7 months

getting big

Yes, we are still here.  Just busy still!  And still without a camera...We hired a new CA at the clinic and she just started this week, so my free time lately has been consumed with clinic stuff.  Not the most fun, but needs to be done. I'll post more about that later - I do have some pics of the one fun project for the clinic I did!

But in the midst of all my busyness Tate keeps growing bigger and bigger!  He is almost sitting up all by himself!  Each day he can sit longer and longer.  Some time he can sit for several minutes before he topples over.  Poor little man is now sick again though. :(  I took him in to the doctor yesterday because he was running a fever and was all stuffed up.  We had been debating this week to take him in anyway cause he never kicked the cough he had over Memorial day (it was better, but still coughing some at night.) so when he woke up early Friday morning (like 3 am - and I had worked till 2:15 am so I didn't get to bed till 4!) with the fever we decided he needed to be seen.  And he has a sinus infection.  He's still not feeling very good today.  Hopefully by tomorrow the fever will go away at least.  He is very stuffed up though as well.

Hudson had strep a few weeks ago but he is recovered from that now.  Jamie and I both swear he's grown several inches in the last few weeks.  His hair has gotten quite a bit lighter from the sun too.  He's enjoying his summer. He always wants to play outside - no matter how hot it is.  Thankfully we've had some nicer weather earlier this week, so we spent a lot of time outside.  Supposed to be 100 here tomorrow! We've hit the pool a few times this week, but unfortunately it's always been too close to Tate's nap time and he hasn't lasted too long.  Hudson loves it though.  He can stand up and walk around the shallow end now but mostly he loves jumping off the edge into the pool. 

I do have a few pics...some taken from the ipod so they aren't the best quality...but at least you can see how much they're growing!

Part of Jamie's father's day present

Hudson got to paint at Gigi's classroom.  He LOVED it.

Especially when she pulled out the glow in the dark paint!

This was the first time he sat up for a good amount of time.  I think it was because he was in the grass and he wasn't so sure about the spiky stuff on his legs!

Just hanging out...and doing a million other things!

Sorry for the lack of posts lately...without a camera I don't have pictures to post, and when I don't have pictures I feel like I don't have anything worthwhile to say!  But I'll at least give you a little update as to what we've been up to lately...

We took Tate on his first road trip to see Papa and Binga over Memorial Day weekend.  We discovered that Tate does not like road trips and HATES his car seat.  He was not a happy camper.  It made for a long ride up there and an even longer ride home.  We set a personal record for our worst time ever - it took us 7.5 hours to make the trip.  Even when Hudson was little it never took us more than 6 hours.  And I sat every minute of those 7.5 hours in the backseat of the truck, in between 2 car seats.  Delightful. 

But we did have a great time while we were there.  Hudson played all weekend with his cousins Anna and Jacob.  And he got to meet Isaac for the first time (Technically the second but Isaac was only a month old the first time and was only here for one evening, so Hudson didn't remember...)  This was the first time I had seen Hudson really PLAY with other kids.  He had a blast.  By Sunday evening I was starting to miss him cause he was so busy playing, he hardly had any time for me!

But that was okay, because poor Tate came down with another cold and was sick the whole weekend.  He was fine when we left Kansas Friday evening, but by the time we got to Iowa he was snotty, stuffed up and hacking.  He had a nasty cough (still does, thought not near as bad as it was).  So he didn't feel very well all weekend.  But he still had a good time meeting Anna and Jacob, and even got to 'play' with Isaac a little.  He loved Anna and smiled for her a lot. 

When we got home we discovered summer had arrived!  It was rainy and cool in Iowa but it was 90 degrees here - and has been since then.  The high today was over 100.  So now we are stuck back indoors cause it's too hot to play outside.  :(  The heat doesn't stop Hudson though.  He just wants to go out and play.  Part of that is because he made some new friends this weekend.  Kylie and Cammie.  They are the 2 girls who live across the street from us.  He hadn't ever played with them before but they were outside this weekend and came over to say hi.  After they let him drive their Barbie Jeep and swim on the Finding Nemo slip-n-slide, he was hooked.  Now he asks me all the time if his friends can come out and play.  We also had to go "borrow"  Garret's jeep so he would have his own to play in.  He drives it all around the cul-de-sac.  I gave him his first driving lesson - he was dangerous!  Thankfully, our Jeep doesn't have as much power as the Barbie jeep.  He could have seriously injured someone the way he was driving that one.  But he quickly learned how to steer it and is much better now.

We hit some garage sales this last week and scored some fun stuff - 2 superhero costumes, a radio flyer scooter, and 2 exersaucers.  With 3 little babies we were in need of a few more places to set them down!  That was the first time I ever found anything worth buying (well, that's relative, I guess ;) ).  I'm hoping to hit some more this week but we'll see if I have time.  We are hiring a new CA to work for Jamie at the clinic so I've also been busy with interviews, resumes, employee handbooks and that fun stuff the past few weeks!

Photoshoot

Before my camera broke, I took some pictures of Hudson for his 3rd birthday.  I saw a picture on the internet with the #4 next to them in chalk and thought that would be so cute for his 3 year old pictures.  So I drew a 3 on the ground with sidewalk chalk and took Hudson outside to take his pictures. 

Evidently when you turn 3 you don't have to cooperate for pictures anymore.

So I dusted him off and tried again...


After much pleading and begging on my part, I finally got these out of him. (Only because Jamie distracted him.)

A little more stubborness...

And finally, 2 good - well, passable anyway - shots:

Tate Update

Well, he did it.  He was exactly 14.5 pounds at his 6 month checkup!  He gained 11 ounces in 4 weeks.  He's in the 5th percentile for his height and weight for 6 months, but is 50th percentile for his adjusted age.  The pediatrician assured me that he is doing just fine and not to be concerned about his weight gain.  He's also, sometimes, nursing longer and on both sides.  But still gets distracted very easily if it's too noisy. 

He rolled over once last week, but hasn't done it again since.  He is actually starting to *kind of* sit up.  If we prop a few pillows behind him he'll pull himself up to sitting but it only lasts a little bit before he falls over.  But he is getting stronger.  He loves holding his toys and chewing on them, but gets very frustrated, very quickly, when he can't get it in his mouth they exact way he wants.  He still loves to watch Hudson, and he is starting to notice his little cousins now and "talk" to them a little bit.  It's going to be so much fun watching those 3 grow up together!  Tate and Ashley are going to have to get with it though - "little" Carver outweighs them by several pounds, is already rolling over both ways and is starting to scoot! 

Tate hates riding in the car.  And we are taking our first trip to Iowa to see Papa and Binga this weekend, so that should be interesting. 

He caught his first cold this last week and that hasn't been fun.  He hasn't been too fussy but just has been pretty snotty and stuffed up.  Hudson had the cold first and his was pretty nasty too.  Tate hasn't been sleeping through the night this past week but I think that's because of his cold.  So hopefully he'll get back to that once he's all better.  He's been just getting up once around 3 am, so it hasn't been too bad (a little harder on the nights I don't go to bed till after 1 am though!).
 
Tonight, Tate got his first - of what I am sure will be many - "boo boo".  Hudson hit him in the face with a barbie doll.  No, it wasn't his Barbie doll (it was Callista's - and technically it's Rapunzel, not Barbie) and YES, it was an accident.  Who would have known he could throw the doll all the way across the room and manage to hit little Tate? But still he's got a welt by his eye and a few scratches.

Hudson still doesn't seem to understand the word "gentle".  No matter how many times we say it, explain it, yell it and he gets sent to his room for not doing it.  He is definitely ALL boy (despite the fact he was playing with a Barbie).

Hudson has discovered he can climb into the crib with Tate.  Now he loves to get in there and "take care" of him.  One morning, I got out of bed to find him in there already!  "Tate was crying Mama."



Poor Tate.  Big brother loves him so much!

     

ConGRADulations Aunt CJ!

My baby sister graduated from college last weekend.  That makes me feel so old.  I can remember when she was born!  Chrisin graduated from Central Christian College in McPherson with an elementary education degree.  She still has to do her student teaching in the fall (5th grade at a school in Andover) and then she'll really be done.  She has moved back into my parents' basement and has her dorm stuff strung all over the place.  Mom's planning a garage sale soon!





And what's a party these days without cake pops?!?  These were made by Christin's roomates sister.  Their little graduation caps - aren't they cute?   And red velvet cake too!  Yummy.  I also made 90 cake balls (with yellow and blue sprinkles - school colors) but I didn't get a picture.  BECAUSE I BROKE MY CAMERA!  I am so mad.  A bottle of water spilled inside the diaper bag and got my camera all wet.  Now it won't even turn on.  :(

Blessings

 “What if his blessings come through raindrops…what if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near…and what if trials of this life, the rain, the storms, the hardest nights, are Your mercies in disguise?”

I have a new song on my blog playlist (you are probably listening to it right now). It’s called “Blessings” by Laura Story. I first heard it a few weeks ago and it really spoke to me about Tate’s time in the NICU and how that affected my life, my faith. Without a doubt, that is the hardest thing I have ever been through in my life. While he was in the NICU, every day seemed to take forever, every hour drug by, nights were long, but sleep was short. It seemed like it would be forever before he could finally come home. Scripture, prayer – and family – is what got me through those weeks. Yet now, looking back, it’s just like a little “blip” in our lives. I hardly remember it. It’s almost like it never happened.

But, it did change me. The weird thing is – I’m almost glad it happened. I wouldn’t ever choose to have it happen again - if I can be so picky! – and I wouldn’t want to put Tate, or any other baby through that, but it taught me so much. About patience, God’s love and prayer. I think back on all those prayers I uttered standing over Tate’s isolette, when I couldn’t hold him, couldn’t touch him, praying for his “heart to beat steady and strong, his lungs to breathe deep, his ears to hear, eyes to see, muscles to grow strong.” I’d start at the top of his head and pray my way down his little body, every time before I would leave him. I don’t think there is a time when I hold him now that I don’t utter a little “thank you” prayer to God for allowing me to be his mom and to have him here to hold. So yes, although I would have never thought so at the time, I would say Tate’s premature birth was a blessing in my life. It has made me so much more mindful of how precious life is. And reminds me to “stand still” every once in a while and enjoy my blessings.

We pray for blessings

We pray for peace

Comfort for family, protection while we sleep

We pray for healing, for prosperity

We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while, You hear each spoken need

Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause 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

We pray for wisdom

Your voice to hear

And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near

We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love

As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

All the while, You hear each desperate plea

And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause 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

And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us

When darkness seems to win

We know the pain reminds this heart

That this is not, this is not our home

It's not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

And what if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You’re near

What if my greatest disappointments

Or the aching of this life

Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy

And what if trials of this life

The rain, the storms, the hardest nights

Are Your mercies in disguise