Happy Veterans Day!

Chris and I have many friends & relatives
who have served our country, & we're
so proud to know each of those men & women!

Two American Vets are in my immediate family.

My brother...

(pictured L-R:
nephew#3, my only niece, nephew #1, nephew #2,
sis-in-law+bun in oven, brother, me+bun in oven, Kyleigh)

...and my father

(pictured L-R: baby sis, Dad, Kyleigh, me, Josiah)

I wish them and so many more
a Happy Veterans Day!

Something New

Yesterday we did something brand new to us...
we gave our child formula.


Since Josiah screams all day, arches his back in pain, plus hasn't gained as much weight as I'd prefer, we've tried to find out what's going on and how to help our sweet little son. Our pediatrician concluded some time ago that Josiah has trouble processing the natural sugars/proteins in my breast milk.

The doc says it's not due to anything I'm eating or doing because I've monitored my diet to accommodate. It appears it's just the way his body breaks down stuff. It seems that the action of nursing gives him comfort, but the milk proteins upset his stomach. This reduces his desire to demand more milk, which may be lowering my milk supply over time (he stops nursing after a short while but continues to scream and arch his back). Ironically, while the baby thinks stopping milk intake is fixing the problem, it actually results in a worse affect...he's leaving himself with some milk that upsets his stomach and not enough of it to leave him satisfied and both these issues cause him to struggle daily. The docs still believed breastfeeding was the best thing I could do as long as I'm willing to. So I've kept nursing, kept on crying with him through his pain.

This weekend, though, we went out and bought JoJo a bottle and some soy formula (we're going to just assume he'll struggle with the harsher proteins in cow's milk, too). He really liked it. Seeing him drink as much as he did via bottle yesterday assured me that he's more full than from my milk alone. Also, there was somewhat less fussiness, which confirmed his belly was less upset than with my milk. I cried 3 times yesterday, not sure if it was more sadness that my provision is not enough, or gladness in finding a source of help for my son.

Kyleigh also cried a lot in her infancy. However, she didn't scream/arch like Josiah and she achieved greater milk intake and weight gain (though in all fairness Josiah's a bit taller at this age than she'd been, and I just make small kids in general!). She struggled, but not quite as much as Josiah. No docs could figure it out at the time, but our current pediatrician says it's likely that Josiah's and Kyleigh's milk protein situations were similar (makes sense w/ KyKy's dairy allergy). Kyleigh, however, got better after she started rice cereal and whole foods...basically once she was no longer on an all-liquid (breast milk) diet. But JoJo's not had the same good fortune. He likes foods, but still has discomfort.

I'll still nurse for a while longer, but it seems we'll now be adding formula to our daily routine. It's not at all what I expected since I successfully nursed Kyleigh for over a year, but I certainly want what's best for my kiddo. I'd love for him smile more than scream!

I Love Low Prices!

My favorite discovery of late is the drop in local gas prices! Yup, that's right, only $1.89 after rebate! I bet it's easy to earn a rebate if you're a frequent-fueler!

Last week I accidentally came across the cutest holiday dress! It was on someone's blog, which I mistakenly clicked on--fidgety baby in the lap can cause this to happen! Well, once I saw this dress I messaged the blog owner to apologize for my randomness and inquire about the dress, and got a sweet reply helping me find Kyleigh that darling ensemble! Kyleigh's holiday dress w/ shirt ($15 total):
I finally found a great deal on Josiah's holiday attire, too. Onesie w/ plaid collar, argyle vest, & overalls ($7 total):


For Chris and me, though, it's still a work in progress.
I'm thinking about this top for me, but it's not on sale yet:


Now, if only I could drag Chris to the mall to shop for his holiday wear....

How will you respond?

Today I received an email regarding some winning Lottery numbers from November 5th--the day following elections.
In particular, the "Pick 3" drawing from the Illinois Lottery.

Now, we all know Obama calls Illinois home, right? Well, when he got elected as our next US President,
the winning lotto numbers were 6-6-6. NO JOKE!

I looked it up myself @
http://www.illinoislottery.com/subsections/numbers2.htm.
At the bottom of the page choose the year 2008,
look down the list for Nov. 5th, and you'll see what I saw!

Readers who know me realize that my hopes for our next Pres. were about the person, not either candidate's skin tone. Inside, the truth is I am excited that our country feels ready to elect an African American leader. I'd be stoked if we had an Asian American or even a Polka Dotted President! Who isn't ready for something besides a stuffy old white guy in office?
The issue, though, for me, is actually quite simple.
I don't believe Obama's the right person for the job. Period.
Who cares that he's a good orator or that his little girls are cute. Who really cares what race he is? Not me. I believe eligible voters should get out and vote, and voters should choose person over party and choose character over color.
Frankly, Obama lacks integrity and character. I wouldn't want him running my local car wash, let alone my country!

So, obviously the vote didn't go my way and in January Obama will become the Leader of the Free World
...if that's still what our country will truly be.
Recently a friend posted these remembrances online:
God is in control. God knows the hearts of men. According to Scripture, how are we to respond? How will you respond?

ELECTION DAY!

ELECTION DAY!

This morning our family went to the polls to cast our votes for the next U.S. President.

Our designated location was in the community center at the park down the street, right next to the lake.



The line was long, but moved at a fair pace.






While we waited our turns, Josiah fell asleep and Kyleigh got a bit of outdoor play in the midst of it all.




Finally, we got to vote!
(Had to get a family pic...important day!)















Apparently the kids wanted to
vote for Mickey Mouse!

Rolling Away

Josiah LOVES rolling over, both from his back to his tummy & from his tummy to his back. Today his pacifier got away from him, and I videotaped as he attempted to retrieve the beloved paci but rolled past it! If I'm not watching carefully he may roll across the room and out the door one day!

I Must Report A Theft!

I must report a theft!

Pieces of my heart were stolen
by the children photographed below!

♥ These two will have my heart forevermore ♥