Eight Months!

I'm a day late, but what's new? Harry turned 8 months yesterday! Has it really been eight months? Anyway, I haven't done a monthly update (or any update) in awhile, so I figured I'd better let you know what is up with my butterball!

Harry has three almost four teeth. Two on bottom and one and another about to finish popping through any day now. He loves to eat! The list of things that he does not like is much shorter than what he does like. He does not like butter beans. Yeah, that is all that I've noticed he will not eat. He eats meat, tons of veggies, some fruits, bread/pasta/rice, and he had some cookie the other day-thanks to Alice!

Harry is still nursing a lot. Mostly at night. He nurses maybe four or five times during the day and several times while sleeping. Or at least I'm sleeping. That is one wonderful benefit of co-sleeping. He also likes to bite. He has little shark teeth on the bottom and it hurts so much more than it did when Alice would bite. Of course, he is like her because it is oh so funny to make me say no, ow, or ouch!

We are so close to crawling. He has been getting up on his hands and knees and rocking for the past week or two. He can move himself backwards, but only manages to do face plants forwards. Harry is sitting up so well. It only took FOREVER! The other day he sat up from a crawling position. It is nice to have a "baby". Alice was walking steadily by this age. Just goes to show how different babies are!

I weighed him the other day. Unofficially, he is almost 21 pounds. I also weighed Alice and she was 26.5 pounds. No wonder my back hurts when I hold him!

Harry is still just the happiest, most content little man. He is rarely without a smile. Even in the throes of teething, he is a pretty pleasant baby!

And now to see how cute (and BIG) he is getting...

An Angel Got His Wings

I'm terribly saddened to tell you that two year old Tyler Burdick got his wings yesterday. I have been struggling with this, and wrote the following early this morning...

I want to thank You, God, for the blessing and miracle that was Tyler. I've never met this little boy or his mother, but I feel like a little part of me has died. My heart aches. I cannot begin to imagine how his parents feel. As a mother, this really is tortuous. It is my worst nightmare. I realize you are never too young to die. That the triumph is much greater than the tragedy. Tyler is at peace and healed. He is on his greater and ultimate journey, as Jesus promised.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

On behalf of his parents, I want to thank You for allowing all three of them those last hours. What a blessing and a miracle. The beautiful symbolism of the circle of life--from Your hands to Stephanie's, and from Stephanie's back to Yours.

I know many people are wondering "Why Tyler?" God, I know your intention for Tyler's life. He has brought so many people together. He has brought many people to You and strengthened their faith, myself included. He has helped me become a better parent in many ways. I have more patience. I hug, kiss, and tell my children that I love them more. He was such a fighter, hero, and inspiration.

I'm now praying for Stephanie, Dan, Dawson, and Gabriel. Please comfort them and lift up their hearts. Give Stephanie and Dan guidance to help Dawson, and eventually Gabriel, understand.

"A child that loses a parent is an orphan. A man that loses his wife is a widower. A woman that loses her husband is a widow. There is no name for a parent that loses a child, as there is no word to describe the pain." -Author Unknown
***
I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads his white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. He is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch him until at length he hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then someone at my side says: "There, he is gone!"

"Gone where?"

Gone from my sight. That is all. He is just as large in mast and hull and spar as he was when he left my side and he is just as able to bear the load of living freight to his destined port.

His diminished size is in me, not in him. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: "There, he is gone!" There are other eyes watching him coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: "Here he comes!"
***
Tyler, may you rest in peace, sweet boy. This is not goodbye. This is a see you soon. "Lord, at last let Thine angels come"


If you feel compelled to donate to this family (Dan lost his job while being with Tyler--so they could use help with the funeral, medical bills, mortgage/utilities/food, etc) please visit their CaringBridge site. Their email address is listed (gpxchick@hotmail.com) and donations can be made through Paypal (make sure to mark as gift, otherwise fees are involved). Their home address is also listed there. I believe a bank account has also been set up, but I need to double check on that. Please check out their site and read about Tyler's last hours. It is really quite beautiful and heartbreaking.

Also, for you parents that have lost a baby or child, can you recommend any support groups? I'm sure Stephanie and Dan could use any support they can get.

Prayers Needed Internets

A lady from Harry's birth club, has a two and a half year old boy, Tyler. He has been fighting leukemia since he was four months old. He is about a month and a half past a bone marrow transplant. His baby brother, Gabriel, was his donor with his cord blood. Tyler's leukemia is considered cured, as his ANC count keeps going up.

The problem is the toll all of the chemotherapy has had on his little body. His liver and kidneys are blocked. His veins are leaking fluid. The lining of his lungs are filled with fluid. He has been on a ventilator for at least four weeks, along with dialysis, and many other medicines and support systems. He is currently on max blood pressure medicine.

Yesterday morning, he was alert for awhile and kept trying to talk to his parents. Last night, his blood pressure dropped to 50/30. He made it through the night, and his blood pressure is currently 36/22. They have to remove the current dialysis current today, and if Tyler's blood pressure and he are stable enough, they will put a new circuit in. I'm praying he can pull through all of that.

To add insult to injury, Tyler's father was fired from his job a few weeks ago. Apparently he had exhausted his PTO and FMLA, but was unaware (understandable given everything going on) and the company let him go. Not only was he the sole provider, but also the insurance carrier. Now they are faced with the realities of a mortgage, medical bills, and probably a funeral. If any of you would like to donate to this family, you can do so at

www.caringbridge.org/visit/tylerburdick

You can also read Tyler's whole story there and leave a note for Tyler and family.

I have been praying constantly for this little guy. I have spent a lot of time crying too. Having two healthy children, I am extremely grateful and blessed.

Please keep Tyler, his parents Stephanie and Dan, and his brothers Dawson (4) and Gabriel (7 months) in your thoughts and prayers.

Friday Night Leftovers (The Changes Edition)

It's been awhile. I figured since I need to catch up, that FNL was a great time to do that! So without further ado...

• This post is aptly titled. Many, many things have been going on and changing around here. They are also the many reasons I haven't posted in awhile. Once things get settled down a bit more, I'm going to try to post more regularly (don't you wish you had a dollar for every time I've said that?).

• We have a new addition! Four year old, Sadie, joined our family a couple weeks ago. She is a lab mix (probably) and is so well behaved. She is great with the kids! She is a sweet girl, who loves to cuddle and be by my side. Plus...she is housebroken! (I may never get a puppy again) We got her from a girl I went to high school with. Due to unfortunate circumstances, they needed to find her a new home (they had to move and couldn't have pets at their new place).

• I have been continuing crafting...and sewing! Yup! I have taught myself how to sew. I am working on hooded towels, robes, and blankets right now. I plan to open up an Etsy shop in the near future. So stay tuned!

• I finally got in to a pain management doctor (due to all the problems I've had since the car accident a year ago). He did a sacroiliac injection two weeks ago, in hopes it would relieve my pain. Well, it only helped a tiny bit (and made other pains apparent or worse), so I'm going for an MRI next week. I'm sort of hoping they find something because, otherwise, there isn't much that can be done, and this will probably be a chronic problem (insert sad face).

• We are buying a house! Yes, we will own our own home! And I do mean that we will own it. No mortgage! We are paying cash for it. It is a bit of a fixer-upper, but has lots of potential. We sort of stumbled upon it. We weren't planning on moving for at least another year or two, but after paying the rent last week we decided to move. Totally off track, but I feel like I should explain. When we first rented this place, it was a total dive. It took a whole month to get it acceptable to move in. Plus we've done numerous things since. We have always ran it by the acting landlord, who runs it by the owner (she is out of town and supposed to be incapacitated in some manner). Anyway, Sean rebuilt and put a new roof on the outbuilding. It was leaking horrible and rotting. The acting landlord approved it beforehand. Well, due to materials and labor, we ended up not paying rent for two plus months (anything we do they credit it to our rent). Apparently, the acting landlord never approved it with the owner first. So she was upset. So when we went to pay rent last week, the acting landlord had a list of "grievances" from the owner against us. Turns out, this supposedly incapacitated hag woman has a malicious side, and also too much time and not as incapacitated as it seems. To be honest, nothing on that list was a "legitimate" concern pertaining to renting. She was pissed that the flag blew off it's anchor and was lying on the ground (forgive me-I don't control the weather! We picked it up as soon as we saw it). She was angry about "trash being all over the yard"--umm, first it wasn't every where. Second, her neighbor's dog came over, knocked over the trash can, and tore into it. Sean picked it all up as soon as he saw it. She made it seem like we were in the process of condemning her house! So I went out and started looking for places. I can't wait to tell her to kiss my @$$. Bahaha! Try to find renters that are anywhere close to how good we have been!

• We probably won't get all of the paperwork and money stuff done on the house for a few more weeks. The house is about 15 minutes west from where we are. In a small itsy-bitsy, teeny tiny town that supposedly has 758 people. I'd be surprised if there were more than 200! The good news...We can get Internet! Yes!!! I will be able to get online on my computer! I will have no more excuses for being behind on posting pictures, etc. WOOT WOOT!


• I am no longer a blonde. Having been blonde my whole life (and never dying it until after Alice was born--roots got darker!), I have always contemplated going darker. Well, I finally did it...I'm a brunette! Not sure how I like it yet.

• Of course, it would be cruel to just say that without posting a picture, so here you go...

I'm sure there are a lot more changes, but those are the big ones. Other than the natives, but I owe them their own posts! For more leftovers, please go check out Danifred!

Friday Night Leftovers (The Catch Up Edition)

It has been awhile. Did I give you a heart attack? Or did you squeal with enthusiasm? Let's just get right to it today!

•I have been staying busy. Insanely busy. Cleaning, organizing, crafting, and of course taking care of the natives!

•I need to do Alice's birthday post. I have been having some difficulty with the pictures, as my brother took them and put them on my computer. Problem is, we don't have Internet here in the Bermuda Triangle. So I've been uploading them at my dad's using his wi-fi. I may look into one last option for Internet here.

•I am addicted to Pinterest! If you like to craft, cook, photography, design, etc. it is for you.

•I need to post about all of the DIY projects and crafts I have done and am doing. I made artwork for the walls. I made a cheese plate and cupcake/cookie platter. I am redoing some sconces. I made a "dry erase board". I made my own baby wipes. I repainted the swing set and am working on turning the area under the slide into a fort. I will need to learn how to use the sewing machine, so I can make curtains for it.

• Today Alice and I will make outdoor "lanterns". We also need to put together an adirondack chair. Well, I do. Alice will "help". I don't feel comfortable with her playing with power tools yet!

•Oh, and the most exciting part about this weekend? My sister is flying in tonight! WOOT WOOT! I'm the only one that knows about it. The kids and I are going to pick her up at 11:40 tonight. She will finally get to meet Harry! Tomorrow, we are going to my Dad's, so she can wake him up and surprise him. Then we will go to my brother's and I will have him help me get his "surprise" out of the car! So exciting!

• I also have quite a few recipes to share. Raspberry-lemon bars and potato salad, just to name a few.

•Oh and pictures. I need to show you how big the natives are getting!

•Wishing everyone a lovely weekend! Do you have anything planned?

For more leftovers, check out Danifred and all the lovely participants!

Life Has Gotten In The Way

*or I Suck!

My apologies. I have been so swamped with life that I haven't had time to blog. Not even about the really important stuff (Harry's month-aversaries, etc). To make a really long story short, Sean was on vacation, his cousin (whom I thought would be a big help) came to visit for a week, and then my dad fell and dislocated his hip.

So I have been working on getting Alice back into a "normal" sleeping schedule (we're back to 10:30 at the earliest--sigh!). I have also been making daily trips to my father's to bring him dinner and check on him. Having two grown men and two babies to take care of is exhausting. Throw in trying to officially "move in" to my house, that we've been living at for over two years now, and I have literally fallen asleep with stuff still to do (put up dinner--which has to be thrown out the next morning, dry laundry, even lock doors!).

I'm not looking for sympathy. I just need you to understand that I suck. And that I'm sorry! I know the world doesn't revolve around me, and I've missed quite a few of your exciting news. My apologies again. I will be posting in the next week a few "exciting" things--Harry's 5 month birthday, Alice's 2nd birthday, and a few DIY/crafty projects I have been doing! So please don't leave me! I blog because I love it, and also want to have a record of my children's doings. But I also blog because I love YOU, my readers! Miss you guys, and I will be back soon.

(Belated) Three Months

Harry turned three months on June 14. I'm late posting this, but better late than never, right? The pictures were taken on his month-aversary, so at least I managed that!

Harry rolled over back to tummy the week before he turned three months. He has only done this a few times. I'm pretty sure he is capable of doing it more often, but I don't give him nearly enough tummy time. We average twenty minutes a week. Oops! I just worry about Alice jumping on him or kicking him accidentally. This has happened a few times before, and I'd rather him be "delayed" in some gross motor skills, than have mush for brains. I've been trying to sneak more in, but lately he has just been kicking himself in circles or pulling himself across the mat.

Someone is a big fan of sitting and standing! In fact, he prefers to be sitting on a lap. He can "stand" for upwards to a minute before his legs give out.

Alice is the best toy ever! He stares contentedly and in awe of whatever his big sister is doing. I have been bathing them together when he needs a bath. This is a logistical nightmare, but much easier than doing them separately. I just bring jammies, diapers, lotion, the changing pad, and the bouncy seat in the bathroom. Harry watches while I wash Alice, and then we put his tub in the tub. Alice loves to help wash him and blows raspberries on his belly! Then we dry him off, lotion him up, diaper and jammies and he sits in the bouncy seat smiling and laughing as I wrangle Alice.

Speaking of smiles, this little guy's melt my heart! He is just the prettiest little boy and such a joy!

Harry has been sleeping through the night for quite awhile. Turns out sleeping babies are not just myths! We have this odd nights, but usually he goes 8 1/2 hours. Occasionally it will be longer. His record is about 10!

Harry loves the mama milks! He will take a bottle, but really likes it from the tap better. This makes me happy! And him too!

He started reaching for his toys and loves to grab his feet. He is a champion reverse ab cruncher! We have been wearing 3-6 month clothes for almost a month, and some of them are getting a bit snug (mostly in length). I have a feeling someone may be bigger than Alice by this time next year!

His favorite past-time is chewing and sucking on his fists and arm. Really anyone's arm will do. I am sure he will give me a hickey one of these days.

And now for monthly pictures!

Alice did not partake in this months pictures. She was having an epic tantrum, and wanted to be left alone. I'll see if I can get her to participate next month!

And these last two are to show what sweet smiles he has. They were taken about 2 1/2 months. Isn't he just the sweetest, prettiest baby boy?