearly perfect this month and she hardly has any moments where she falls over now.

She is loving being able to sit up and play with toys now

This month marked a big milestone where she started taking baths with big sister. This is pretty hysterical, especially since Sierra taught Chyler how to splash on day 1. I don’t think we ever really “taught” Sierra how to splash; well, it is safe to say that now we have two splashing kiddos in the tub! Chyler absolutely LOVES to sit up in the big bath tub with her sister where they play and laugh and SPLASH! Aside from loving the tub, she just adores her big sister and I love watching their budding friendship. Can't wait to experience even more "sister" moments with them.

Big Sister is always right there for a protecting hand :)

Not too sure of the dogs we were looking at, even if big sister was "protecting" her

Sweet girls

Sweet play mates

I foresee lots more moments like this

Readers :)

When we started solid foods, we also started the introduction of sign language. I am hoping she can pick up on the same basic signs that Sierra learned. Sierra signing was a HUGE blessing to me; it really cut out a lot of tantrums, screaming, etc. The ability for them to communicate before they are able to talk is huge and very helpful to a busy mama like me. Some of the beginning signs we are doing are “more”, “please”, “thank you”, “down”, and “milk” (using this one for “nurse” more or less). She watches me, but isn’t sure yet how to make the connection. I am hopeful that it will come.

She definitely knows what the word “no” is though and thanks to her big sister she started shaking her head “no” this month. At first I think she was just doing it because it was a way for her to respond to her sister when Sierra would say, “Chyler, can you say ‘no’?” But now she seems to be doing it more often and any time she hears me say the word no. It is very cute and might possibly be her first word once she does start talking. She also knows and responds to her name now. This is also very cute and helpful for when Mama wants to get her attention.

Chyler still loves to sleep (sleeping in until about 9am and take one long nap, most days). Sierra started 1 nap around 10 months old and I know most children take 2 naps until they are way past 12 months old but because my girls sleep so long in the morning, they end up taking one long nap in the afternoon and then I just have to push them until bed time. If we are getting up early for something or when we are traveling and her schedule is off, she will do two naps, but most days it is just one nap a day. It isn’t really a big deal for me or something that I stress about because she is such a good sleeper. When she needs to rest, she just goes in her crib and away she sleeps. She is not a sleep-fighter. Thank God!

Hanging out in the sling at the State Fair. It was nap time, but she still tolerated it so well

She is still sucking her thumb and it is only the left thumb which I think is funny. She also still sleeps with her pacifier, but I am not sure that she actually uses it. She likes to hold it while she sucks on her thumb and sleeps. Funny little girl.

Very happy to be strolling through the Botanical Gardens

Playing in her walker. She loves to have her feet on the ground :)

This month also marked a big milestone – Chyler got her 1^st two bottom teeth!!!!!! I was both surprised and excited when I saw them popping through. I knew that she had been teething with the drool and the fussiness, prior to me putting a Baltic Amber Teething Necklace on her. But after I had put the necklace on her, I really hadn’t noticed any more symptoms and then boom, new teeth! She is really growing up and I am going to miss those gummy grins.

Trying to get a shot of the new teeth, no luck, but I promise they are in there!

All and all, Chyler is a very content, happy, and giggly little girl. She seems to be a much quieter spirit than her big sister was at this age, but oh how we love her just the way she is. We think she is just perfect and we are excited to be her parents, teach her more about Jesus, and watch her grow up. Chyler Anne, Mama and Daddy love you so very much. You are growing so fast. You are prefect and precious to us!!! Thank you Lord for blessing us with her life!

Sweet girl!


Love that precious face!

Team of FAITH - Celebration of Hope 2010

2010-10-06T16:00:00.034-04:00

The B.R.A.I.N. Celebration of Hope 2010 is this coming Sunday, 10/10/10.

Our team of walkers in 2008

Many of you know, because my dear friend and founder of B.R.A.I.N., Marguerite Sciuk, ended her battle last September with her brain tumor, we did not have the Celebration of Hope last year. That means this year is that much more important! B.R.A.I.N. needs all the support and funds we can provide. Please consider giving monetarily of clicking on my team link below and registering to walk with us on Sunday! We would love to see you there!!! :)

TEAM OF FAITH - CLICK HERE TO DONATE OR REGISTER!!!!

Here is the info from my team web site:

After 2 Brain Surgeries, 5 weeks of radiation, and multiple chemo-therapies, God's Ultimate Healing on Daniel Lee Gregory was achieved on June 19, 2006! What a joyous celebration there must have been in Heaven that day! Daniel was the biggest warrior I have ever known. The torch is being passed now to those of us left behind and we all have a very hard battle left to fight. Please consider joining Brian and I, the Stank & Gregory families, and many friends that love Daniel as we walk to CELEBRATE his memory. To walk with us, click on "Register for this event" across the top menu bar of this page. Make sure during your registration when they ask you if you are apart of a team you select YES and type in Team of FAITH. If you are unable to walk with us, please prayerfully consider monetarily sponsoring us. B.R.A.I.N. is a very important organization for the Richmond Brain Tumor Community. God will make a difference through us to impact other Brain tumor patients, to find a cure, and provide Hope. God Bless each of you! We are and will always be - TEAM OF FAITH

Team of FAITH will also be walking this year in Memory of our dear friend, Clint Cooper who was diagnosed in March 2008 with an AA Grade III and passed away July of 2009. In Honor of our sister-in-law Blakely's uncle - Dexter Payne who just went through another brain surgery late this summer, & In memory of Katie Benner, a dear friend of mine and Daniel's who passed away in May 2009. Unfortunately, these are just a few names of people we know and love who have fought this fight. At least 5 other people come to mind right away. This is a horrible illness and we need to fight to continue to make a difference!

A little bit about B.R.A.I.N. - Their mission is to provide critically important information to newly diagnosed patients, improve the quality of life of brain tumor survivors and fund research to help find better treatments and ultimately a cure for this devastating disease. Every donation of any amount is greatly appreciated and will help to continue this mission.

A little bit of history about our team: In 2004 we walked in a fundraiser that supported the Richmond Brain Tumor Support Group and we were the top fundraisers, bring in over $1000. Then in 2006 we walked in the 1st annual Celebration of Hope and raised over $2200. In 2007 we raised $2700, and had 21 people walk with us (plus the two little growing babies - Sierra and Deacon) in memory of Daniel!!!! Also, we were 2nd place fundraisers!!! Then in 2008 we participated in the 4th Celebration of Hope and because of wonderful friends and family like you, we raised over $3200!!!! That means, in the past 5 years our team, TEAM OF FAITH has raised over $9100.00!!!!!!! Please help us continue in this fight!!! Our goal this year is $3500.00!

Walking in Celebration of Hope

For previous years information check out these links - COH 2008, COH 2007

Wordless Wednesday: Solid Foods!

2010-09-29T07:00:00.002-04:00

Guess who started eating REAL food?!?!?!?!

Monday's Movie - September 20, 2010

2010-09-20T07:00:00.012-04:00


Here's the "Monday's Movie" button. If you want to do a "Monday's Movie" please feel free to use this button (right click on image and select "copy link location" then paste in your own blog post) so you can link back to my page as well! Enjoy!!! :)

For your viewing pleasure:

Sierra counts in English & Spanish @ 28 months old

Sierra is growing and learning so quickly, as a mom and a licensed teacher, it is even hard for me to keep up with her! Of course we are bias, but we think she is so bright and we love building on these skills each and every chance we get! :) Oh, and by the way, she was not yet potty trained when I filmed this video back in August; however, when she says "I need to go potty" at the very end of the film, I pretty much ignored her but she did go upstairs before nap time and again she reminded me that she had to go. I obliged and let her sit on the potty and sure enough, she went poo-poo in the potty!! Pretty impressive. Guess that was Mama's clue that she was ready to start potty training! :) Hope you ENJOY today's "Movie"!!!!

Happy Birthday Papa!

2010-09-16T07:00:00.004-04:00

Today is my Dad's birthday and we just want to say,

Happy Birthday Papa! We love you very much!

Hope you have a great day!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-15T07:00:00.002-04:00

Wordless Wednesday


*If only you could have been there to witness this very moment. Priceless!!!*

Monday's Movie HIATUS - September 13, 2010

2010-09-13T07:00:00.002-04:00


My sweet, blue eyed baby boy, Mannix

~Mannix - Meaning "Little Monk" in Gaelic~

I normally do "Monday's Movie" on Mondays, but today I am taking a little hiatus to blog about something different. Today, September 13th marks the one year anniversary of the loss of my sweet baby boy, Mannix. Last year I was newly into the school year and student teaching was exhausting me; not only that but I was also 4 months pregnant, having to leave my sweet baby girl, and basically just overwhelmed all around. Therefore, I did not blog about my loss during that time but I wanted to take the time to do so now.

Sweet boy, sitting on my lap

Sierra and I had gone away for the weekend to celebrate my father's 60th birthday with family in Richmond. As usual, Brian had to work and did not go with us. On Saturday morning before we headed to Richmond I noticed that Mannix was making a weird noise when he was breathing but I really just thought maybe he was having the typical fall allergies or ate a bug that made him sniffle (he was definitely my bug eater). I didn't really think twice about it but I do remember picking him up while Sierra was eating her breakfast and I snuggled with him, giving him tons of kisses like I used to love to do and looked into his blue eyes (probably the only blue eyed "child" I will ever have) and told him something like, "you need to stop getting into mischief, like eating flys, that makes your nose and tummy upset." We left and all was well.

I could really use a back rub, are you done working yet Mom?

Needless to say, all was not well. On Sunday evening, Sierra and I got home around 5:45pm and I started unpacking the car while Sierra was still in her car seat and not hanging out under foot. I brought the first patch of luggage into the house and there right before me on the kitchen floor lay Mannix's limp body. I. Lost. It. Really. My mother, father, and husband can all attest to how much I really did lose it. I ran outside and grabbed my phone, gasping for air (now remember people, I watched my husband die, so you would think I could have a little composure over losing a cat; well, yeah, not so much). I quickly called my parents house as I was getting Sierra out of the car, whom I am sure was very confused about why mama was screaming crying. My dad answered the phone, which was probably a good thing because he calmly talked to me whereas my mother would probably have freaked out WITH me instead. My father asked, "what in the world is wrong." I don't remember exactly what I said, I think it was something like, "It's Mannix. He's dead. He's not breathing. On the kitchen floor. I don't know what happened. There's blood. There's saliva. I don't know what to do. I don't want Sierra to see him like this." All this while hyperventilating and crying hysterically. Dad calmly said, "Karen, where is Sierra?" I said, "I am holding her." He said, "You need to take a deep breath, take Sierra upstairs, put her in her crib. She is probably going to cry and that is okay, just put her down for a minute. Then go get a towel and go pick up Mannix and set him in the garage. Then take another deep breath, calm down, and call me back." So I did exactly as he said and to this day I remember when I picked Mannix up he was still warm and limp; I knew he had not been gone for long.

The boppy is a multi-use pillow :)

After I settled down and got Sierra in bed (she was going to bed around 6:30pm those days because of such an early schedule in the mornings) I then called Brian at work. I had gotten myself settled down but of course, as soon as I heard Brian's voice on the other end of the line, I lost it again. I asked him how was Mannix when he had left, just a mere 45 minutes before we had gotten home. Brian said, "he was fine, standing by the door while I was tying my boots and getting ready to leave, same as he always does. Why?" Then I told Brian that Mannix was dead. At some point between the time that Brian left for work around 5pm and when I got home around 5:45pm, something bad had happened. I was devastated. He was only 5 years old.

She might drive me crazy, but if you mess with her, you are messing with me!!!

Brian was so kind about the whole thing, considering he isn't the biggest animal lover I know. He was very sensitive towards my needs and agreed to call the vet in the morning and take care of everything for me. He was so sweet about it. Sure enough, he called the vet, took Mannix's body into the vet and even paid to have an autopsy done so I would have some answers. To this day, a year later, I still do not know how much he paid to have all that done for me. He told me not to worry about the cost. He knew how much it meant to me to have some closer and understanding of what happened and that was all that mattered. The autopsy revealed that Mannix

Ahhhh. Sun!

Hey! Who's blocking my sun?

The next several days were so hard for me, but the next day was definitely the hardest. I dropped Sierra off at my friend Courtney's house and I remember tearing up while talking to her about it. Then I went to school, where just 2 weeks prior I had shown my new 1st graders pictures of my two kitty's, and if you know anything about 1st graders, they ask questions about your personal life ALL. THE. TIME. So a common recurring question was, "is your white kitty still getting into things?" They asked that because I told them that Mannix was always mischievous and getting into things and that drove my husband bonkers. They thought that was funny. I couldn't break their little hearts, like mine was, so I would just say "yes." I teared up as I was telling my mentor teacher about it and as soon as the day was over, I got in my SUV to come home and before I could drive away I bawled my eyes out right there in the school parking lot. My heart hurt.

Can someone please get this kid off me?!?

Look Kid, You are too big for a ride!

Now I know, for someone reading this that is not really an animal lover you would think I was crazy and I understand that. However, Mannix was my sweet little boy. He would sit on my lap every night. He loved me unconditionally. He would snuggle with me in bed after Daniel died and I felt all alone. He would greet me at the door every night after work. He never judged me if I took too long to clean out his litter box or took too long getting his food out. He ate all the bugs that ever came into the house so I wouldn't have to worry about squishing them. Whenever I was working on homework he would come and sit right on top of my papers as if to say, "Stop working Mom. Pay attention to me." He would look at me with those big blue eyes and just be so sweet. He would climb the cabinets and the walls and everything else he could, which would drive Brian crazy. He would snuggle with Sierra and never get upset with her for pulling his hair out. He would look at our female cat (Neko) as if to say, "really, PMS again!?!?" He was just the best, most loving, sweetest cat I have ever known and I truly loved him. He was my first baby and I miss him so much. I really hope that some day my husband will allow me to get another cat just like him, but I know Mannix can never be replaced.

Mama misses you every day Mannix.

Mannix Gregory Miller - October 2004 - September 13, 2009

Are you ready?!?!

2010-09-12T08:00:00.005-04:00

Are you ready for some football?????!!!!!!

We sure are! You might remember that I had one little fan back a while ago, well now I am super excited to have TWO little fans!!!!!

Go Bills!!!!

My two little fans!!!

Touchdown!!!

Hey Mom, Look! Chyler's a Bills fan too! :)

Flashback Friday!

2010-09-10T07:00:00.006-04:00

I know of another blogger that does "Flashback Fridays" and so I have decided to do some as well. There are hundreds (probably thousands actually) of pictures that I had good intentions of sharing and posting; but life continues to go on and I never can get ahead of myself; so instead we are going to "Flash Back"!!! :)

Here is my first ever FLASH BACK FRIDAY!!!! Enjoy!

Last August we drove 15 hours to Florida to visit with my Aunt in Miami, Brian's Dad on the Gulf Coast, and then attend a family get together in Georgia on our way back home. Sierra was an amazing traveler in the car for 15 hours straight (we drove through the night mostly) and we didn't even have a DVD player and yes, she was still rear-facing then! Simply Amazing! She was awesome in the car, and still is! I was just 12 weeks prego with Chyler and feeling very sick; in fact, as soon as we stopped for breakfast, I sat up and vomited into a near by grocery bag...fun, fun, fun! Despite the drive though, it really was 12 days of non-stop fun! :)

While in Miami for 3 days we hit up the Miami Seaquarium one of the days. It was a great place, but it was VERY expensive (costing us about $90 for the whole day - and that was with us bringing our OWN lunch) and it was also VERY hot and humid - Gotta love Miami in August! All and all though it was fun to see the animals and spend the day together. Sierra had a good time, but I think she would have enjoyed it more if she was older, she had only just turned 16 months old a few days prior.

Checking out the fish with Daddy (Look how hot and sweaty Sierra was!) Yuck!

That's a BIG fish!

Walking around the Seaquarium with Daddy

Sharing an slushy with Mama. Really hit the spot!

After leaving Miami, we headed West over to Fort Myers to see Brian's dad. We were there for 5 days and had a blast! Got to see lots of sights, do lots of things, and spend time together. One of the days we headed to the gulf to swim. LOVE the gulf. That water is so warm, crystal clear, and just beautiful. Our adventure there was short lived because a huge storm rolled in, but it was fun while it lasted. Brian even found 3 sand dollars and many shells with Sierra. :)

Sierra's first dip in the Gulf

Looking for shells with Daddy

Sierra watching the sunset with her Grandpa

Sierra with Grandpa & Grandma Deb

Sierra also was able to get up close and personal with a shark jaw, Santa Clause, and a camel! Who knew Florida had so much to offer! :)

On our last day there we headed to another beach on the Gulf and enjoyed swimming and playing with Grandpa, Grandma Deb, Mama, Daddy, and Great Aunt Sue (Brian's aunt).

Peek-a-boo! Where's Sierra?!?!

Playing in the sand with Aunt Sue

Such a FUN trip!!

My goal is, if I keep up with these "Flash Back Friday" posts, I should be able to get to this summer's trips by next summer. LOL!

Monday's Movie - September 6, 2010

2010-09-06T07:00:00.003-04:00

Summer Fun

For Your Viewing Pleasure
Enjoy!

In honor of Labor Day and saying farewell to summer, here is a video that I took the last day of our beach trip in Corolla, NC this summer.

PS - Now it is only 320 days until our 2011 vacation :)

*Also, notice my new "Monday Movie" button. It was created for me by my awesome Sister-in-law, Blakely. Soon, I will have a link to share and you can "steal" the button to use if you want to do a "Monday Movie" on your blog as well! :)

6 Months Old!

2010-09-04T16:50:00.003-04:00

GUESS WHAT!?!?!

Chyler Anne is 6 months old TODAY!!!!

To say that she is a blessing to us is a total understatement. She is a precious blessing from the Lord and we are so blessed to have her as a part of our family.

She had her 6 month check-up on the 13th and she is now 17 pounds, 1 ounce and 26 and 3/4 inches long. That is one chubby and tall baby girl. She is developing just perfectly and we are so blessed with her happy and precious spirit. She still loves to nurse and to sleep and is sitting up well now. The months are just flying by and we are trying to savor every moment because we know soon we will be chasing after her, just like we are with her big sister. We love you Chyler Anne and praise God for your life every single day!

Gardening with Daddy

2010-09-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

Sierra LOVES her daddy. She is such a daddy's girl it really is amazing to me. She asks where he is every morning, every day after nap, and every night. She cries when he leaves for work and she gets so excited when he comes home, screaming "Daddy!!!!" She just loves her daddy time! The other day she got some great "Daddy Time" with Brian while I was cooking dinner and they were outside pulling weeds / cleaning up the front flower bed. She was so sweet wanting to help him so I snapped some pictures. Too cute (both of them)!!! :)

First Swing Ride

2010-09-02T07:00:00.000-04:00

Chyler took her first (outdoor) swing ride the other day. We were visiting friends and my friend Emily suggested that I put her in the swing. I said, "really?" She still seems like my little baby and it is hard to believe that she is growing up so fast. I don't think Sierra sat in a swing outside on a play ground until she was 10 months old! :) She really enjoyed it though (despite her unhappy expression). I can see many more fun times ahead with this sweet, precious girl! :)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

My Sweet Cheeks
:)

Deja vu

2010-08-31T07:00:00.001-04:00

Here is Sierra reading at 5 months old...

Here is Chyler reading at 5 months old...

Both are SUPER CUTE! :)

Monday's Movie - August 30, 2010

2010-08-30T07:00:00.000-04:00

Monday's Movie: Bills Training Camp
For Your Viewing Pleasure

In honor of the upcoming NFL and College Football Season, here is a little video my brother and I took during our visit to the Buffalo Bills Training Camp night practice. We were able to attend while we were in Rochester on the first weekend in August. It was an awesome time and such a great experience! Enjoy!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Monday's Movie - August 23, 2010

2010-08-23T07:00:00.001-04:00

Monday's Movie: Play Time with Nana
For Your Viewing Pleasure

While we were in New York a couple weekends ago (which I intend to blog about all our summer adventures, eventually) Sierra had a blast playing outside with Nana (Brian's Mom). Such a fun time! Enjoy!

Happy Birth Day Baby Ricky!

2010-08-19T21:00:00.000-04:00

Congratulations go out to my cousin Sissy, who is like a sister to me, and her husband Rick on the birth of their precious baby boy, Ricky (Fredrick the third)!

We are so excited for them to join the "Parent's Club" and can't wait to meet Baby Ricky some time real soon.
He is a tiny little precious blessing.
Weighing in at 6 pounds, 12 ounces, and
19 and 3/4 inches long
I talked with her tonight and both her and the baby are doing great and recovering well. She is working hard at trying to get him to wake up and nurse. All of us Stank girls know all too well how it is to try and feed a sleepy baby! Not the easiest thing in the world. But we are praying that they will both get it soon! :) Patience, rest, and relaxation will be great for all of them. They are hoping to be home on Sunday; she had a c-section so she will stay in the hospital for a few days to recover and get some rest. Please be praying for a full recovery, relief from any pain that she might have, and for ease and transition to feeding that precious little blessing.

Happy Birthday Mimi

2010-08-11T07:00:00.003-04:00

Happy birthday to the most wonderful Mother and Mimi EVER!

My mom and I have not always seen eye-to-eye, clearly I was not the easiest child to raise and live with. But all we have been through together, me losing my husband, getting remarried, and now becoming a mother myself, I honestly do not know where I would be with out her!!!

Mom, I love you so very much and pray that you have the most wonderful birthday ever!
You are such a blessing to us and we thank God for you every day! We love you!!! xoxoxoxo

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Monday's Movie - August 9, 2010

2010-08-09T07:00:00.003-04:00

Monday's Movie
For your viewing pleasure...

Spending time with the girls always cracks me up; They smile or giggle, or Sierra says the funniest thing. This video is just proof of the fun and laughter they bring to our life. I cracked up laughing while taking this video...too bad it was a little bit at the expense of Sierra and her hair, but still funny, none-the-less. Enjoy!

Chyler Anne is 5 Months Old

2010-08-04T07:00:00.013-04:00

Chyler Anne is now 5 months old!!! Time really is flying this summer. :)

She is getting so big and changing daily. She is still eating great, about 4 times per day and loving her sleep! She sleeps great at night and also continues to nap really well. She is too young to only be taking one nap, but somethings she wakes up around 7 or 8am and then goes right back down and will sleep till about 10 or 11am. When she does that, I count that as her morning nap. She then will take an afternoon nap and sometimes sleep for more than 3 hours!!! :) She is such a good little sleeper. I certainly can't complain. I have not been as strict as I was with Sierra and she will still fall asleep in my arms if she gets really tired. Sierra would never do that at this age. Chyler is a little snuggler though. She loves to snuggle and cuddle! Mama loves that, of course!!!
She is such a wonderful perfect little happy baby. I honestly can say that she is always so content, so happy, and so peaceful. God knew exactly what I needed when he sent me this little angel baby. I am totally in love with her sweet self.

She is still not rolling over, chubby little thing! She manages to get on her side, and she favors her left side, but still will not completely roll over. Oddly enough, she rolled over when she was 3.5 months old and I thought for sure she was going to be much more mobile than Sierra was. However, I have realized that clearly every child is different and Chyler is certainly taking her own time to get moving. :) It probably doesn't help that this Mama holds her way more than we ever held Sierra. I just can't help snuggling my sweet baby when ever I get the chance! She did discover her toes though! She loves grabbing her toes and playing with them. She does this a lot when her toes are uncovered and she is nursing. It is so cute to watch.

She also has more consistently been discovering her thumb. At first she was just sucking her thumb on and off, but now it is a more consistent thing. She pretty much has her thumb in her mouth any time she is fussy or tired. I hope this is a habit that will be easily broken. Yikes!

She is a traveling fool too! :) She has been to New York 3 times now and to the Outer Banks for our family vacation as well. She will also make a trip to South Carolina later this month. She definitely has many miles on her little feet already. She is a wonderful traveler, just like her big sis! :)

Here she is bouncing in a jumper at Brian's Mother's house in NY

Of course all our traveling has allowed us to spend time with family. Here is Chyler hanging out with her Mimi in Charlottesville.

I had her weighed the other day, and since her 4 month check-up, she has almost gained another pound...sitting pretty close to the 18 pound mark! :) At her 4 month check-up the doctor asked us about starting her on a sippy cup of water and also giving her solid foods. I am pretty passionate about waiting until that 6 month mark though. Sierra didn't start solids until she was 6.5 months old and I think it was a great idea to wait until she was fully ready. I do not believe that Chyler is ready yet, so we will wait it out again. Besides, I love that she is nursing so well and I know that the breast milk is really the best for her right now any ways.

She is constantly making noises now. She loves to blow raspberries with her mouth and tongue and is babbling away as she sits in her exersaucer or lays on her activity mat. Can't wait to hear her start talking for real. I am sure Sierra will love that too. The two of them just adore each other and it is so precious to witness.

We love you so much Chyler! You are so precious to us! Don't grow up so fast...Mama will miss the "baby" moments. Thank you Lord for blessing us with her precious life!

Monday's Movie - July 26, 2010

2010-07-26T07:00:00.002-04:00

Monday's Movie

For your viewing pleasure...

It just amazes me to watch Sierra grow, learn, talk, etc. And to say that she absolutely adores her baby sister would be an understatement. Every morning she asks if she can go get Chyler out of bed. She loves to climb up her crib and she says "Good Morning Princess!" So precious. I need to get some video of that; but until then, here is some video of Sierra playing, coloring, and hanging out with Chyler. Clearly, we are still working on learning our colors. :) But as you can see, as Chyler is licking and chewing on every piece of her exersaucer, we have definitely entered into the "teething" phase with her. :) Enjoy the movie!

Hello Corolla

2010-07-25T07:00:00.000-04:00

So excited to be hanging out with all these people (plus my grandparents and two new precious blessings who were still "baking" when this picture was taken) for the next 7 days. It doesn't hurt either that we will be in one of the most beautiful and peaceful places on earth. :)

Lord, please let the next 7 days go by very slowly!!! LOTS of pictures coming soon!

In the Hood

2010-07-23T07:00:00.001-04:00

Chyler is going to break it down for you...

In the hood.

New Hair Cut

2010-07-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

Sierra got her hair cut again, courtesy of my dear friend Jaime. It is so cute and just the right length for our upcoming beach trip so I wanted to share! Sierra is such a precious and beautiful blessing in our lives!

I asked her to sit still so I could take her picture and this is what she did. LOL!

Monday's Movie - July 19, 2010

2010-07-19T07:00:00.001-04:00

Monday's Movie

For your viewing pleasure...

Brian's dad and his girlfriend were visiting with us from Florida. It was such a wonderful visit and we loved having them here for the week. We certainly do miss them and wish they lived closer. While they were here, Sierra was absolutely beside herself and even one day this week she woke up from her nap and said "I wanna go downstairs and see Grandma Deb" I had to explain to her that Grandma Deb was not here. :( I took a bunch of video while they were here and this video is just a little excerpt from all the fun we had. Sierra and Grandpa went on many "adventures" every day (thanks to Sierra's new obsession with Dora The Explorer)! You will hear some of that in this video; like her saying "let's check the map we made" or "going to the tallest mountain" hahaha! She is too funny these days and has an AMAZING imagination! :)

Enjoy!

Monday's Movie - July 12, 2010

2010-07-12T19:00:00.002-04:00

Monday's Movie for your viewing pleasure...

Last weekend we traveled to Binghamton, New York for the 4th of July holiday. Sierra, although she loved the fireworks last year (or "Boom-Booms" as she calls them), was pretty scared of them this year. We were at my Great Uncle's lake house on Lake Laurel in PA and all day we could hear the fireworks off in the distant. Sierra got excited when she would hear them (as you will see in the video, as she asks to see "more"); but then as the night went on and the sun faded away, when the fireworks started really going off, she said "I want to go bye-bye!" She successfully made her rounds between me, my mom, and my dad's arms. She lasted for a good while, but around 10pm we decided to head home....and just when they were getting good too. Maybe next year she will enjoy them more; although then we will have Chyler to worry about. :) I LOVE fireworks, so someday I am sure we will all be able to enjoy the whole show together; until then...enjoy this show!!! :)

Monday's Movie - July 5, 2010

2010-07-05T07:00:00.001-04:00

Monday's Movie for your viewing pleasure...

The other night after the girls got out of the tub, Chyler was fussing (ready to eat and go to bed) and Sierra was getting dressed. I have noticed many times lately that when Chyler fusses, Sierra gets very panicky almost and starts to try and do anything she can to soothe her...already a mama in the making. It is so sweet. I love seeing her precious heart in moments like these.

On this particular night, Sierra was convinced that Chyler needed a book read to her, when what she really wanted Sierra was unable to provide. :) But alas, Sierra tried as hard as she could to soothe her. Looks like she is already learning that as a mother she will have to multi-task - read books, soothe baby, and get toddler dressed, all while trying to capture precious moments on video! :)

Chyler Anne is 4 Months Old

2010-07-04T07:00:00.008-04:00

Chyler Anne turned 4 months old on July 4th. Wow! Time is sure flying by. Seems like just yesterday we were holding her in our arms for the first time. :)

She is growing so big and changing so much every day. She continues to be a great eater, eating about 4-5 times per day now and is also starting to reach out and grab for toys...this is when the "fun stage" begins. I love this age. The age of discovery! :)

She also continues to sleep very well for us. She takes at least 2 long naps during the day and sometimes sneaks in a little cat nap right before bed. :) She is still an early waker though. Hopefully she will out grow that. She has been waking as early as 5am some days. Thankfully she eats and then goes right back to sleep and will sleep until 9 or 10am. :) But still, it would be nice for her to drop this feeding and just sleep till 9am on her own. :)

She LOVES her big sis and spends hours just sitting and watching her. Her biggest giggles usually come out when Sierra is singing or dancing around her. So fun to watch. Her check up went very well and the doctor is amazed at how she is growing and how strong she is. She has been so strong since day one! But she still isn't rolling over, too much chub in the way, I think! :)

She weighed in at 16 pounds, 7.5 ounces and was 25 and 3/4 inches long. Chubby and tall! :) Those stats put her in the 85th percentile for height and 95th percentile for weight. Our little chunky monkey!

We are so blessed by her precious life and thank the Lord every day for allowing us to be her parents. Sooo excited about watching her continue to grow!

Love our bright eyed girl!

July Fourth Road Trip

2010-07-01T07:00:00.004-04:00

Sierra - July 4th, 2009

The girls and I are gearing up for another road trip! Chyler will be 4 months old on Sunday and this will already be her 2nd trip to New York. She is becoming well traveled, just like her sister was at her age.

We are heading up to Binghamton, NY this weekend. As you might recall (then again, maybe I didn't blog about it) we spent July 4th weekend in Binghamton last year. My grandparents memorial stone had been put in at the cemetery so we went up to plant flowers and they also had a memorial Mass and brunch for my grandmother and grandfather, who both passed away in 2008. My dad has several cousins and they all had traveled in for the weekend. It was a great time and we loved hanging out at the lake house, watching fireworks, etc.

Last year I was 6 weeks pregnant with Chyler and no one knew except for me and Brian; but I was trying to hide the fact that I was extremely nauseous. I actually ended up vomiting in my Mom's van and that is how I broke the news to them that I was "ummm, not just car sick, but actually carrying grand baby number 5!!!" This year, now that I am not pregnant, but instead nursing, so I feel like I could eat a pig every day...I am very much looking forward to the BBQ and all the fun and fellowship with family.

I hope Sierra loves the "boom-booms" (as she called them last year) as much as she did then and I am praying for good sleep for both of them as I once again drag them out of their routine and elements! Fun times! :) The good news is, we will at least get a break from the heat. The highs are predicted to only be in the 70's. That means we can actually be outside and play on the playground and (free) park carousels, and not burn up from a 105 degree heat index. :)

I look forward to sharing pictures and videos upon our return. Until then, Happy 4th to everyone! Enjoy and be safe!!!

Happy Anniversary Honey!

2010-06-30T07:00:00.001-04:00

Our Wedding Day

By far, THE best day of my LIFE!!!

Today marks our 3 year wedding anniversary. Amazingly though, aside from being married for 3 years today, Brian and I met and became best buds in 1990, so this year marks 20 years of friendship!!!!!! Now that is truly amazing! Brian has been there for me for just about everything, middle school heartaches, moving to Virginia, high school hardships, College, College, and more College (yay for finally graduating!), bad relationships, good relationships, heartache, pain, joy, death, birth, weddings, family, etc. You name it, we have pretty much been through it - TOGETHER! God certainly knew what he was doing when he blessed me with such a wonderful man for a husband. I praise God every day for the man that Brian is for me and for our family. About 2 weeks before Daniel passed away, he told me, "Karen, you will be remarried within 1 year of my death." At the time, I told Daniel he was crazy, how could I meet someone, fall in love, plan a wedding, and get hitched all in just a year. Well, Daniel was real close with the Lord, always listening and praying; so I guess I should never have doubted him. 1 year and 2 weeks after Daniel died, Brian and I were united in Christ. To God goes all the Glory!!!

Happy Anniversary Honey!

You are my bestest friend and I certainly don't know where I would be with out you in my life.

Thank you for who you are, who you strive to be, and for loving me (and the girls) unconditionally.

As you know, I never made it to 3 years of marriage with Daniel, he passed away 2 months shy of our 3 year wedding anniversary. I want you to know, I never take one single day with you for

granted and I will strive to love you unconditionally and serve you to the best of my ability as long as I live.

Us on our Honeymoon in the Dominican Republic - THE best week of my LIFE!!!

And just for the heck of it...Here we are, 20 years earlier...

Seriously, Only God could have written this love story!

We are so thankful He did!

Father's Day

2010-06-29T07:00:00.003-04:00

I know Father's Day came and went, but not with out notice from me and the girls. We are super blessed to not only have Brian in our lives, but also have my dad (Papa) and Brian's dad (Grandpa) to celebrate as well.

The girls and I had been in Richmond for the weekend, celebrating Jacob's 1st birthday party and we were able to catch up with Mimi and Papa for breakfast as we headed out of town. It was great to be able to spend some time with my dad on this special day. Brian's dad is flying into town in just a couple weeks, so we are anxiously awaiting his visit and spending time with him. Fathers are so precious!!!

We came home and were very excited when we saw that Brian was home from work a few hours early. They let him come home early, knowing that it was Father's day and his sweet girls would be waiting for him. :) We had a wonderful dinner and great evening spending time together. We are so blessed and I honestly don't know where I would be if it weren't for the great men in my life; especially my wonderful father and my precious God-given Husband, who also happens to be one of the best dads I know!

I was able to capture this precious picture of my Dad chatting it up with Chyler that weekend

And here is Brian with his two precious girls

Also, this is the Father's Day gift that the girls made for him,

with help from Mommy, of course! :)

Monday's Movie - June 28, 2010

2010-06-28T07:00:00.000-04:00

Monday's Movie for your viewing pleasure...

Sierra was not feeling well all last week so instead of going out and infecting others and sweating our tails off (it was near 100 degrees every day last week). We decided to stay in and play. We worked on some more letters and numbers and drawing shapes. I really need to get her some good preschool curriculum books, she seems very interested in learning and trying to write her letters these days. We don't have any plans at this point to put her into a preschool program, so I am really hoping to get started on some things here at home. Heck! If I can teach other peoples kids, why can't I just teach my own, right? It saves us a lot of money too! :)

After dinner one night last week she was drawing her circles, happy and sad faces, and her letters. Even though my Flip is still sick, I have really been putting the video feature on my camera to good use. The only problem, after about 2 minutes it says "card full" - Ugh! Hope to pick up my new Flip from my parents this week and start taking LOTS more video!

And just because I am feeling generous...This week is a DOUBLE FEATURE!!! :) How can you not want to see this too...

Love this kid

2010-06-24T07:00:00.000-04:00

I am so in love with this kid. I don't think I have ever seen a more smiley kiddo. She is always smiling, giggling, and just plain joyful! I can't believe she will be 4 months old in a week and a half. Where does the time go?!?! Love her and Love her precious little heart!

Playing Kitchen

2010-06-22T07:00:00.000-04:00

Pierce is graciously letting Sierra borrow his play kitchen and she absolutely loves it. As I was carrying it in from the car, she must have said "Oh WOW!" at least 10 times. She was so excited. She can be found "making" dinner for Mama and Daddy and often you will hear her say "Oh no! I burned my finger!" and then she wants kisses to make it "feel better." :) She is loving cooking eggs, soup, and washing the dishes. :) Thanks Pierce for being such a great cousin and sharing with us!

Cheese!!!

Turning the stove on...be careful not to burn your fingers! :)

Putting stuff in the oven

Closing up the oven

Putting groceries away in the fridge

And just because she is a great big sister, she said "take a picture of Chyler too" - So here is the picture of Chyler playing on the activity mat near by Sierra and her kitchen. :)

Monday's Movie - June 21, 2010

2010-06-21T07:00:00.002-04:00

In honor of our upcoming family beach week, this weeks Monday Movie is a video I took last year. We had just finished eating breakfast (looks like it was waffles that morning), hence the reason for all the PJ's. We were listening to the satellite radio and the song "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson came on. Michael Jackson had just recently passed away and we were paying "tribute" by having the little ones dance to the music. :) So fun!!! Can't wait to go back this year...only 5 weeks from yesterday!!!!

Happy 4 Year Homecoming!

2010-06-19T07:00:00.007-04:00

Near the end of Daniel's life, he told me he felt as though he had sucked the life out of me. He apologized for "stealing" my energy, my joy, and my zest for life. He felt as though his life, his illness, the seizures, the medicines, our whole marriage had left me bitter and dry and that it had stolen some of the best years of my life.

I am not sure that I fully articulated to him just how terribly wrong he was when he was on this earth. The truth is, I was tired, overwhelmed, lost, confused, emotional, broken. However, after four years of having to live life with out him I know now more than ever that he was so wrong!!!

Indeed, those 6 (short) years with him were some of the best years of my life and I was so very young and vibrant; but all those things, the illness, the seizures, the medicines, his life, our Lord, our marriage....and HIM; all that has made me wiser, stronger, and better. I am not dry or bitter or sad or lacking joy. Rather I have joy in my life because Daniel gave me wings.

People often ask me, "how could you move on, marry Brian, have two beautiful girls, etc.?" My response is always something along the lines of "You just didn't know Daniel." Or "You didn't know the personal conversations that we had." When I respond like this, I am not trying to be rude, it is just so hard for me to articulate what Daniel and I experienced together, as husband and wife - in private! If I could put into words all the things we said, and all the words that were unspoken too, then maybe "the world" would understand that moving on, healing, overcoming, finding victory in Christ Jesus is exactly what I needed and what Daniel wanted.

It seems as though, for whatever reason, my 3rd year of grief was the very hardest. With the birth of Sierra that year and trying to find my place as a mother, a wife, and yet still a widow; I certainly struggled. However, this 4th year of grief has provided more healing for me. I lost 3 friends to brain tumors this past year and witnessed "new" grief all over again. Healing. I celebrated the birth of another precious child. Healing. I struggled to understand the loss of innocent unborn life. Healing. I fell more in love with Brian this year as I struggled at times to find my place in our marriage. Healing. I graduated with my Bachelor's of Science degree and my License to Teach in the State of Virginia. Healing. I walked deeper with the Lord to understand Him better. Healing. I shared my testimony and Daniel's life story when ever I got the chance. Healing. I search every day for HOPE in my healing. And that again, brings Healing.

Ultimate healing comes from the LORD!

A close friend once told me that we don't really embrace our loss and grief until the 5th year; oh how I long for that time. But until then, I will certainly embrace LIFE. A life that is now more abundant, more joyful, more energetic, and more BLESSED because of a precious life I once knew on this earth and will see again some day soon.

Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed.

1 Peter 2:24

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Loving Memory of Daniel Lee Gregory

November 13, 1978 - June 19, 2006

For those of you that are just now following our story or just want to read more, click on the links to see other "Homecoming" posts during the past four years of "Healing"

2007, 2008, 2009

3 Months Old!!

2010-06-15T07:00:00.007-04:00

Chyler turned 3 months old on June 4th. I can't believe she is 3 months old (already). Honestly, where does the time go? It seems to go by faster and faster each day. I try so hard to slow down and just enjoy each and every moment with my precious baby. In just a matter of time, I will see her running around and talking, just like her big sis. Lord, please help me to slow down more and enjoy every single precious moment!

3 months is such a wonderful age! Chyler is so happy all the time and is starting to give us little giggles here and there. I just love her giggles. She is very ticklish, so anytime I am touching her, picking her up, or just changing her diaper, she is constantly smiling and giggling. So precious.

She continues to be a great eater, nursing about 4-5 times per day. She really does love to eat and is growing like a weed. Many of the 3 month clothes I have are already too tight and she is moving into 3-6 month stuff. Hope she doesn't grow too fast though, I am really hoping to get some use out of all Sierra's old clothes. I continue to think that she is smaller (leaner) than Sierra was, but I read an old blog post the other day and Sierra was only around 12 pounds at this age. Geez! Chyler was already 13 pounds at 2 months old and just the other day a friend of mine got on the scale with her and estimated that Chyler is between 16-17 pounds!!! Oh my!!! :) Also, I watched a video of Sierra rolling over at 4 months old and she is wearing a pair of PJs that Chyler wears now and is already growing out of them. :( Seems as though Chyler is much bigger. It will be interesting to see what her stats are at her 4 month check up next month.

She also continues to be a great sleeper. I am not nearly as rigid about her sleep as I was with Sierra; although I wish I could be, with being away from home trying to entertain a toddler, her sleep is definitely here and there some days. I am still sleep charting though and she is typically doing about 2-3 naps per day and she really only does about 1.5-2 hours of wake time before she is ready to nap. I am hoping she will fall into a more concise schedule of 2 naps per day here soon; but I am not going to push her. When she is tired, I put her down and when she wants to play, we play. It is pretty simple with her (thankfully)! She has been waking up early though lately. Around 12-13 weeks she started stretching out her sleep to sleeping in until 8am or 9am. Now though she has been waking around 7am on some days and the other day she was up at 5am! Yikes! I think she might just be going through her 3 month growth spurt; at least that is what I am hoping! :) Thankfully though, the mornings that she does wake early, she just nurses and then goes right back to sleep and will sleep until 10 or 10:30am, unless I wake her sooner to go some where.

She continues to LOVE to suck and just recently started sucking her thumb and fingers when she gets really tired or hungry. It is cute, but I am hoping it doesn't become too much of a habit. We shall see. She is so much like me in many other ways and I did suck my thumb until I was about 8 years old...yikes!

She definitely has a distinct personality. She is usually very happy, but when she gets mad, look out! She really only gets loud and angry when she is hungry or over tired, but boy does she have some lungs. We traveled to Rochester for Memorial Day Weekend and although she did really well in the car, she definitely let us know when she was hungry. I had told my mom that we would be fine driving as long as she was asleep or awake and content, but once she decided she was hungry it was going to be all over. My mother certainly learned quickly that I was not kidding! When she is hungry, she knows it, and she wants to eat like 5 minutes ago!!! :)

I took this picture with my cell phone. I was bathing Sierra and Chyler was screaming the whole time. She finally gave up and just settled with her thumb. :)

As I mentioned, she did travel to Rochester for the first time last week. She was exactly (almost to the day) the same age as Sierra was when she traveled to Rochester for the first time. Chyler was a trooper and I am hoping that she will be a super traveler just like her sister was/is. We are heading back to NY for the July 4th holiday weekend, so we will see how she does again.

Aside from eating and sleeping, by far her favorite thing is Sierra.

She watches her big sister with bright eyes every chance she gets. It just melts my heart and I am so excited about a budding sisterhood. I pray that they will be best of friends as they grow.

Check out Chyler watching Sierra intently in this picture! So cute!

She also has just now started talking (around 14 weeks). She was quiet for so long, I didn't think she was ever going to start cooing, gurgling, etc. I just thought maybe she would be a quiet child. However, she has just now found her voice and the other day when we were in the car, she "talked" during the entire 20 minute ride home. :) I just love her little noises and sounds...so, so cute!!! Once my Flip is fixed, I hope to get some video footage of it.

I have heard lots of people say that they just don't take as many pictures of their 2nd children as they did with the 1st. I am not sure that this is true in my case. I just can't seem to get enough pictures of this precious girl. :) Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!!!

This is by far one of my favorite pictures of her so far! LOL!!!

We tried the bumbo for the first time the other day.

It is safe to say, she isn't a very big fan just yet. :(

She definitely has a dimple, just like her mama. It is so cute!!!

Oh I love this baby girl!!!! :)

Monday's Movie - June 14, 2010

2010-06-14T07:00:00.001-04:00

I got a new Flip Video Camera for my birthday and I have a ton of videos to share; although my personal Flip is "sick" and being worked on by the Geek's at Geek Squad. :( I really hope to get it back soon. This week's movie was actually taken with my sister's Flip while we were in NY. Here it is - "Monday's Movie" for your viewing pleasure! :)

(PS - Try to ignore the crying baby in the background of the video. Chyler was waking up and telling us all that she was ready to eat!)

Sierra, our little piano girl

May 29, 2010

Happy 1st Birthday Jacob Michael

2010-06-07T12:00:00.001-04:00

It was one year ago that we were anticipating the early arrival of my sister and brother-in-law's sweet baby boy. Jacob Michael made his appearance on a grand scale and we are so blessed by his life. He is such a sweet, smart, easy-going nephew and cousin.

We love you "Baby" Jacob and we can't wait to celebrate with you in a couple weeks! :)

Monday's Movie - June 7, 2010

2010-06-07T07:00:00.002-04:00

I got a new Flip Video Camera for my birthday and I have a ton of videos to share. So here is "Monday's Movie" for your viewing pleasure! :)

Sierra being a little monkey at the Park

May 15, 2010

Monday's Movie - May 31, 2010

2010-05-31T07:00:00.003-04:00

In honor of all our Heroes on this Memorial Day, my awesome former US Marine husband included. May we always remember, not just today, but EVERY day those that have lost their lives fighting for our freedom and those that continue to fight.

Memorial Day Tribute, May 31, 2010

Freedom is NOT Free!

Monday's Movie - May 24, 2010

2010-05-24T07:00:00.003-04:00

I got a new Flip Video Camera for my birthday and I have a ton of videos to share. So here is "Monday's Movie" for your viewing pleasure! :)

Sierra Dancing at the Easter Egg-Stravaganza, April 3, 2010

Sierra - Almost 2 years old :)

PS - Today is my wonderful parent's Wedding Anniversary. So...Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad (Mimi & Papa)! We love you! Thank you for teaching us what having a long, happy, loving, and stable marriage is all about. :) I am a better wife and parent because of what you have taught me!

Look Alikes

2010-05-20T07:00:00.001-04:00

I posted this on Facebook a couple days ago and I asked people what they thought about our two girls. Do they look alike, not look alike, who do they resemble? etc. Well, to say the least, the comments were varying.

Personally, as their mother, I do not think they look anything alike. From the day Sierra was born she has had Brian's eyes, nose, chin, etc. Often times now, when I look at her, I see my mother-in-law Judy (whom Brian looks like a great deal); and at Thanksgiving, when we were home visiting, I saw Brian's Uncle (Judy's brother Dan) and Sierra seriously could be his daughter. So much resemblance!

Chyler on the other hand, looks identical to my baby pictures. She has my elongated face, my eyes, and definitely my nose - can't mistake the "Stank nose." In this picture she looks so much like my Papa Stank (my Dad's father). It is really crazy to me how two children can look so different and even more interesting to me that LOTS of people think they look the same.

It was definitely something that consumed my thoughts often when Chyler was in my womb...who would she look like, will she look like Sierra, etc. I LOVE seeing pictures of the two of them at similar ages and I am even more excited to watch them grow into beautiful, unique INDIVIDUALS! :)

Sierra at 10 weeks old - June 2008 and Chyler at 10 weeks old - May 2010

Here is a picture of me at a few months old. Do you see Chyler? I certainly do! She even has the same exact weird shape to her ear that I have on my right ear. And guess what!?! It is also her right ear that is shaped like that! Too funny!

Wrestle-Mania

2010-05-19T07:00:00.007-04:00

Sierra LOVES to wrestle. Definitely something that daddy instilled in her. They wrestle all the time and I have even fallen victim to it as well. When I was 39-41 weeks pregnant with Chyler and in a fair amount of back pain, any time I would sit on the floor, do pelvic lifts, yoga moves, or whatever; Sierra always took that as a sign that I was saying "Mama wants to wrestle." However, that was certainly not the case.

So, I give you warning...if you are ever around Sierra and you sit on the floor, she might take that as a sign that you want to be "body checked." I try to tell her it isn't very lady-like. Hopefully she will grow out of this stage soon; until then, poor Chyler has a lot to learn! LOL!

How I feel...

2010-05-18T15:00:00.000-04:00

This is how I have been feeling these days....

I am thankful that the Lord has given me this perspective.

Thank you Lord for showing me, especially when I am tired and irritable, that the benefits far outweigh the sacrifices!

Monday's Movie - May 17, 2010

2010-05-17T07:00:00.002-04:00

I am going to try something new. I got a new Flip Video Camera for my birthday and I have been taking lots of cute videos of the girls. Also, I have LOTS of older videos that I have taken and have never posted. So, I am going to try and start doing "Monday's Movie" and post a movie every Monday for your viewing pleasure! :)

Here is my first one:

Our Active Girls, May 13, 2010

Sierra - 2 years old, Chyler - 10 weeks old

10 weeks old

2010-05-14T07:00:00.001-04:00

Our littlest munchkin is 10 weeks old. My goodness, time sure does fly when you are having fun. Chyler is probably one of the sweetest babies I have ever encountered and I am not just saying that because she is my kid. She willingly gives smiles any time of the day (and night) and is just so content to be any where. She is patient with her big sister tugging at her and strong-willed when she wants to eat and thinks it should happen right NOW!!! :) Oh how we love this precious child. Never knew my heart was big enough for this much love; but indeed it is! :) Thank you Lord for this blessing. I love our sweet second born baby girl!

And for some fun stats, this "little" girl is growing fast. At her 2 month check up, she weighed in at 13 pounds, 1 ounce and 24 inches long. That is 3 more inches since birth and about 4 pounds more than she was at 2 weeks old. Mama's milk is good stuff and this kid loves to eat! She is one growing girl, certainly won't complain about that!!!

Elephant Ears

2010-05-13T16:15:00.005-04:00

This might just be my new favorite baby product! My sister Kirsten found these online and told me about them. Chyler's little head is constantly slumping forward when riding in her carrier, so I knew I had to check these out. My other sister Katie ordered them and I got them in the mail today. Needless to say, I love them! The design is so cute and Chyler seems to be very comfortable. We ran some errands today and she fell asleep in her carrier and her head never once slumped forward. I think these are going to be especially great for long car rides, like when we travel to NY or even the 2 hours it takes to get to my parent's house. Not only that, but Chyler is super cute when using this product! Just see for yourself....

Here is the web site if you want to get a pair of "ears" for yourself or a friend! :)

http://babyelephantears.com/index.php

PS - Chyler is 10 weeks old today! Time is just flying so fast!!! I love watching her grow, but at the same time, I wish for her to stay little forever! :)

Sierra's 1st Haircut

2010-04-30T07:00:00.004-04:00

I sorta had been telling myself that after Sierra turned 2 years old I would be "okay" with her getting her haircut. Well when her two year birthday rolled around, I had a new baby to look after, Brian returned to work, and the weather started to get hot; I decided that my intuition about that "2 year mark" was for a good reason!

Thankfully my dear friend Jaime is a stylist (otherwise I probably wouldn't have done it). Jaime has 2 little girls herself and works out of her home salon. This was another perk for me because I honestly dreaded having to take Sierra to some one and some place we didn't know. I was able to speak candidly to Jaime about all my reservations of cutting her hair and knew she wouldn't think I was crazy wanting to hold on to the one last thing that physically kept her looking like "my baby."

Needless to say, Jaime did an amazing job and although I have looked back at pictures of just a few weeks ago when Chyler was born and Sierra's hair was long and have been a little sad; I still do love Sierra's new do! :) She really does look all grown up now; but she will still always be "my baby girl!"

Chyler Anne

2010-04-29T21:00:00.001-04:00

Amanda from Kimberlin Gray Photography, the same friend who took my maternity pictures (that I posted HERE), offered to come over and take some newborn shots of Chyler. She was here when Chyler was just 6 days old and really captured some very sweet moments.

When I look at Chyler, I am in awe of just how beautiful she really is. I see such a peaceful, patient little soul in her eyes. I think her personality is going to be much different from Sierra. It is amazing how much you can love something so small. My heart is over flowing with love for this little girl and we only just met face to face. I am not sure if it is because I know and love Sierra; therefore, I know what they grow up to become in just 2 short years. I really can't put my finger on it. I just feel so connected with this bright eyed little wonder and I am beyond thankful that God has allowed me to be her mother.

Happy 2nd Birthday Sweet Sierra Rein!

2010-04-10T07:00:00.007-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIERRA REIN!!!!

Sierra at TWO years old

Today our baby girl turns TWO years old! I really can't believe it has been two years ago that we were meeting our precious first born for the very first time. Wow! Time sure does fly. I am over come with joy in my heart when I think about what Sierra has meant to our family in these past two years. She is such a precious blessing from the Lord, we are thankful that He has allowed us to be her parents and we don't take a single day for granted.

Sierra on her birth day, meeting Daddy for the first time!

This past year has been so wonderful, with many changes in Sierra's life. She has learned to walk, talk, run, jump, eat with a fork and spoon, use a big girl cup, put her shoes on by herself, and sleep in a big girl bed, among many other things; also, she left Mama & Daddy for 4 months this past year and had to stay with a babysitter during the day, and just recently, she became a big sister! So many changes.

I have not done an "update" post on Sierra's development in a very long time, so I am going to use this post for that and to brag on her a little. She is growing up so much these days. She has become little "Miss Independent" and the phrase "I do it" is a common one in our house. She has learned how to sing her ABC's (and many, many other songs - she LOVES to sing) and she can count to at least 10; sometimes making it to 20 with a few repeated numbers thrown in. She is learning her shapes and we are still working on those colors; although most things are either blue or red in Sierra's world.

Sierra on her 1st birthday

Her language development is simply amazing to us. She can (and will) repeat any word you say around her. Lately we have heard her say "Oh, man!" "Holy Cow!" and "Oh my goodness!" Just the other day, Chyler was fussing and Sierra walked in the room and said "Oh my goodness, Chyler! Oh my goodness, Chyler!" I could probably write about 6 pages with everything she comes up with and all the words she says. She definitely keeps us laughing! She talks so much these days and can put together many 3-4 word sentences, like "Shut the door." or "What is that noise?" (She asks that one A LOT!!!). Most people we meet think she is at least 2.5 or 3 years old. She is the regular old chatter box...not sure where she gets that from!!

She loves her baby dolls and wants to share everything with them. When I am nursing Chyler, her babies have to eat too and when Chyler is getting changed, her babies need clean diapers too. She is such a big helper and definitely a little Mama. We love watching her pretend and interact with her baby dolls!

She still loves her books and loves to read. Often at night when we read bedtime stories it is "my turn" then "her turn" as she takes time to read to us now. She has many of her books memorized and her most favorite seems to be "Brown Bear, Brown Bear." Just the other day she was overheard in the backseat of the car reciting the book to her baby doll . Too cute!

She is still sleeping like a champ, taking a nap every day for about 2-2.5 hours and sleeping very good at night too. She loves her big girl bed and snuggles in under the covers every night. She knows not to get out of bed and is a very good listener. The week we brought Chyler home, she was getting out of bed after every nap time and every morning, but with discipline and consequences, she quickly learned that getting out of bed is disobedient and she stopped. I think it was just another reaction to the new baby in the house.

She has become quite the picky eater, which I guess is normal for her age. She LOVES cheese, yogurt, goldfish, bread, and any kind of pasta with red sauce (especially Mimi's homemade sauce). Honestly, I am not sure how she keeps any weight on because many nights she doesn't eat a thing for dinner. But at her 2 year check up she weighed in at 28.5 pounds and 35 inches tall - definitely growing so fast!

Honestly, words can not express how much we are in love with this precious little girl. She certainly has her "toddler moments" - don't get me wrong, but more often we have precious moments. When she looks at you with those big brown eyes and says "I love you Mama" your heart just melts. I feel like I see a glimpse of heaven every time. After loving and losing and then loving again, I really never thought my heart had any more room to love something else; boy was I wrong!

Sierra is so special and we praise God for her life each and every day. As much as we love her, we know that God loves her even more and we continue to pray that as she grows, she will come to know Him personally as well. We can't wait to see what this 3rd year of life will bring for our little girl. Hopefully more learning, more love, more faith building, potty training (!!!), and LOTS more fun!!! Thank you for helping us celebrate Sierra's Birthday and for always loving her and praying for her sweet, little, precious life!

Here's a cute video of our sweet little girl playing outside:

Chyler Anne's 1st Month

2010-04-04T07:00:00.010-04:00

Chyler's 1st month flew by so fast! I couldn't even believe it. She is growing so quickly and changing every day. During her first month she has been very sleepy. I guess all newborns sleep this much and I just don't remember it from when Sierra was little. She pretty much just sleeps, eats, and poops. She is nursing great on a every 3 hour schedule and has a very vigorous suck. That has "sucked" for me (literally) because I have experienced 3 bouts of mastitis; finally resorting to taking an antibiotic to cure it. The last bout was extreme, fever, chills, body aches, breast tenderness, pain, etc. Because my symptoms were so severe, I broke down and took the meds. Thankfully the meds cleared every thing up, allowed me to heal completely, and Chyler did not show any adverse effects from the meds either. All is well with nursing now. Praise God!!!

Sierra continues to be a great big sister; but definitely needing redirecting and explanations about why we don't "sit on our sister" or "pull her hair" every once in a while. All normal toddler "Big Sister" reactions, I am sure.

At her 2 week check-up, Chyler was 22 inches long and 8 pounds, 15.5 ounces, which was 9 ounces more than her birth weight and 15 ounces more than what she was the Saturday after her birth day. The doctor was very impressed with her weight gain, so we don't have to go back to the doctor until her 2 month check-up in May. Praise God for good Mama's Milk! Chyler certainly likes to eat and is growing like a weed!

I am looking forward to Chyler sleeping better and having more "wake" time where we can start interacting with her and really enjoying her personality during her 2nd month of life. I must say though having a newborn in the house again to snuggle with and love on has been fun. It certainly isn't easy and there are times when I think Chyler just is never going to be happy (she cries a lot when she isn't sleeping or eating); but it is a huge blessing. We thank God every day for blessing us with this precious little baby girl.

Bath Time!

Kisses from big sis

Pierce admiring his newest cousin

All 5 of the Stank Grandchildren together

Sierra reading books to Chyler; obviously making Chyler very sleepy! :)

Nap time with Daddy

Me with my 2 precious girls

Chyler at 3 weeks old

Love from her big sister

Enjoying her swing

Hanging out at Mimi's house (2 weeks old)

Pumping Iron in her sleep (haha)!

Chyler's First Moments

2010-03-08T19:58:00.002-05:00

Enjoy a little video montage of some of Chyler's first moments with us.

Chyler Anne Miller

2010-03-06T17:34:00.001-05:00

Chyler Anne is here!!!
Chyler (pronounced Ki-ler) arrived at 3:40am on 3-4-10

8 pounds, 9 ounces & 21 inches long.
We are all doing well and enjoying our new family of 4!
God has truly blessed us!
We will update when we have time again soon.
Thank you for all the constant love and prayers!

Silly Sierra

2010-03-03T16:00:00.001-05:00

Crazy, Silly Sierra! I promise, we don't let this kid drink juice or eat sugar - God just made her "active!" :)

PS - Yes! That is my big 41 week prego belly that gets in the way around 38 seconds into the video!

Singing Sierra

2010-02-28T07:00:00.001-05:00

Sierra LOVES to sing. Here a sweet video I took of her singing to her baby doll (practicing for when Baby "C" arrives, I think). She is also getting really good at counting these days, as you can see from this video. This little one amazes us every day with her learning skills. Can't believe she is only 22 months old and doing so many things. It is hard to keep up sometimes. What a precious joy she is to us. Certainly very busy though!!! :) Enjoy!

PS - We are now 4 days past our "estimated due date" and still pregnant; hanging in there though! Trying to enjoy every moment to the fullest before life REALLY changes for all of us!!! :)

40 Weeks

2010-02-25T07:00:00.001-05:00

40 Weeks has come and Baby "C" is still nice and comfy. :)

Not too much to report. Everything is fine, blood pressure is great, baby's heart rate was a steady 150 beats per minute and then accelerated up to the 160's as she started kicking and moving, which made my midwife very happy (an nice acceleration means nothing is pressing on the cord when the baby moves around). I unexpectedly gained 3 pounds during the past week and a half; (yikes!) that makes for a total of 13 pounds gained since day one of pregnancy. Nell (our midwife) said not to worry about that; she assumes most of it is just fluid retention; although I still have no swelling (thank God!).

The sciatica and hip pain has been very severe the past few days. My mother has been staying with us for the past week to help me out and I honestly don't have enough words to explain how much of a help and blessing she has been. Not being able to pick up Sierra, walk around, get in and out of the car, etc. (many things we all take for granted); it has been a tremendous blessing to have her here with us. Thanks Mom!

I had not seen Nell in about 4-5 weeks (they try to rotate you through to see all 3 midwives) and as soon as she saw me barely walking around, she immediately recommended that I see a chiropractor. Now, I have never seen a chiropractor in my life; but when Nell showed concern that my hips might be out of alignment and the baby might have a hard time coming down the birth canal correctly, that is all she had to say to me to get me on the phone with some chiropractors. I am trying to do everything I can to help this baby come as smoothly as possible. With that said, the chiropractor is now my good friend. :) I went and had an adjustment just a few hours after seeing Nell and the rest of that evening I had contractions. I am hopeful that these adjustments will continue to help my body do what God intended for it to do. I am so grateful to Nell for that suggestion and I really wish I had gone sooner. My new recommendation for all pregnant women - see a chiropractor!!! :)

So, aside from all those details, Baby "C" is doing great and seems to want to stay put for a while longer. I am feeling great, aside from this back pain; now we are just trying to enjoy our last few moments together before life becomes "doubly blessed!"

Here I am on our due date - February 24, 2010 - Looking and feeling all of my 40 weeks of pregnancy! :)

39 Weeks

2010-02-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

Well, that picture just about sums up how I have been feeling the past week and a half. Ouch! I have terrible sciatica pain and I am definitely developing a new found respect for people who have chronic back pain. I don't know how I could live with this all the time. I pray every day that this pain will be quick to go away as soon as this little one arrives. My midwife has assured me that it will, she says it might take a month or so, but it will heal on its own eventually. I have to admit, I have a huge fear that this pain has come to stay; but I am working on trusting God for complete healing (and soon).

I look ridiculous too. I never understood pregnant people that "waddled." I never "waddled" with Sierra and I honestly thought it was crazy that people actually would "waddle" when pregnant; however, now I realize why some women end up waddling through their last few weeks of pregnancy. Lord forgive me for doubting the "pregnant waddle."

Thankfully week 39 brought a huge blessing from a very dear friend. My friend Jaime called me on Wednesday (when I was 39 weeks exactly) and told me that she wanted to bless me with a massage from a friend of hers that was a massage therapist and also the same lady that massaged her at the end of her pregnancies. I was overwhelmed with joy and thankfulness when Jaime called. What a huge blessing!!! So on Thursday I received the most wonderful massage and I have to admit, it was pure bliss. Jaime came over to our house, brought me my favorite Starbucks drink, watched Sierra for me, and told me to just relax and take my time. It was wonderful. She even packed lunch for Sierra and had her fed and ready for nap time when I got home. Oh, what a blessing! The Lord has truly blessed me with Jaime's friendship. Thank you Lord and Thank you Jaime!!!

My appointment with the midwife was early this week and my next appointment is not until late next week, so I have about a week and a half between these two appointments. Here's hoping I go into labor before I have to go back for another check-up. :) Time will tell.

The appointment was great though. It was on Monday, so that was only 3 days since my 38 week check-up. My weight is still fluctuating between 9-10 pounds total weight gain and my blood pressure remains low at 100/66. The baby's heart rate was a steady 145 beats per minute and my uterus is measuring right on track. My cervix was still dilated only 1cm and is 50% effaced. I am happy with this progress, considering I was still closed up tight with no effacement with Sierra at this point.

Everything seems to be progressing very nice. I have been having a lot of cramping and sharp pains (mostly at night), but I am hoping that it is all just my body gearing up for the big day; whenever God decides that should be. We are excited to meet Baby "C" - but we are also enjoying our little family of 3 for a little while longer. Every day is a blessing and Baby "C" continues to be very active; a sign that she is nice and comfy in her warm, watery home. I am not feeling impatient, just enjoying feeling her on the inside because soon enough she will be crying (and hungry) on the outside. LOL! :)

Needless to say, I did not take any pictures this week of my growing belly. I know I will probably regret that, but with this pain, showers are happening only sporadically and the thought of standing for a picture is not my idea of a good time right now. Maybe next week! :)

Coloring

2010-02-15T07:00:00.003-05:00

Sierra loves to color!

While we were "snowed in" at my parent's house a few weeks ago, my parents attempted to go to church on Saturday night; but Sierra and myself stayed home and colored! (Needless to mention, no one was at church besides Mom & Dad, so they turned around and came right back home).

While Sierra was coloring, I made sure to take some pictures and video of her busy at work and I thought I would share some of the video here. Oh, and not that it matters, but clearly she does not know all her colors yet! In fact, most everything is "red" right now! LOL!!! Enjoy!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Valentine's Day 2010

2010-02-14T17:00:00.006-05:00

Today I baked a cake. It is safe to say that usually I am not a baker; but something came over me and today I baked a cake. I can't wait to eat it; and share it, of course!

And because a post about a cake would be boring by itself, here are some pictures of the Valentine's Day card that Sierra made for her daddy. She used a heart potato stamp on the front and then "we" finger painted the inside of the card together. :) So cute! She loves her daddy!!!

Happy Valentine's Day to my sweet hubby who does more for us than most people will ever know. He has such a servant's heart and he does so many things without looking to see who will notice or for recognition. This is how he works, how he lives, and how he loves. I admire that about him; especially for someone like me whose love language is very much "words of affirmation."

I love you so much honey! Thank you for being so wonderful and for loving us the way that you do. Thank you for praying with us and for us and for working so hard to provide security and comfort for our family. Love, Love, Love you!!!

There is a song by a group named Watermark entitled "More Than You'll Ever Know" - I love this song and it always reminds me of my love for Brian. I could not find the audio online, but here are the lyrics. I dedicate this song to you honey, my sweet Valentine! I love you!!! xoxo

Something brought you to my mind today

I thought about the funny ways you make me laugh

And yet I feel like it's okay to cry with you

Something about just being with you

When I leave I feel like I've been near God

And that's the way it ought to be...

CHORUS:

'Cause you've been more than a friend to me

You fight off my enemies

'Cause you've spoken the Truth over my life

And you'll never know what it means to me

Just to know you've been on your knees for me

Oh, you have blessed my life

More than you'll ever know.

You had faith, when I had none

You prayed God would bring me a brand new song

When I didn't think I could find the strength to sing

And all the while I'm hoping that I'll

Do the kind of praying for you that you've done for me

And that's the way it ought to be...

You have carried me

You have taken upon a burden that wasn't your own

And may the blessing return to you

A hundredfold, oh yeah...

A hundredfold.

What's a Mom to do?

2010-02-12T15:00:00.001-05:00

When you can't walk very well or run around the house playing games because of back pain as a result of 9 months of pregnancy; what are you suppose to do with your busy toddler???

....PAINT of course!!!

I am so thankful that Sierra loves to color, paint, sort, do puzzles, etc. Lots of activities that we can still do together while Mama sits and rests her poor aching back.

Sierra sure does LOVE to paint!!!

And just in case you were wondering...she made a beautiful picture that she kept saying she wanted to give to Daddy. I am sure Daddy will LOVE it!!!

38 Weeks

2010-02-11T07:00:00.001-05:00

I had my 38 week check-up this week and really can not believe that we have already made it to this point. This pregnancy has flown by so quickly. It is amazing to me to think that we will be meeting our new little girl in just a few short weeks.

As for that growing baby girl - All is well! I met with our midwife Blair and when I first arrived (I was running a few minutes late) I went to her office to tell her that I had arrived. She noticed that I was walking funny / limping (my new way of getting around since this extreme sciatic pain has set in even more). She said to me, "come here for a second." So I walked closer and she asked me what in the world was going on. I explained that the back pain I was "starting" to get last week, had set in even more and was making it difficult for me to walk. She expressed her sincere empathy for me and my pain and said, "This weekend sounds like a great weekend to have a baby, I think!" I agreed that really the sooner the better is how I am feeling at this point. I never had back pain with Sierra and I really can't complain too much, but it is becoming quite difficult to do much of anything, especially tasks that I must do in order to take care of Sierra.

Needless to say, Blair decided that we should do a check this week to see if there has been any progression and I obliged. She "checked" and "checked" and initially said that my cervix was closed, which I was okay with; then she said "wait...you are 1cm!" Not quite sure what she was feeling prior to that, but she commented, "I didn't think that felt like a cervix!" Hmmm....interesting! :) When she did "find" my cervix though, she said, "I am just going to hold my finger here for a minute." Let's just say "WOW!" That was not the greatest experience, but maybe it will help me progress; whatever it was that she did.

Following the exam, she told me that I have a really great pelvis...a comment that I have gotten before, after the delivery of Sierra. Not exactly sure what that means, but hopefully it means that pushing this baby out will not be too difficult either. Sierra was pushed out in a little less than an hour and it was her head, arm, and elbow that all came out together. I was praised for having an amazing pelvis for getting all that out in such a short amount of time for a first time delivery (and needing only 2-4 stitches at that). Of course I didn't know any different; but here's hoping this baby just falls right out! LOL!!!!

I am excited to already be 1 cm dilated at 38 weeks, considering I was closed up tight at 40 weeks with Sierra; but I am not getting my hopes up. We are still waiting on God's perfect timing and just enjoying our little family of 3 until then.

In other stats, my blood pressure was 99/64, the baby's heart rate was in the 150's, and I lost 1 pound. :) My weight seems to be wavering between the same two numbers...up one week, down the next; right around 9-10 pounds gained so far this pregnancy. A very healthy number for me! :)

Lastly, some belly pictures. However, these are much better pictures than I have been taking at home. During this 38th week of pregnancy a sweet friend of mine, Amanda, offered to do some maternity photos with me. She is a free lance photographer who works out of her home (having two small kiddos of her own). She is building her portfolio and has not done many indoor maternity shoots, so she asked me if I would be willing to be her model. I had all but given up on getting maternity pictures done with this pregnancy, so I jumped at the chance to have Amanda take a few shots. She sent me a preview of 3 images that she took and I can't wait to see the rest of them - click HERE to see a preview of the yummy ice cream shots too! Here are the 3 pictures that she posted so far. Isn't she super talented?!?! For more information about Amanda and her beautiful photography, check out her web site at Kimberlin Gray Photography. I highly recommend her!

Hanging Out

2010-02-10T07:00:00.004-05:00

The other day our heater broke (froze really!) and so we were keeping warm by the glow of the fire in the fireplace. Sierra chose not to take a nap that day (something that seems to be occurring often these days) and so when she got up she was very tired and just wanting to sit and relax. I let her sit on the couch with a snack right near the fire so she could keep warm and I turned on Sesame Street for her. Sesame Street is really the only show that she watches and she absolutely LOVES it and all the characters on there. It really makes her happy and as you can see from the pictures, puts her in a complete daze.

Her baby doll was on the floor and I asked Sierra if she wanted baby to sit next to her and watch too. Sierra said yes, so I propped her baby up on the couch next to her and she proceeded to do the cutest thing; she leaned over in front of her baby's face and said, "You (want) watch Elmo, Baby?" and then she answered herself by saying "Yeah!" and nodding her head. Then she said "Ok, watch Elmo baby!"

She just melts my heart and is totally adorable! I wish I had a video camera running all the time to capture all these sweet moments; instead I decided to bust out the camera and catch a few shots of her sitting there with her baby. Too cute!

The View From Here

2010-02-08T07:00:00.001-05:00

Just for fun, I took these pictures with my camera phone the other day (some where between 36 and 37 weeks). I LOVE this stage of pregnancy and being able to lift up my shirt and watch Baby "C" just roll around in there. The miracle that is growing inside me is such a wonderful blessing from God and we praise Him daily for her little life! We can't wait to meet her soon! :)

Baby Miller's Arrival Survey

2010-02-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

In case you missed the mention about the survey I posted here on the blog, I wanted to be sure to let you know about it.

A fun survey has been created for all our readers to try and guess the arrival date of our new little blessing. Click HERE or you can click on the link below the "Count Down for Baby #2 ticker" to take the survey. We did this with Sierra's birth and it was so fun to read all the guesses and responses. My sister, Katie was the big WINNER back in 2008, guessing April 10th as Sierra's birth date!!! We are excited to see who will win this time.

We will be sure to announce the winner after Baby "C" makes her arrival! :)

37 Weeks

2010-02-05T20:59:00.005-05:00

Another week down...37 weeks of pregnancy have come and gone and I am feeling GREAT! It is certainly a nice blessing to be able to say that. I have no swelling, just a twinge of (annoying) back pain that started a couple days ago, and I am actually feeling pretty rested; thanks to a weekend of "catch-up" sleep at my parent's house and Brian's schedule allowing for me to do less when it comes to picking up Sierra and other things around the house. Praise God for all these blessings!

Today I had my 37 week check up and all is going well on that home front as well. I met with our midwife, Blair and we had a nice chat about the impending labor and delivery. She had a little pep-talk with me about this delivery and seeing past (actually forgetting about) all the disappointments that we experienced with Sierra's delivery. Praying for God's hand on this delivery and knowing that we can experience what we have set out to do and welcome a 100% healthy baby into this world.

My blood pressure was great - 108/64 and the baby's heart rate was in the 140's; my Group B Strep test was negative, so that was good news to hear as well. I gained 1 more pound over the last week, hitting the "10 pounds gained" mark. I am not up 10 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight and very happy with that amount. That is how much I gained during my pregnancy with Sierra and although the ideal weight gain for me during pregnancy is 15-25 pounds, no one is concerned and we are all healthy.

Blair and I also briefly discussed our child care plans with Sierra once my labor starts because she is still not allowed inside the hospital. Generously, my mother has offered to come from Richmond to stay with Sierra when my labor starts to progress; but unfortunately, that is a 2 hour drive and so much is unknown about what will all happen and when. I am trying not to be concerned about all that and just trusting that God will work it all out.

Blair gave me the option at this appointment whether or not to have a cervical exam and I thankfully declined. We made the decision together on a few things:

1. Knowing that I carried Sierra to 41 weeks and I am only 37 weeks currently

2. Knowing that last week I had no progress and it is unlikely that has really changed this week

3. Sometimes (not often, but could) cervical exams can induce/speed up progression of labor and this weekend is not ideal to have a baby considering the fact that it is snowing non-stop up the East coast; specifically where my Mama lives and would have to travel to get here to be with Sierra. :)

So there you have it, all and all everything is great! I am feeling great and although we are not ready around this house physically (ah, em....still haven't moved Sierra to a "big girl bed" yet); I am feeling good about everything that is about to come and change in the next few weeks.

We are also enjoying a growing belly! :) Here's the proof:

36 Weeks

2010-01-27T19:00:00.001-05:00

36 weeks pregnant and really wondering where the time has gone. I honestly can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone by. Everyone told me that it would, being my second pregnancy and then with student teaching and keeping up with Sierra on top of that, it really did fly by!

I am feeling great and my appointment went very well. Everything is perfect and baby "C" is still moving around like crazy. My blood pressure was in the normal range and I picked up 3 pounds in 3 weeks. That is the most I have gained over one period of time for this pregnancy and I am certain the baby is using it to pack on the weight; my belly certainly looks like it anyway.

I saw our midwife, Nell at this appointment and she had to test me for Group B Strep; So while she was "down there" she went ahead and did a cervical exam as well. Fun! Fun! My cervix is still closed and there is no progression to report; however she did say that the head was down nice and low, which I certainly have been feeling these days!

I am pretty confident that our little precious girl is going to be "baking" for a while longer and sometimes might even guess that we will have an early March baby. Only God knows for sure though, so we will see. Just for fun though, I have set up a survey on the blog. It is directly underneath the ticker countdown for baby #2 and directly above the newest post. Back in 2008, my sister Katie guessed the birth date of Sierra right on and her husband Shaun left a cute note about how he thought Sierra would look, that was also "right on." :) Having the survey results are fun and I will be sure to announce the winner after our baby girl arrives. Please take a minute and fill in the survey! Have fun!!! :)

And now for some growing belly pictures:

My Real Job

2010-01-26T19:00:00.000-05:00

While I was student teaching, I, of course, got the common question about where I was going to apply and work when I was done with my degree. Granted, near the end of my student teaching experience it was quite obvious that I was expecting, but in today's society of "6 weeks of maternity leave" and too many families needing to live on 2 incomes; It was still assumed that I would be looking for a teaching job after graduation.

Well, as we all know, my "real" job was already waiting to "rehire" me and I am super thankful for that position! I certainly don't take it for granted that I get to stay home with my precious girl; and although I was sad to leave the classroom and did miss it during my first few weeks away, it definitely didn't take long to fall back into my "Mommy/Wife" full time role.

In fact, I think being away has really given me an even better perspective on everything. God has really opened my eyes to the daily moments that I get to witness. Even among the occasional toddler breakdowns and constant training that is taking place around here, Sierra really is turning into such a precious little girl. I thank God daily for the brief glimpses of her heart that I get to see. I have been trying to remember each one and keep telling myself that I need to start keeping a journal (this "baby brain" Mama has trouble remembering all those moments). Unfortunately I have not written any of them down, so I thought I would at least blog about a few of the moments that I can remember. So, here we go...

"Little Mama" - Lately Sierra has been really into pretend play and she is so often seen cuddling her babies and rocking them. It is so cute to witness. She got 2 new babies for Christmas and also a stroller, a pack 'n play, and a high chair. She loves to feed her babies, lay them in their "crib" and push them around the house. Just the other day, she wrapper her baby in its blanket, laid it in the crib and walked away. As she was walking away, she pretended to make a crying sound and quickly ran back to the crib. She picked up the baby, patted it on the back and said "Don't cry, baby! Don't cry!" It was so sweet! She also have been over heard saying "No whining!" to her babies (something she hears me say to her)! And over the Christmas break she witnessed me holding her baby cousin Reid and whispering "shhhh, shhhh, shhhh" in his ear; Sure enough, she has been spotted doing the same thing. Such a little Mommy! :)

Prayers - While I was sorting through the nursery the other day, Sierra was sitting in the rocking chair and reading through some books (definitely a favorite thing of hers these days); I happened to look up and saw that she had her "God's little Princess Devotional" on her lap and her hands were folded and she was whispering lots of words that I am sure only God understood. When she spotted me watching her, she smiled and then said "Amen." So precious!

Reading books - As I mentioned above, she loves to tell stories, sit in the rocking chair, and read her books. Lately it seems that she would much rather read books to me then have them read to her. I love listening to her versions of the story and for the ones that we have read over and over and over again, she sometimes actually gets part of the story correct.

"I love Mama" - While she was brushing her teeth the other night (with her new spin brush that she got from her Great Aunt Julie for Christmas) she looked at me and said "I love wa-wa" (I love water). Then out of the blue, she leaned in close to me, as to give me a hug and said "I love Mama!" My heart melted right on the spot!!! Since then she has used this line several times more; in fact, just today as we were leaving play group she said "Bye Friends" and then said "I love Friends!"

The Kitty - Our cat Neko has become her favorite play mate lately. She can not seem to leave or go to bed without saying bye to the kitty. If it is bed time or nap time, she asks for a "hug and kiss." She also has just recently learned how to say the cat's name - "Neko" and will call out for her multiple times during the day. She can be heard saying "Neko, where are you?" many times and only sometimes does Neko oblige her and make herself known. Thankfully Neko is very sweet and really loves Sierra. She sure does put up with A LOT for this little toddler!

Play groups - Now that I am back at home with Sierra, it has been so wonderful to catch up with friends and watch Sierra play with her friends. We have been trying to get out 3-4 times per week to catch up with friends, especially because I know that it will be harder to get out once the baby arrives, at least for a few weeks anyways. Sierra really does love her friends and I appreciate the time that she and I both get to socialize with friends.

Well, I am sure there are more moments that I should try and document, but these are all I can recall at the moment. I will leave you with a cute video that I took the other night as Sierra was reading her bedtime stories. In the video, the 1st book is her "God's Little Princess" devotional and the character throughout the devotional is named "Gigi" - You can hear Sierra saying "Where are you Gigi?" as she is trying to find the picture of Gigi in the book. The other clips are her reading "Are you my Mother" - one of her favorite books; she loves seeing the birdie, dog, and cat in the book. The last clip is her saying her bedtime prayers. Normally she will fold her hands and pray out loud, but in this clip she is laying in the rocking chair and decided she wanted to pray "silently." Her "Amens" are very cute, but only God heard them this night. :)

Enjoy the clip! We are so blessed by this precious little child!!!

A Glimpse

2010-01-17T07:00:00.001-05:00

It has been so cold here, not getting out of the 30's during the day and dropping into the 20's at night...Yikes! I can't handle that cold of weather, even being pregnant with extra padding for heat. I am definitely a 70's - 80's kinda girl! So on Friday when the temperatures "soared" into the 60's - this girl was happy and so was our little munchkin!

It was nice to finally get a little glimpse of what Spring will be like. Sierra and I, along with a few of our friends, were able to get out and enjoy the park. What a blessing it was! Sierra ran around, played on the swings, played with sticks & dug in the dirt (for over 30 minutes), and even went down the big, twisty slide ALL BY HERSELF - 3 times!!! Something that she wasn't willing to do the last time we ventured to the park. I was so proud of our big girl. She is growing up so fast!

I brought my camera to the park, but soon realized that I had left the SD Card in my computer - Bummer! I was able to snap these two pictures with my phone though:

Hope all of you were able to enjoy some warmer temperatures as well. The temps here have gone back down once again; hovering in the 40's. But we are thankful for this quick glimpse of Spring! Thank you Lord!!!

Thirty-one Eighteen: Handmade Designs

2010-01-16T17:00:00.001-05:00

A sweet friend of mine runs an online business called Thirty-one Eighteen Handmade Designs.

Her name is Kimberly and she is very talented! I highly recommend you check out her web site and consider ordering from her; as you will see below, she even does custom items!!

Based on the excellent work and creativity I have seen her complete, you can only imagine my excitement when she was kind enough to make some items for Baby Girl #2.

The package of items came late this week and I couldn't wait to see all that she created for us. I took several pictures and I thought I would share them on here. As I mentioned, she did do some custom items for us and although we have not publicly shared this little ones name, I guess you will all now know that her first name starts with a "C." :) So I guess we can start calling her "Baby Girl 'C'." :)

Kimberly made several burp clothes and bibs for us, some out of a precious red, pink, and green butterfly print and the rest out of a purple and white polka dot print (even though it looks a little like navy in the pictures, it is definitely purple). All of the items are so adorable! I simply can't wait to start using them!!!

Here is a package of 1 bib and 1 burp cloth

Here is 1 of the bibs with side snap and 1 pre-fold diaper burp cloth

Here is another bib in the purple fabric and 1 appliqued burp cloth on terry

I thought this print was absolutely precious!

Here is 1 appliqued bib, 1 appliqued burp cloth on a pre-fold diaper, and another decorated burp cloth on a pre-fold diaper

Lastly, we didn't want to leave out "Big Sister" Sierra, so Kimberly made this wonderful toddler size ring sling. It will be perfect for Sierra to carry her baby dolls around in, just like Mama will be carrying around Baby "C" in my sling.

As you can see, Kimberly is so very talented! Head over to Thirty-one Eighteen today and be sure to place an order with her! You won't regret it!!! Even if you, yourself aren't expecting, Kimberly's items are sure to make any Mom-to-be happy! Give some as a gift!!!

32/34 Weeks

2010-01-14T16:00:00.000-05:00

I had my 32 week check-up last week and all is looking great! Baby girl is happily head-down, or so my midwife thinks. :) Her heart rate was lower, but still sounding very healthy and in the 120's. I gained between 1/2 - 1 pound, bringing me to a total of 5 pounds gained so far. I was extremely excited about that because God knows I ate way too much food over the Christmas season. Also, my blood pressure was more of a normal level at 122/74.

So, given all those stats, things are continuing to go well. I was actually 33 weeks pregnant at this check-up (I missed the 32 week window due to Christmas and being out of town). Since I should have had another appointment at 34 weeks, we decided to fore go that appointment and just meet up again at 36 weeks, which is also when I will have my Group B Strep test done.

I have been feeling really well; just a little tired from not sleeping very good due to 8 month pregnancy symptoms. I also have been feeling some soreness in my groin area and I did ask my midwife about it and she assures me that it is completely normal and sets in for almost all pregnant women around 31 weeks. She says I probably just don't remember it during my pregnancy with Sierra; and I can assure you, I don't remember it. It is similar to the soreness that I experienced following Sierra's birth; mostly just sore "down there" when I get up and down off the couch, in and out of bed, rolling over in bed, or going up and down the stairs. I was sure it was because I stopped student teaching and starting doing A LOT more lifting of my near 30 pound toddler, along with A LOT more going up and down the stairs; however, that occurred at the same time that I turned 31 weeks, so who really knows! It certainly isn't anything to complain too much about, just worth mentioning and noting.

Emotionally, I seem to be very sensitive lately. The impending birth and leaving Sierra continues to bring tears to my eyes and the feeling that we are not physically ready AT ALL around this house to welcome a new baby, is making me very anxious. Brian's current schedule is not conducive to helping me get anything done and when Sierra is in bed or napping, my energy level finds me right on the couch; trying to get some rest. Yikes! Hopefully my mom will be able to come here for a couple days in early February and help me a little; also hopefully soon Brian's schedule will slow down a little bit and he will be around more to help as well. Our biggest undertaking is to prepare the guest bedroom and make it a toddler bedroom and then "train" our toddler in her new "big girl" bed. Prayers are definitely accepted on that front! :)

Thankfully, I was looking back at old blog posts and at 34 weeks pregnant with Sierra (which I am currently), we had nothing purchased/ready/done, etc. I am sure that God will not give me more than I can handle and this baby will stay put for a while longer so we can prepare a bit more. :) Here's praying for that!!!

Well, speaking of finding energy, my sweet 21 month old toddler is waking up and saying "I get you, Mama" over the monitor. My cue to get up and go get her!!! :) As I mentioned, we have our next check-up in 2 weeks; so until then, thanks for the continued prayers!

Oh, and what is a "Prego Post" without a Prego Pic?!?! Here is the baby belly at 33 weeks:

Stylish

2009-12-26T07:00:00.001-05:00

If you thought your outfit today was stylish, check out this get-up!!!

An outfit with a bell necklace, a bib for a cape, a winter hat, and one of Mama's shoes...now that is what I call accessori-ZING!!!

2nd Christmas!

2009-12-25T07:00:00.002-05:00

This year is Sierra's 2nd Christmas and what a joyous time it has been. We have loved watching her grow and change and really get involved in all things Christmas this year! It has been so fun!

Each year, her Mimi and Papa have given her a special ornament for Christmas and it is so special to hang on the tree. Last year I was able to take a picture with her holding the ornament, this year though, she would not sit still. So, here it is hanging on the tree!

Here is Sierra with her ornament from last year! My, what a difference a year makes!

Merry Christmas to all!!!

Merry Christmas & A visit with Santa

2009-12-24T07:00:00.005-05:00

I know there are so many varied opinions out there about how Christians should and shouldn't celebrate the Christmas season. There are many "religious" customs and then "pagan" customs, as a parent it is really hard to decipher which ones to accept, embrace, make traditions, etc.

First and foremost, we will undoubtedly be teaching our children that the TRUE reason for Christmas is to celebrate the birthday of our Savior, Jesus Christ. That is of utmost importance to us and that will never change. Brian and I know and understand that the best gift of all was Christ, who was sent here to Earth to bare our sins and provide us everlasting life. He was God incarnate, Emmanuel, “God with us.” What a great sacrifice! I think about my own precious children and can't imagine how Mary and Joseph must have felt knowing that their son would be the Savior of the world and would eventually die for them, for me, for all sinners. What a selfless, perfect, wonderful gift! Brian and I sincerely hope and pray that you will know that true gift this season and if you haven't, you will accept it today. Jesus was born and died for YOU! A free gift and when accepted, it will grant eternal rest with Him in Heaven. This is why we really celebrate, this is why we can sing praises to the Father during Christmas time especially!

Second, Christmas is a time for not only believing in Christ and the gift that He was to us, but also a time for believing in the goodness of others, believing in Hope for a better tomorrow, Peace, and Love. So, with that said, we will certainly be teaching our children about St. Nicholas and the real meaning of generous giving. The true story of St. Nicholas was that he was a devout Christian and he embraced Jesus' teaching of "sell what you own and give the money to the poor."

Of course the legend of Santa Claus has been told through the centuries and wrapped up into the Christmas Season. As a teacher and witnessing the innocence that children now-a-days lose so young, I am not opposed to a little imagination when it comes to Christmas traditions. Clearly Sierra is still much too young to understand the concept of Santa Claus, but that doesn't mean that we can't begin sharing it with her now. As she grows and begins to ask questions, we will see at that point how much we want to tell her (i.e. - a jolly 'ole elf who comes down your chimney, etc.) Right now though, Santa is a real joy for little imaginations and we intend to build on that imagination. I came across this book recently and I intend to purchase it, it certainly does look good and insightful - "St. Nicholas: A closer look at Christmas".

Now with all that said, I wanted to share with you all some pictures that I took during our visit with Santa this year. Sierra wasn't too sure about the nice old man sitting in the chair, but she did eventually warm up long enough to sit next to him and smile - much thanks to the lady at the mall with the puppet trying to make her laugh! The Santa exhibit is very large at the mall that we go to and the whole theme is "The Polar Express" - so of course there are trains and whistles and lots of fun things for kids to look at. Sierra especially liked the life-size snow globe that actually had snow falling from the top. She and her friend Jordan danced around in there for a while as we were waiting in line. Oh the joys of being a child!!!

And just because I am feeling nostalgic these days for Sierra's "baby" moments, here is her picture with Santa from last year (@ 8 Months Old)! :)

From our family to yours, we pray that you have a VERY Merry Christmas, filled with many of God's blessings!!!

No snow here!

2009-12-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

There is no snow here! In our neck of the woods, we have just been getting LOTS of rain over the past month. In fact, this is what it looked like outside our door during the November Nor'easter. Craziness!!! The water clears out in less than 24 hours, not sure I can say the same for 15 inches of snow; so for now, we will just enjoy the rain. Everyone else can have the snow! :)

Thankfully though, this is the JOY we have been seeing inside!!!

Sierra in front of our tree

After we took one of her in front of the tree, she insisted that her "Baby" get a picture taken too!