What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger!

In my last post I thought things were going to get calmer and boy was I ever wrong. Since my last post, things got even crazier. I woke up with Mastitus on Saturday, April 14. Mastitus is a breat infection causing the breast to be painful to tough, hot, and hard as well as giving you a fever and flulike symptoms. Since it was Saturday I had to get in touch with the on call doctor, which actually was my doctor and get an antibiotic. Thankfully, by Saturday night I was much, much better. I had also called Titus' pediatrician on Saturday because he was throwing up a few of his meals, congested, and starting to cough and wheeze some. Well, he just got worse and by Wednesday when we took him for his well baby checkup, he was put in the hospital for RSV, a respitory viral infection. He was on oxygen and breathing treatments. We were there until Saturday morning. Justice stayed with my mom. I was up at the hospital mostly by myself except for Ron visiting me for a couple of hours each night and I would go home for 30 min. or so. Since I am Titus' food source I couldn't be gone for long, although when your baby is in the hospital you really don't want to be away anyway. So, things are finally starting to get back to normal now. Justice is completely well since Thursday of last week and Titus is well on his way. The doctor on Monday couldn't hear anything in his chest and his oxygen level was great. I prayed that God would send us a season of health and joy. It was a very trying 2 1/2 weeks there, but God got us through and proved He loves His children and will provide the grace and peace to get through any circumstances. I am just so thankful to have two healthy boys right now and do not take any good day for granted.

On other notes, Titus is smiling so much lately. I love that look he gives me of just sheer wonder. He is really starting to look at toys now that are above him in his swing, baby carrier and playmat. He will smile at them and "talk." He is sleeping a little better now that he is feeling better. But, it takes him forever to fall asleep when he was up at his 9-10 o'clock feeding. He has to nurse for like an hour as he won't take a pacifier, I am the pacifier actually. Justice still doesn't pay much attention to his little brother. I am getting out more with both boys and it isn't too bad. Justice does pretty well anyway and as long as Titus is fed and changed we are okay. I still have not done grocery shopping and probably won't for awhile with both. Talk more later!

Back In The Sun

Sorry for the delay in a getting another post out. We have been dealing with the cruddies lately. Justice and Ron got bad sick since last weekend. Poor little Justice has really had it bad. Monday he woke up with a fever and it took three days to break. His nose has been a fountain of snot and continually coughing. I think he is is over most of it today and on the road to recovery. We took him to the doctor on Tuesday and he has been on an antibiotic, his 4th round since turning one. He is a trooper though. Not too much gets him down. He puts a smile on his face and plays through it all. So, we are heading back to normal hopefully. Titus is growing like a weed. As of a week ago he was 8 lbs. 13 ozs. He had gained 3 lbs. since birth. I am anxious to take him to get weighed next week. He was in preemies two weeks ago and is now almost out of his newborn clothes and we moved into size 1 diapers this past weekend. I can't believe it! His little arms are getting rolls and his tummy is just as round as it can be. Poor thing though, he has had so much gassiness and I am a little concerned about reflux. I will ask the doctor about that next week. He isn't spitting up so much, but he sounds like he is having some with some congestion, not cold like, gurgling noises, and painful crying around meals. On positive notes he began his social smiling on Sunday, 4/8/07, that was a blessing on Easter Sunday since it was so cold and we weren't able to go to church because Justice and Ron were sick. He is making more gooing noises. I just love it when he looks up at me gazingly, like I am the most important and amazing thing to him. There is nothing like it.

Updates on Everyone... I love being a mom of 2!

I just love this pic of Justice and Titus. He looks like a proud big brother. Justice will often do this thing where he names off the family members--Momma, Dadda,etc.--and now he says "Baby" too like he has accepted him into our family. It is so sweet. Tonight Titus started crying in his swing and Justice ran over to him and storoked his hair and said to him "Is Okay," how adorable is that! I love having two boys and am excited for the years ahead as they notice and get to know each other. Justice is like no kid I have ever been around, I know I am prejudiced, but I just think he is the best. He can now count to twelve and almost thirteen. His favorite numbers are seven and eleven. Often he will skip to eleven randomly. My mother keeps Justice a lot and when she talks on the phone with me she will say my name. Now he see her phone thinks that it is named "Emily" and says it over and over again when he sees it. Apparentely he likes my name. Really any names with 'L' he loves like my mom's dog is Lilly, his Mimi's dog is Lulu and his cousin in Luke and in particular he loves those as well as his favorite numbers. He loves to dance now and picks up his feet and spins around getting dizzy. He plays peek-a-boo in a cabinet in the kitchen, first pulling out the cereal boxes that are in there and climbs in. He is fascinated by planes and when he sees one he raises both hands in the air and yells "a pom." I just love him!

To the world of Titus now, he is just as special and I love him to pieces. I will often pick him up and just smell him. Oh, I can't get enough of that newborn smell and it goes away so fast. I just treasure these early days. Titus doesn't like to have on dirty diapers and gets real mad when he has one. Justice didn't care one bit. He has these two hour stretches occasionally when the only thing that soothes him is to nurse, a little hard for mommy and daddy really. Like today I was trying to bake something to take to a baby shower and he pulled one of these times. Not the best of timing, but in the newborn world it can come at any time. We have successfully taken him to Sunday School. Today he had his first bottle of pumped breastmilk during our Sunday School. I plan on giving him a bottle during church some. I don't want him to be a bottle baby. It was nice with Justice not having to wean him from the bottle. He went straight from nursing to a sippy cup. Titus is also taking the paci some, which is nice. In the car especially it is good to calm him down. I had a big first this week. On Thursday I took both boys to Wal-Mart by myself. It was very therapeutic and a big boost for me that I can get out with two in tow. Titus slept which made it a whole lot easier. I can do it!

We had our first big trip to the Lake this weekend to Mimi and Buddy's. Buddy is Uncle Ken. Justice was calling him Birdie for awhile, but we got him to switch since Uncle Ken wasn't too fond of the feminine name. Justice gave him this name because one day he was showing him the "birdies." We had a good time. Justice enjoys the outdoors so much. Daddy got to fish and momma got to socialize. Below is a pic of Titus and his Mimi and another picture of my Titus.

More later....

A little Update

Boy, it has been tough to get to the computer to do an update. It is definitely getting a bit more challenging lately for me. Titus is awake more and becoming more needy. He wants to be held most of the time, doesn't like the swing, and is more fussy. At first I thought he was going to be a breeze, but I think he is more like his brother than I thought wanting more attention. I love him dearly though and understand this is so temporary and to try and go with the flow. It is tough and I definitely have my moments of stress and meltdowns with baby blues. We will get through. Bright moments have been he is doing well at night, not having awake periods like he did. I am getting back in a routine with him and Justice. Justice is doing well, clingy a little, but well. Titus is a joy in so many ways that I can't describe, he is still unreal to me that he is here and healthy. We will all adjust soon. The first picture up today are of Titus and his Mamaw while we were at the farm on Saturday. Titus is an outdoor baby for sure. He is

usually at his best and calmest when he is taken

outside in the breeze. We had a great time. Next is a picture of Justice outside on the farm. It is hard to get pics of him as he is so busy. I love him to death. He is so adventurous and independent. He is still on the watch to see where mommy and daddy are at all times. This is comforting to me because at times he seems to be so indepedent that he doesn't care about mommy anymore, but he really does I know. The last pic is Titus sleeping in his carrier at Mamaws this Saturday. He is so adorable sleeping as all babies are. We are getting out more. Sunday we went to church. Titus went to class with us and Justice to nursery, where he was not a happy camper. I think he is having some separation anxiety. Well, this post is a little choppy, but it is a little update on where we are at in our chaotic, but getting adjusted life right now.

Me and My Little Guy

Well, we are rolling along. Titus will be 2 weeks tomorrow and it is amazing how time has gone by so fast these last two weeks. I can't believe only two weeks ago I was freaking out trying to get ready for him to come and now I have had him here for awhile. He is really adorable in every way, still as sweet as he can be, even at 4:00 in the morning gruntingly telling me he isn't going back to sleep and I will just have to deal with it. Nights are tough, but that is to be expected. The sleepless nights are worth it to get to love on him.

We took him back to the doctor on Wednesday and are glad to report he is back up to birth weight at 5lbs. 13 oz. and has grown half and inch at 18.5 inches long. His weight gain was really good considering most breastfed babies are still losing weight the first week. Justice lost 8 oz. his first week. Titus had a little jaundice, but not bad at all and have tried to give him some sunlight and his color is returning to normal. A nurse comes by the house on Monday to check him again. I am glad someone is coming here, taking him to the doctor's office wasn't fun with all the coughing children in the waiting room. I was paranoid the whole time there. But he is fine.

That is all for now as I am off to get him up. Be blessed as always! God is so good, I look at Titus often and just thank Him for bringing him here healthy.

At Home With Titus

This is the first post I am making since Titus has been home with us and wanted to share how he got here first off. Everything went really well on Monday with being induced. The day was long, but labor was actually short. We got to the hospital at 7 and they didn't do anything until about 8:20 and it was a slow go for about 4 hours, not much on the contractions at all. I was getting so frustrated that things weren't rolling along and thought it might be forever till he arrived, but that was about to change. Doc came in at 12:45 and broke my water and I was at 2 cm, 80% effaced. After that I flew and was begging for my epidural at 2:00 p.m. and finally got it a little before 3 since they had to give me fluids. Then, they had to give me more epidural medication because I could still feel quite a bit. After the extra dose I felt absolutely nothing, you could have cut my legs off and I wouldn't have known. I was ready to push by 5, but waited awhile for the doctor and nursery staff and 8 contractions later I had Titus at 5:53. I might have pushed 10 min. total. Very good all in all with the labor and delivery. After I delivered though I felt horrible soon after. I had miserable nausea, threw up 5 times and the shakes four an hour or so. The feeling returning to my legs wasn't real pleasant either. But, after that I felt great! The recovery process has been much easier this second go around. I only had 1 stitch and have been able to move around much better. We got home from the hospital about 7:30 on Wednesday night. It was a very quiet couple of days with Justice being at his Mimi's house for us to rest with Titus being home.

Titus has been absolutely wonderful. He has been such a sweetheart baby. He has taken to nursing so well and I am so relieved after Justice was so hard to get to nurse the first week. Titus has had no problems there. He sleeps, eats, poops, has some awake time, and that is about it. Not a fussy baby. I hope he continues to do so well. We are blessed! I just love him so, so much and after everything we have gone through with him I am that much more in love with him and so thankful to God for bringing him to us.

Justice got home on Friday night and hasn't had much to adjust to really. He has noticed Titus and tries to touch him, but he isn't very gentle so we really have to watch him. He has done well though and has shown no issues yet. He is really very independent so I don't expect too much in the way of jealousy. We are trying to keep his routine in tact which helps I think. I am just so nervous about handling the boys on my own soon. Ron took off while I was in the hospital and went back to work after we got home. I had no trouble keeping Titus home alone, but am concerned about doing it all myself soon. I think I will call on my mom to help out a few days next week till I get the hang of a routine going. Well, that is all for now. I will end by saying life is just so sweet these early days of babyhood and I am trying to soak up each moment because it goes by so fast and as I look at my 19 mos. old it is really amazing to think of him that little. Blessings!

Titus is Here! Yeahhhh......

Being Induced On Monday! Justice will Have a Brother!

I wanted give a little update on Titus. We are officially going to bring him in the world on Monday, March 5th. At the doctor's office today we decided to go ahead with the induction just to get him here and make sure that he is healthy. The doctor felt it best since he is on the small side and there is concern that the longer we go he may not be getting everything he needs. So, we are going with Monday. We also had a non-stress test today and it went very well. Titus maintained a good heartrate and it went up with my Braxton Hicks contractions as it should have. I have been having those braxton hicks contractions a good bit. Which has progressed me to 1.5 cm dilated and 70% effaced, a good sign for a good induction. The neatest thing is that both of my boys will have the 5th as their birthday, Justice is August 5th and Titus will be March 5th. I really like that commonality they will have. 19 mos. difference between them exactly. I am so thrilled and elated. I needed a week to get everything together, get my hair cut, etc., but will have him here soon at the same time. I am ready. It has been such a long pregnancy to me with everything we have gone through with Titus and to have him here, healthy, will just be unspeakably wonderful. The only thing I cannot think about it having to be away from Justice. It breaks my heart, but hopefully we will be caught up in everything going on with Titus that we won't be so sad. We shall see...

The Miracle!

It has been such a journey over these last 18 weeks with Titus. To update for those who haven't read here about his condition, at my 19 week ultrasound he was diagnosed with mild hydrocephallus. Since then we have had 6-7 ultrasounds to monitor his fluid levels. At each ultrasound we got the same news, mild fluid on his brain, which may result in having a shunt put in when he is born. The good news was always it hadn't worsened and he was healthy otherwise.

On January 29th I was watching the 700 club and Terri Muesen had a word of knowledge, "There is a woman who is pregnant and worried about her baby, but God wants you to know that your baby will be born completely healthy." I wept and claimed this for my unborn baby Titus. All along I had people tell me they felt in their hearts he would be fine as well. So, I have really claimed this for him and leaned on God with sometimes only a mustard seed amount of faith.

I went in yesterday for another ultrasound at 37 weeks, fully prepared to hear the fluid level was the same. Recently I had been drawn to the story of Job and the men in the Daniel faced with being put in the furnance, that no matter what I will praise God. Last night I just went to the Lord saying that to him that I will be fine and still believe if tomorrow it is the same and stand on His promise and wait until he is born, but I told the Lord that the desire of my heart is to hear that he has a normal brain scan. And, God gave me the desire of my heart today in hearing that the fluid in his brain had disappeared. I could hardly believe it and yet at the same time was not surprised because I truly believe our God is in the business of miracles, He is the healer, that He keeps His promises, speaks to us, and if we delight in Him He will give us the desires of our Heart (Psalm 34:7). I hope you are encouraged today and for whatever trial and circumstance you are faced with that your heart be strengthened that He will carry you through.

God bless you and thank you for your prayers! I will never doubt the power our prayers have!

Sweet Baby Titus

I have been so blessed to be expecting another son and what a precious baby Titus already is. I got a sneek peak at the 4D ultrasound during my last ultrasound on January 22nd. He looks a little like Justice, but definitely has his own look. I cannot wait to hold him in my arms and cuddle this wonderful creation of God. I only have 4 weeks to go and the time could not pass quickly enough. I am so ready!

This past Saturday was an extra special day for Titus and I. We were blessed by family and friends with prayer and celebration at our "Baby Prayer Lunch." Since this is my second son and so close to Justice no one had offered to do a shower and I wanted to celebrate this new life and blessing to our family in some way. So, I had this idea come to me to have a lunch and have everyone bring a notecard with a prayer and verse to share with Titus thus the reason for calling it a "Baby Prayer Lunch." My mom and two friends were so sweet to help make this day so precious for me. We had chicken salad sandwiches, pasta salad, veggies, fruit, cheese straws, cinnamon sugar cheesecake squares, and a delicious and sweetly decorated cake done by a family friend. It was all so yummy. The colors were baby blue and white for having a little boy and March's birthstone is ice blue. The group of friends and family were my closest and dearest supporters. It was neat to see the different circles of friends I have come together from my Sunday School, Bible Study, Playgroup, and Family. Though they came from different areas, they were all tied together by their sweet hearts and love for Christ. I was not prepared for the emotional time it would be as we sat down together and each person read their prayer and verse. I had tears of joy well up in my eyes as each expressed their hopes and prayers for my baby.

One reason this day was especially meaningful was a trial we have been through with Titus already. I have not shared on my blog the struggle we have had this pregnancy with Titus. At our 20 week ultrasound back in October it revealed Titus had some mild fluid on his brain and since then we have had 6-7 additional ultrasounds to monitor the fluid levels. We have been encouraged that the fluid levels have not increased and they are only a little above normal, but still this has been a source of some worry and stress. We will not know if anything needs to be done to correct this issue until he is born. We have deeply felt the Lord to promise us that he will be born completely healthy and through words from others have claimed this for Titus. Our hearts are assured and our faith is strong and we truly believe for the best. The good news is that whatever happens is that Titus will ultimately lead a normal life, reach for anything he wants and have the love of his family and God to carry him.

Life is Good!

Here is a close up of my little star. He has been such a cutie pie lately. A mess and a cutie pie. He now cannot stand for daddy to go to the bathroom. He stands outside the door and wails. One of his favorite activities is the run around the livingroom with his arms outstretched and pretends to be a plane or "paum" as he calls it. He is all about balls at the moment, throwing them in particular. When people come to our home he goes and gets his ball to throw with them. His favorite shows now are Elmo, Dora, and Deal/No Deal continues to be a hit. If you don't want him to whine about watching the shows you cannot say Elmo or Dora because he will expect to watch it. For the last few weeks he has really learned that shaking your head means no and does this with eating his vegetables or getting his teeth brushed. It was cute at first, now I am not so sure I am glad he learned this gesture. We say more words than I can keep up with on a regular basis. One word he is getting the hang of more lately is now we have advanced from saying "burn" for Auburn to saying "aumurn." After you say Auburn Tigers, he will roar for you. We have him trained right. As I indicated he is now running. It is so cute to watch his little, short legs move as fast as they can. Thank goodness our house is not too big, so it isn't hard to chase him down, there isn't much space to go. He has recently become more and more upset when we bathe him, he actually likes his bath, but hates being bathed, especially the washing the hair part. I don't know how to make it any better for him. We are also advancing in our table food eating. He will now eat most things except for pasta (not a mac'ncheese fan), veggies, and meat. So, we still eat veggies in the baby food form as that is what he will eat. I am sure there are more things he is doing and I am just not thinking about them all right now.

Pregnancy is progressing, only 7 weeks, 7 days to go! Can't wait! My legs/hips are really starting to bother me. They are achy and hurt, especially after getting up in the morning or from a nap. I can't nap on the sofa anymore because of this. My clothes are getting more and more limited as I grow. Although I am still a good bit smaller than I was last time. I am having a "Baby Prayer Lunch" on February 10th. I wanted to do something this time around to celebrate the baby and no one had offered to do a shower, so I had an idea to have a lunch with my friends and ask them to bring a decorative notecard with their favorite verse and a short prayer for baby Titus. I just love the idea of this. I want Titus to know in the future that his coming was much anticipated and that he was loved and covered in prayer before he was brought to us. My friend Jean offered to have it at her new, lovely home and my mom is the hostess. I am so excited!

Until next time, be blessed!

Just Thoughts

I am glad to be back in the swing of things with normal routines and normal outings. With Justice going on a week plus of no runny nose/cough, I have been venturing out more with him. We haven't been doing anything major, but I have gone back to the grocery store and playgroup now. It is though getting harder to get out at this stage of my pregnancy with him. I feel very weighed down while holding him needless to say. But, it has been nice not feeling so isolated and cooped up as I had been during the holiday season. Today, going back to playgroup was amazing to see that in only a month babies can change so much! My friends' little ones are growing up and looking more toddlerlike and less babylike. They are also all so much taller than Justice, and I will add that they are all 3-4 mos. younger. It is cute though. He is my little munchkin.

I was so excited to order some baby stuff today, well, sort of baby stuff. I ordered the cutest nursing cover up that is called a "hooter hider." It is like an apron for nursing moms, bigger and made with softer fabric. I think it will be great for me to not have worry about exposing myself trying to be discreet in public or go into another room when male relatives are present. I will get to be much more comfortable breastfeeding around people. Also, on that same note I got a good nursing bra. The ones I had with Justice were all pretty bad and not too comfortable. I am hoping this one will be better. It is popular with the stars, Britney Spears and Jennifer Garner, both were customers of this product. Not that I want to emulate Britney, but it goes to say that it must be good. It wasn't that expensive either, $30.00 on sale, which for a good bra isn't that much. Okay, enough about bras and nursing.

Nine Weeks to go! I am so ready! Still have much to do, but ready in my heart for this little guy.

Christmas, New Years, and More

1/3/2007
Happy Holidays Everyone! I hope your Christmas and New Years was blessed! Ours was for sure. It was good to be around our family. It was hectic, but good. We had 11 children 11 and under at our Christmas gathering. Nine of those children were boys as well. Next year there will be 10 with our addition of Titus. We are just becoming the boy family. Justice this year loved his toys, but didn't get into the unwrapping. Next year I am sure we will have him more trained in the traditions of Christmas. After Christmas we hosted our two eldest nephews for a day and night for which most of it was taken up playing Playstation. They don't get to play very often so we figured the aunt and uncle could treat them to an all you can play night.
Justice returned to being sick the day after Christmas unfortunately for which we ended up taking him back to the doctor. It turned out that the medications he had been on had not fully taken care of the infection and his white blood cell count was elevated once again. So, we took another round of antibiotics. Thankfully yesterday and today he has not had a runny nose or much of a cough. It is the first time in months his nose hasn't run. It is a huge deal to me.
Our New Year was pretty uneventful. We watched a movie and as I got into bed I wispered to Ron Happy New Year. The day after we celebrated Auburn's win over Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl. I love the holidays, but I am happy to be getting back to a normal routine and starting this new year. I am planning on getting the preparations going for Titus, getting the bassinet, stroller, and clothes ready for him in the next couple of weeks so I won't have to do those things with a big belly, although it already feels big to me. I am excited and ready for what this year has in store for our family. Blessings to yours!

WHAT A WEEK!!

Well, we did have quite a week this past week. It all started on Wednesday, when I woke Justice up at 9:15 a.m. and found him to be really, really sick. He was very lethargic, not wanting to get up or move. I let him lay on my chest for awhile then decided to take his tempurature and it was 101 degrees. His congestion had been really bad the day before and was continuing. And, he was spitting/throwing up liquids I was giving him. So, all in all I had a very sick boy on my hands. I called the Pediatrician's office and in desparation asked if there were any appointments. The nurse fought on my behalf to create an appointment for me as she could here the distress in my voice. Upon arriving he just slept, not a good sign since he doesn't usually sleep other than in the dark in bed. The doctor discovered that he had a bad infection of some sort with a high white blood cell count and decided to hospitalize him. I almost started crying when she said this as I had my precious son in my hands and we were taking him to the hospital, seemingly very serious. The next three days were a blur of IVs, vital sign checking, hospital food, lack of sleep, and having a restless baby cooped up. It was so tough. The toughest part was having my son injected with an IV in his wrist and having his blood taken. He just looked at me, his daddy, and mamaw as they did all this. He went back and forth with tears streaming down his face yelling for "momma" and "dadda," and not understanding why were not doing anything to get rid of and take away his pain. It was torture! And to top it off, the IV came out that night and they had to reinsurt it at 3:30 a.m. on Thursday morning. Thankfully, Wednesday night his fever broke and he began looking better and by Thursday afternoon his color was restoring and his eyes began brightening up. The fluids and antibiotics they were giving him were working. Friday morning the doctor came by and said that they would see how he did during the day and make a judgment over whether he should stay another night. Ron and I were completely drained and at our sanity's end on Friday having had two terrible nights of sleep with Justice having a lot of trouble getting comfortable and dealing with congestion. The Lord was the only thing keeping us from losing it. We made it to Friday night and the good doctor let us take our baby home. I knew things would be better having him home to get some good rest since you cannot rest in the hospital. It is impossible with vital signs being take every few hours, people coming in take the trash, bring the meals, bring ice and the newspaper, etc. Friday night was a victorious night! Saturday, we saw the doctor at the office and he was so, so pleased with his progress. He said that if he did not know he had been in the hospital he would not have suspected it and would have thought he was healthy other than a cough and runny nose. So, our battle was over after a long week. We are keeping him home until Christmas to get him fully better. We are still deciding what to do about making our home more sanitized and what to do about taking him to nursery. We understand that we can't isolate him forever and it is impossible to keep him from getting sick all the time, but we never want to have him in the hospital again and if that takes keeping him home more, than so be it. We shall see and we are praying for God's wisdom in how to best care for our little boy.

Busy, Busy, Busy

We have been so busy lately that posting has been on the backburner for awhile now, but I have missed it and have been meaning to get back. So, first off we are all pretty good. Justice continues to struggle with congestion and a runny nose, which has been going on for a month and a half now. We have been to the doctor twice and nothing is really helping. So that is no fun, but we are and have been completely walking for a few weeks. This is a picture of him walking outside at my mom's farm on Thanksgiving. Shortly after 15 mos. he began taking steps and about a week before Thanksgiving he became committed to walking full time, which has been exciting and challenging. I am glad he finally got it down even with the challenges it brings. He wants to walk all the time now, even in stores, which makes trips longer and more stressful. With the walking comes more things to get into and keep him from so my days are more tiring, but it is worth it to see my son reach that goal. He is a cutie walking, I love it. He is so short and petite that it is just amazing to see such a little guy upright and walking.

Thanksgiving was fun. It was a huge gathering with a good bit of my family including my Uncle from Panama City, his wife and two little ones, my great Uncle from Birmingham, and my stepdads brother, wife and two little boys. We had 5 children under the age of 4 on Thanksgiving. There was lots of joyous chaos. Justice wanted to be right in the middle of it all. He is quite the social bug. And he had a little event including a busted lip and a bruise on his face after an incident with one of the other kids, not anyone's fault, but it was an event. Boys I think just will have spills, bumps, and bruises along the way and I am handling it in stride. I can't protect him from everything. All in all it was a wonderful day. I spent a good deal of time in the kitchen more than ever. I even had a great deal of involvement in the Turkey, which turned out beautifully. We tried a new recipe I had gotten off the 700 Club show and it was divine. I also did creamy potato bake and a dessert as well as assist my mother in the meal preparations. I felt like such an adult and not a kid anymore. It was fun!

Since then I have been managing my jewellery website with the Christmas shopping season boosting sales. God has truly blessed us and I give Him all the glory for the provision He has given us. It has been exciting to watch Him work. I am truly thankful.

Titus is doing well in my tummy. He moves a lot, which is very reassuring. I go back next week for a checkup and an ultrasound to monitor his development. I am 26 weeks along, so only 14 weeks to go, which I know will fly by as it did with Justice. I am just giving it to the Lord to help us manage it all, a newborn and a toddler in a two bedroom home, trusting God to provide for a family of four and keep us all sane, I am resting in His peace.

Hopefully it won't be this long between posts again, but I wish for a blessed Christmas season until I return.

I Am So Behind!

I cannot seem to post more than once a week here lately. I just seem to stay busy with one thing or another. Being pregnant I tend to nap when Justice takes his afternoon nap, which used to be the time for blogging. So, here I am again finally. Since last week I have gone to Carrolton, GA to visit my mom's side of the family. It was a nice visit. Justice got to meet his great, great aunt, the sister of my grandfather who died in WWII before my mom was born even. I learned quite a bit about my family's background. It is so important to get that information while you can. I would encourage you to talk to your families about memories, traditions, habits, physical appearances, and family relationships from the old times. I enjoyed looking at pictures and seeing where some of my features came from passed down from my mother.

Titus moves more and more inside of me. It is one of the greatest things about being pregnant is feeling your baby move. It is like they are communicating with you. I feel like when Titus moves he is saying, "Hey Momma!" I love it. I can just feel his personality I think. Justice didn't move a whole lot and I could just sense a calm nature in him. He turned out to be very laid back and calm for the most part. I think I am in for it with Titus. I bet you he will be a fiesty little thing who is a bundle of energy and loves to be active. He will be a fun kid I am sure. I cannot wait to see Justice and Titus together growing up as close brothers. What a blessing! As for the pregnacy, it is getting hard. For the past couple of weeks I have had such bad indigestions/heartburn every night. I have tried eating more bland foods and taking tums, but still get it. So, doc suggested Pepsid AC, so I will try that and see how it goes. I am hoping well! Titus' heartbeat was good at a steady 144. I go back on Dec. 12th and do the fun sugar test.

Justice is doing so great with walking. I am so impressed with him. He still has an affinity for crawling, but is walking with more and more ease. I am very pleased! He had a doc. appmnt. today for which we found out he has an ear infection in both ears and had no idea. He picks at his ears, but he has always done that. Poor buddy! He also had two shots, that was no fun, but he is a trooper. I also figured out what to do about his patchy skin in places. I tried hydrocortisone cream, switched detergents and baby wash, but to no avail, it just got worse. So the pedi said that we out to bath him every other day, used Dove or Cetaphil Sensitive Skin, and use a healing sensitive skin lotion on his arms often. So, I did the cream twice today and such a difference did it make!

Well, that is all I have for now. Blessings!

Halloween Pics, A Week Later

We had such a fun time dressing Justice up for the first time this Halloween. Since he was only 3 mos. old last year we did not bother doing this. So, we dressed him up as Tigger as you can see. He was sooooo adorable! We stayed home and passed out candy to the cute trick or treaters. Since it was a very mild night we let him crawl around on our porch and greet the visitors. He enjoyed seeing all the little children come up with their costumes on. We actually had him say, "roar," as he crawled around and I even got it on video. It was just the best time.

Outdoors, Walking, & Cleaning

This little boy just loves to be outside! It is still just so amazing to me. When he is inside he busily moves from one thing to another, but when he is outside a calmness falls over him. He will just sit in the grass and look around, mezmorized by the sounds, smells, feelings, and sights he gets. I enjoy watching him in those moments discover God's creation. He is all about it and want to go outside at every opportunity. We can't hardly open our front door without a fit to go outside. It has been hard with the weather turning colder to go out much, but we try at every good chance we get.

As I wrote in my last post, I am getting more and more pleased at his walking. He is doing it more and more. We went to visit with some friends today who are the same age and walking and he took more steps than he has before. I think they truly give him motivation to get up and going. It is fun to watch him try to immitate their walking. He is doing a good job.

Mommy is also doing a good job with her cleaning. I have been really trying to look at my house as my job. When I was working I was a worker bee. I always gave 110% and sought the approval of my boss. Since being home I guess I haven't really seen my cleaning through that same motivation. So, I am trying to get into gear and seek to please the Lord with the position He has given me. My earthly leader in my husband has also been pleased with my accomplishments. So, while Justice is napping and I am writing I will end this post to go and see what else I can scrub, pick up, or fold. Have a blessed day!

We Have Some Walking!

Finally, we have some walking going on! Hurray! The past couple of weeks we have steadily been walking at times. He has taken as many as 10 steps in a row and will consistently take 2-3 steps when prompted. He is still lacking in motivation. He is quite content with crawling and getting him around. But, we are trying to get him on two legs as much as possible. On Sunday I put him in the Toddler class at church to hopefully get him around walkers to motivate him to do the same. I think that babies and children learn a lot from being around their peers who are doign things. I know he will get there. I just hope it is soon so I can cross walking off my list and by the time Titus comes he will be a good walker.

Justice also just got over a major cold last week. I had thought he had had a bad cold earlier this fall, but oh no, this one was much worse. He had so much congestion this time that he would cough so much and throw up. He also had a fever for a day and a half. But, after about a week, we were recooperating. His nose still runs and some coughing remains, but we are on the mend.


His schedule still is up in the air from day to day. I don't know whether he will take one or two naps any given day. Today he went down for his morning nap at 10, which was perfect and hopefully he will go down for an afternoon snooze too. We shall see. It seems to work better for his lunchtime if he can get a morning nap, but then it is hard to get him down in the afternoon and I know he needs one to be pleasant at night, so I have to pick which battle I want to fight. I guess I lean towards getting a morning nap if at all possible.

Well, I have to go get my shower before little guy wakes up and I am going to go visit my mom. I hope to write more later this week. Blessings!

The Big News!

Well, we had our ultrasound yesterday and we are pleased and excited to announce that we will be having another baby boy! Yup, Justice will soon have a baby brother to look out for. It was a little bit of a shock, but I was quickly happy. Ron took a little while to warm up to the idea of not having a girl. But, he is getting better. I am really glad and feel that this truly is a great addition to our family. His name will be Titus Osar Lee (two middle names, Ron's idea, he wants him to stand out). Titus is a really strong name for this strong son we will bring into the world in March. Please be praying that he will be in perfect health the rest of the way.


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