7 out of 40

I've completed 7 weeks of this journey, and so far each week of this journey is flying by!

Not much to report in regard to Jellybean #3. As for sickness, it did begin Christmas Eve, but I've only had two episodes of physical sickness, while the rest of my struggle has just been with nausea or feeling light-headed/weak. I'm still able to eat and take in lots of liquids for hydration, so I'm thankful for that!

Kyleigh turned 3 this week, which we celebrated as a nuclear family, and over the upcoming weekend we'll celebrate with friends and relatives in AL. In fact, my father-in-law is coming in today from Ohio in order to join us for the party! I hope to feel well enough to make KyKy a special gluten-free cake and enjoy the fun we have planned for the birthday girl, her cousins, and her friends. *Fingers Crossed*

Happy New Year everyone!

My Princess Turns 3!

On December 30, 2006, I learned a love like never before! That was the date my eldest child was born! It has been a true joy to be Kyleigh's Mommy these 3 years, and I'm so proud to have that role for a lifetime!

We'll have a party Saturday with our family in AL, but we still felt it important to celebrate Kyleigh today, so we did just that! Chris was home by dinner time, so we all ate then Kyleigh got to open some of her birthday gifts. Kyleigh loved all her presents and felt so giddy about each one! From Josiah she got 7 games (for sweet girls age 3 & up!); Mommy & Daddy gifted a watch she's been asking for and a 2-sided easel (chalkboard + white magnetic/erase board with lots of letters & numbers plus clips to hold paper for painting), and some paints and chalk to use on the easel; and from her Godparents John & Sarah she received a Barbie Nutcracker DVD (should be interesting, it's her first Barbie exposure!). (We got all 7 games for a total of $6 after rebates and the easel
was $15 off, and the paint & chalk were on sale--plus w/ their purchase I got one of Kyleigh's Christmas gifts of a FREE pkg of
64 Crayola crayons in a 50th anniversary commemorative tin.
All of these were purchased earlier this year @ ToysRUs!)

After that, she got a special date with Mommy at the movie theater to see The Chipmunks, The Squeakqual! She spends her days with me, but the only outings we typically have are errands. The kids take turns having dates with their Daddy, but we realized I don't get a lot of that one-on-one time with each child, so I got the privilege of taking my girl to her special movie surprise! What a joy this birthday was! The movie was perfect, she couldn't wait to get home and tell her Daddy all about it (she wanted to tell Josiah, too, but he was in bed already).

I'm so glad our angel baby had a happy 3rd birthday! Hope she enjoys her party this weekend and the special camera gift we held back...I think it'll be her favorite!

(For a look back, HERE is KyKy's 2nd birthday
and HERE is her 2nd bday party)

Christmas 2009

Some pics to be added below after all my blabbing!

By mid-day Christmas Eve I was experiencing my first symptoms of morning sickness. And while I was hoping to avoid that until after Christmas and after my daughter's upcoming birthday celebration, I kinda felt thankful. Whenever there's something "foreign" in the body, the body rejects it. Hence sickness during the flu, food poisoning, and pregnancy. To me it's just not a "bad" thing, it's actually a good sign--it's just not a "fun" thing! It's a reassurance that there's a life growing and thriving inside my womb, which my body's not yet adjusted to. But soon my body will adjust, and this sickness will pass. But being completely honest I must also say that I'm also thankful my sickness stayed at bay for Christmas Day! haha After yesterday, I was nervous that possible tummy issues could impede my enjoyment of watching my kids open their Christmas gifts. Fortunately, though, I've had a pretty smooth day, sickliness-free! Yay!

This morning Josiah let us all sleep about 30 min later than usual (that was the greatest gift Chris could've hoped for!), we ate breakfast as a family, we read the story of Christ's birth, and then we opened presents and enjoyed a mellow day together! Our dinner was a wonderful pot roast & veggies my hubby had prepared in the crockpot, and it was a meal the kids could safely eat (w/out allergy issues) so it was nice to share that dinner as a family.

As for gifts, the kids were blessed and even seemed humbled. They had no expectation or "mine mine mine" complex, so we actually had to convince them to sit and open a toy, then they'd excitedly play with it. Then we'd have to convince them that they had more gifts and they were allowed to open more packages and enjoy them! haha Our children received gifts from Daddy & Mommy plus a couple from grandparents, dear family friends, and their Godparents. They didn't get the 100+ gifts that some lucky kids receive for Christmas, but I think they were nearly overwhelmed by what was gifted all the same! Josiah didn't know what to play with so he's tried to play with everything at once, while Kyleigh's just hopped from one thing to another trying to take it all in. They are such precious joys!

See Photos HERE

The only downside to the whole day has been...
*info removed due to offensive content*

Christmas Pics 2009

Breakfast & story of Christ's birth

Kyleigh's stocking was filled w/
a VeggieTales dvd and...

...some My Little Pony dolls

Josiah's stocking was filled with a
VeggieTales dvd and...

...some car/truck toys

The kids got a train set
(pictured is only about 1/2 the set)

Bubby loved it!

And so did KyKy!

Family Pic, Christmas 2009

Kyleigh is certain that the baby in my womb is a girl,
so she was sure the baby wanted to share her ponies!

Playing My Little Pony with "Jellybean"

The Sit N' Spin was a big hit!

Josiah loved the spinning & the music!
(I loved the price, I got it for $1 after discounts & coupon!)

With a coupon @ Build-A-Bear, Kyleigh made this for Siah
for just a few bucks recently and we kept it 'til Christmas!

This is the first big stuffed animal Josiah's ever shown interest in!

Kyleigh was SO excited about her tools!

Now she can help Daddy fix stuff with her own tools!

Josiah LOVES dinosaurs (note the pj's!),
he even growls like one daily

This growling, walking dino was a perfect gift
(made more perfect @ $10 off! ha!)

KyKy got a cutie dress from her grandparents

Josiah got a handsome outfit from grandparents, but isn't
a fan of trying on clothes so we'll do that another day!

Sweet gift from our friends, the Kazsuks,
perfect for somebody's upcoming birthday!

Big girl Kyleigh got a personalized
big girl backpack as well from the Kazsuks!

Yay, Josiah got a new big boy shirt from the Kazsuks, too!

Using our love of the OSU Buckeyes as inspiration,
Natalie K gifted us personalized travel mugs! Perfect!
(Kyleigh took this pic..she's itching for her own camera,
has no idea she's getting one for her bday next week!!!)

From her Godparents, John & Sarah, Kyleigh received
her first special princess doll! Before bed she told us that
was her favorite new special thing from Christmas!

From his Godparents, Josiah received a fun
Toy Story backpack. He was in awe!

I can't post all our pics from today, but the kids certainly received some fun, educational, and simply sweet gifts they truly enjoyed. We all feel so blessed by friends and family who had a part in this special holiday and we look forward to spending
New Year's/Kyleigh's bday party with loved ones!

6 out of 40

I've concluded that my recent exhaustion is definitely two-fold. Part of it is certainly due to the fact that I'm manufacturing a human right now...that process sucks most of the energy right out of me. The other part is our current family schedule, in which I take care of the kids from early in the morning until late at night when Chris gets home, which lately has been around 11pm. Pregnant or not, it's wearing on a chica to take care of two toddlers all day!

I've been feeling well until the last couple of days. Yesterday I was in a store and suddenly felt a hot-flash of sorts and then immediately felt dizzy and weak so I took a seat on a store bench and waited for the spinning to end. After that episode I felt fine once again. This morning upon waking I had a gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach--like extreme hunger--so my wonderful hubby brought me breakfast in bed (it was cereal...no time to cook, he had to get ready for work this a.m)! At first I wasn't certain if it would be an "upset stomach" or morning sickness, but it seemed that eating was what I needed. I guess our little Jellybean (that's what we call baby in the womb) didn't like the fact that I went so many hours overnight w/out eating and was just begging for food!

As friends inquire as to how I'm feeling these days, I've been saying that I hope to get through Christmas w/out being stuck eating only crackers and KyKy's birthday party New Year's weekend without turning green and sickly. After that, I'm ready to take whatever comes my way, and I'm glad to endure what I must to take part in this miracle! So if you feel like it, please pray me through the holidays! Today's Christmas Eve, so I'm almost there!

Merry Christmas to you all!

*Update:
Sooo close. Bummer. A few hrs after this was posted, morning sickness set in. I know it won't keep me from enjoying Christmas with my amazing hubby and sweet kiddos, though. I can't wait to watch my precious munchkins open their gifts!

KyKy's Very First Cookie!

Kyleigh's never had a cookie in all her (nearly) 3 years. Ever. But lately she's been asking if she can have cookies at her birthday party! I don't know where she learned of them, we don't even keep cookies in the house. Wherever this random desire came from, I decided I wanted to make such a special treat for my big girl.

Because of all KyKy's food allergies, making chocolate chip cookies is no easy feat. A friend told me of Betty Crocker's new Gluten Free dessert mixes, which include cakes, brownies, and even chocolate chip cookies! The recipe on the box calls for 1 stick of butter, which their website instructed me to replace with 1/2 cup oil (due to dairy allergy), and for the 1 egg required we simply used 'egg replacer'. The box did give the description that the dough would be crumbly, but this wasn't crumbly...it was like sand!

I couldn't get it to stick together enough to make anything that resembled a cookie. I did more online research and tweaked the dough a bit, and kept baking.

To get a result that did resemble cookies, I had to bake them until they were crispy and grainy, and their form reminded me of peanut butter cookies. I almost threw away all I'd made during the kids' nap time, feeling bummed that they weren't the soft, gooey chocolate chip cookies I'd imagined for my princess. But I kept them and hoped for the best.

After dinner I let Kyleigh try one, and she LOVED it! In fact, after her first cookie, she also enjoyed tasting a second and then third! That was so awesome! When it comes to anything new for the kids to try (be it first steps or riding bikes or playing with jump ropes or eating cookies) I try to make sure Chris is home for all those milestones. But today was different...

I wanted to make the cookies today so KyKy could try them before taking some to her lil' friend's birthday party tomorrow. I certainly wouldn't want her to try a new food and for some mysterious reason have an allergic reaction or aversion to it in the middle of a party. So today ~with Chris's knowledge~ I baked and offered cookies to KyKy, and made a video for her daddy since he had to miss out on the live reaction.

Some of the other fun specialty foods Kyleigh's recently tried and very much enjoyed are chips and popcorn.


























I know snacks seem like a silly, simple thing to most people...and I agree that's what they typically are. But sometimes it's the simple things in life that bring the greatest joy. And today, in our home, we had joy--the joy of cookies!

Seeking New Pediatrician

When we first moved back to town in June, Josiah turned 1 yr old so we got him an appointment with a pediatrician so we could keep him up to date with his immunizations. I wasn't crazy about the practice's waiting room setup, the wait time we had with a scheduled visit, the nurse's lack of assistance, or the doctor herself. I could tell from the get-go that she would simply not be a pediatrician I'd recommend to friends. Why not? She didn't want to answer my questions. Simple questions. I mean, who weighs and measures a kid, and then won't tell the parent how tall or how heavy the kid is??? Her response was something like, "Are you concerned your child is not growing well or lacking in nutrition?" NO! I just want to know how stinkin' tall my child is...why is it a secret???

We have not changed doctors, so with Kyleigh's 3rd bday approaching and Josiah reaching the 18 mo mark (that's actually today, in fact!!!), I took the kids back to the doctor for their well-child exams earlier this week. I told myself it should be fine, that maybe I wasn't giving the place a fair chance before due to the stress of moving and planning my son's 1st bday party. Ummmm....no, I was right the first time! haha We had scheduled appointments for both children, yet we still weren't seen until 75 min past our first appointment time. So during that hour and 15 min, we sat in the waiting area, which consisted of tons of distractions and fun, right? Wrong. It consisted of chairs. Oh, and a small tv mounted in the corner whose volume was on a super low setting, practically muted. Uh huh. Yup. That's what we had. Of course, being the super mom I am, I brought some things for the kids, but obviously the excitement of their toys would eventually wear off.

Once we were finally seen, I partially undressed my kids to be weighed and measured, and once again nobody cared to tell me the results. Since when is this info top secret??? The three of us were then placed in a 10'x10' exam room. Bored with the toys and snacks I'd brought along, the kids were only given the additional option of looking at a couple of broken/torn books. Oh, or wheeling the doc's little chair around the room. They opted for the latter! Finally a nurse came in and asked a million questions about both my kids and entered this information into the computer. This bothered me because this info was on forms I'd already filled out at the front desk upon arrival. Then, to top it off, once the doctor finally showed up, she asked the SAME questions and entered them into the computer. SERIOUSLY?! By then the kids were ready to bolt. I mean, the room started feeling like it was 4'x4', they were bored, I was frustrated, and they still had to wait for immunizations/blood draws. I had questions for my doctor about signs of asthma Kyleigh's shown in recent months, but the doc simply told me that day, "Oh, she's not having an asthma attack right now, I didn't hear anything like that when I listened to her breathing". HELLO??? ANYBODY HOME??? This doctor isn't 25 and still in med school, and she's not 95 and senile. She just doesn't seem to be on planet Earth. Oh, and before we left I finally did hear about my kids' measurements. I was told they were short and overweight. First of all...I'm barely 5'5", and many women in my family are shorter than that. Chris is nowhere near 6' tall, which is considered "average" for a man. So no, their chances of being giants are slim-to-none. Also, their growth has been consistent, so it's nothing to criticize. And overweight??? Really? Have you seen my kids? No, they're not skinny, I can't count their ribs through their shirts from across a crowded room. But their NOT "overweight". Seriously, my children aren't the plump, round, rollie pollie kids that some people have! Kyleigh's turning 3 and recently wears size 3T clothing--how is that "overweight"?. Josiah's 18 mo and wears size 18 mo clothing--really, that's "overweight"? Sounds pretty much on track to me!

Then, something that had nothing at all to do with my kids' appointments disturbed me the most. The doc randomly brought up something about the Supernanny tv show (I have no idea where that came from!). She then proceeded to tell me how she believed children in the age range of my kids should not have consequences for their actions. WHAT??? Ok, I understand everyone has different philosophies on raising kids. But Chris and I would prefer to have a medical caregiver who's on the same page...or at least the same book! I wholeheartedly disagree with such a statement. ALL people have consequences for their actions. For children, sometimes that's parent-induced and sometimes it's self-induced. I mean, if my kid climbs on something they shouldn't and they fall, well, that is a self-induced consequence--a bruise or broken arm. And if my kid disobeys or disrespects their parents, we enforce a consequence for that behavior to help guide their hearts to making more honoring decisions. Life is not without consequences, and I won't wait until my kids are teenagers to start teaching them that!

I know the whole Supernanny/consequence thing was really not at all related to my children's health exam, but when I told Chris about it he said we should find a new doc. When I told a friend over the phone, she said we should find a new doc. A particular doc has been recommended to me, but I refuse to see her. She's the ped. that was assigned to us in the hospital when KyKy was born and whom we saw for our daughter's needs when she was a small baby. This Dr couldn't remember my girl's name while holding our chart on her lap, wanted to give immunizations when we were there for eczema, and the list goes on. She's just not "all there". I miss our pediatrician in BG. He and his dad were in a shared practice, they are the first people who helped us get Kyleigh tested at Vandy to eliminate questions of her size/stature, to get her tested for allergies, and when our son was born they BOTH visited us at the hospital (even though only one was our doc!), and prayed over Josiah. I realize that's not gonna happen everywhere w/ everyone, and we were so blessed to have such wonderful docs for our family. But surely there must be a sane doc in this town, too, right? I'm determined to find one.

5 out of 40

The 5th week of this pregnancy journey was an uneventful one. I feel well, but a little more tired than usual. Honestly, though, I'm not sure what mommy of small kids isn't more tired than usual this time of year! haha So I'm not certain as to whether or not to attribute this feeling to pregnancy or the holiday season, but what I do know is I'm thankful to finally be sleeping better at night! For almost 3 months I only slept about 3-5 full/nearly-full nights total and was struggling from the long-lasting insomnia, but for slightly over a week I've finally been able to rest well every night--and without the aid of medicine, vitamins, or tea. I'm so thankful for rest.

I've also been making sure I eat throughout the day. I'm not typically a breakfast-eater, but I'm adjusting my daily routine to include the chance to nom on something as I start my day. Oh, and though I was able to give up Pepsi cold turkey with my prior two pregnancies, I wasn't able to this time. (I also wasn't needing as much caffeine before 'cuz I didn't have two toddlers running around!) Maybe I'm weak, but the headaches were just too much to handle! I decided to wean myself this past week from my beloved soda, and that went well! In fact, as I type this, rather than Pepsi I'm actually enjoying a delicious glass of orange juice as my morning "wake up serum" instead. Mmmmm!

So far so good.

4 out of 40

As doctors would count, we were 4 wks into our 40 week pregnancy journey this week when we received the blessed news! I can't believe I'm posting this for the world to see, but I want to document belly growth throughout this journey with our 3rd child, so here's a pic of me from this week:

Q & A

We just learned of our pregnancy on Wednesday, and already we've had an onslaught of questions about our 3rd baby and our plans for 2010! I will attempt to answer some of those for you!

*How do I feel?
~I feel just fine. It's a bit early in the game for morning sickness, but I'm aware that I could face a little of that. I had sickness w/ each of my first two pregnancies, but because I know women who stay sick for the entire 9 months I consider the morning sickness I had w/ my previous pregnancies very minor (though it doesn't feel that way while going through it!), and I'm hoping for little-to-none this time around.

*When am I due?
~Our highly-educated guess is approximately the third week in August. Obviously, based on baby's growth and other factors this date will vary during the process, but August is our basic time frame.

*Is this happy news?
~YES!!! How could it not be? What a blessing!

*Was this pregnancy planned?
~Well, first let me say that when two people are married, the possibility of pregnancy is automatically part of the equation! Ha! We recently discussed the hope of growing our family in 2010. We've never set a "goal" or "time limit", as we believe the Lord has a plan for us all, and ages before Chris and I were ever born He knew when we, our children, and our grandchildren would come into this world! We're thankful it's worked out that we feel ready to parent a third child at the same time the Lord wants us to do exactly that!

*Do we have all we need for baby #3?
~HA! You'd think so, right? But NO! We have given away much baby stuff in the last 3 yrs! We always give away outgrown baby clothes to families that ask to use them, and right after we gifted Kyleigh's large baby gear (bassinet, bouncer, etc) we found out we were expecting Josiah and had to start over! And that's happened again--we stored Josiah's equipment and baby gear for a long time, and we recently gave stuff away just to discover now that we're expecting another child! LOL Don't get me wrong, we have no regrets in helping others, we just think it's very ironic!

*How does this news affect Chris's job?
~Well, if you don't know... Just after Chris accepted a banking job in October and gave his two week notice at Kay's, his friend who manages a Zales asked him to help for the holiday season. He'd once told his friend that if he ever left the other company he'd be glad to work for her, and she took him at his word! So Chris has been working his day job plus helping at the mall again this Fall and will do so through the holiday season. Originally Chris planned to leave the jewelry store after the holidays, but with our family structure changing he will consider the option of staying there. No decision has been made yet, so we'll just get through Christmas and wait and see.

*Are we moving?
~We currently have no plans to move. We've had to adjust to going from a newer home that's twice the size w/ brand new appliances to an older home that's half the size and has appliances almost as old as I am, but we're getting by. It's not what we're used to, but really until our next child becomes mobile we don't need to panic!

*Do we have a name chosen?
~When Chris and I were newlyweds, we chose 1 female name and 1 male name for potential future children. And now we've used them both! LOL Since then, I've fallen in love with another girlie name and Chris is on board with that, but neither of us has another boy's name in mind just yet. We are not the kind of couple that will wait until the baby's born to find out the gender. We understand the decision many couples make to wait until Baby's birth--I mean, ultimately ya get what ya get! But we like to know about our children and call them by name because they are unique individuals and we like to refer to them that way. It's going to be a few more months before an ultrasound confirms the baby's gender, and between now and then we'll come to a decision!

If y'all have anymore questions, feel free to ask!

Blog Going Private

Due to some recent creepy activity on my blog, I'm changing my privacy settings. In order to continue reading my posts, you'll need to be added to my reader list.

If you'd like to be on that list, simply email me: ignite23@gmail.com
In the subject line, please write "BLOG" (so it stands out from junk mail!)

If you're a blogger, it's probably best to use the email associated w/ your google acct (I think that's how it works). If you're not a blogger, you can still set up an acct that you use just when reading your friends' posts.

Change coming soon...thanks all!

Can You Guess?

What do you think this little girl's smile is about?

Or the grin on this sweet boy?

What might this couple be so cheery about?

Yup, that's right, we are...

What a special time to discover this blessing!
On 12-9-02, Chris told me "I love you" for the 1st time...
Today, 12-9-09, I told him "We're pregnant!" for the 3rd time!
Hearing my husband tell me "I love you" today
was even more magical than I could have dreamed!

Capturing Their True Essence

When creating a family portrait, it's always nice to have a "perfect" picture--everyone looking at the camera at the same time, each methodically posed and smiling graciously. And we have such great shots of our little ones...but such photos do not capture the true essence of our children. Instead, of all the studio portraits our family recently sat for, there was finally one that truly captures who our children really are (I'm even considering blowing it up and framing it to hang over our sofa--it's that sincere of a moment!).

I now present to you "Kyleigh is mellow, Josiah is a crybaby":


Yup, those are our kids!

Seeing God At Work

I love seeing God work in my kids' hearts!

We have a "no throwing" rule in our home. While I brushed my teeth this a.m the kids stacked foam blocks. As I finished, KyKy came in, head hung, saying "Sorry I disobeyed". HUH? I hugged her, told her I forgave her, & asked what happened. She said she threw a toy & was sorry. I'd NEVER have known, but she respected & trusted me enough to confess. God is good!
*******************************************
Do you wonder why I told Kyleigh she was forgiven before I asked what she'd done? Because it didn't matter what she'd done...I love her, and I forgive her. I always will. Always. That's unconditional love. It doesn't mean I will approve of all her choices (like throwing a toy)...it means I accept her.
*******************************************

I'm really hopeful for my kids to know they can always come to me. My own mother did/does not show that kind of love or acceptance. Her feelings toward her children always felt to me to be conditional. I've never met her expectations so she disowned me & she and I no longer have a relationship. I pray daily that God would help me to build a lasting relationship with my children.

Ya know, I think I have good, well-behaved kids, and still what happened today truly struck my heart with my daughter's innocence. I make mistakes daily in my parenting, but then something like this happens and I'm reminded of God's faithfulness. I'm so thankful for His example of His love for His children, and hope that to even the slightest degree I can show that to the ones I love.

Friday = Family Night

In our home, Friday night is Family Night.
It goes something like this:

*family dinner
*baths & brushing (teeth/hair)
*animated movie
*wrestling and/or football drills
*bedtime

Here's a clip of tonight's football drills:

What does your family do for fun on Friday night???

Thanksgiving Day

This Thanksgiving we enjoyed a mellow day at home. I think the last time we traveled to be with family for a major holiday was Thanksgiving 2006...just about a month before Kyleigh was born (oh, and let me tell you, I used the whole "eating for two" excuse to consume an extremely RIDICULOUS quantity of good food!). Since that year, though, Chris's job changed and his work schedule just doesn't allow for traveling since he is required to work the day prior to and the day following Thanksgiving. Honestly, while it would be nice to celebrate with family, we don't mind avoiding long road trips and the holiday stress of it all. We also enjoy knowing that what we cook in our home is free of food allergy concerns so that our kids can partake in the yumminess as well!

Anyway, this Thanksgiving was another relaxed one for us, and we had a nice family day. I didn't sleep well last night, so my generous hubby let me sleep in late this morning while he had some time with the kiddos and cooked a nice breakfast. Then the whole family pitched in to put away a few loads of clean laundry. Oh, and Kyleigh used the phone to call my 2 yr old sis (her Auntie MoMo) and my parents (Gramma/Grampa, as she calls them) and just chat away! Then during the kids' naptime I dozed off on the sofa and Chef Chris cooked a Thanksgiving feast for all of us. Surprisingly, I actually used self-control with my dining and even had room for dessert! After dinner we stretched out and watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (well, actually the kids and I watched it...that was Chris's chance to catch a nap after all the cooking he'd done today!). I think it was a fabulous Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving '09
(Josiah didn't care to take a photo, he started eating w/out us!)

Ready to give thanks

Trying to make "prayer hands" like his big sis

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yay for dinner!

This girl LOVES her food!

Josiah, chowin' down!

Little Man tried to help clean himself up after dinner!

Siah & Daddy

Me w/ my girl

My boy and me

Kyleigh wanted "fancy" hair, so she got braided pigtails

Josiah watching a movie

Kyleigh watching a movie