Story Hour

Since I was unable to pay for Sophia to go to preschool for the last several weeks I started bringing her to our local library more often. She has been so excited to go and was beyond thrilled to get her first library card. Our children's library is so awesome, they have all kinds of activities planned for kids. I have been bringing Sophia to the preschool story hour. It is great. This week the theme was "Pajama Day" and so the kids got to wear their pajamas to the library, and they read books like "Five little monkeys jumping on the bed" and "Pajama Time." After they read the books, Mrs McGee the library put on the music from the "Pajama time" CD and the kids danced around the room with her. Once they were done with singing their songs and dancing they went on to craft time, which was decorating a pair of pajamas by coloring them, and gluing stuff to them. Sophia had such a great time, and we brought her little friend Paige with us.

13 Weeks!

Goodness Mr Preston you are growing up so fast! I am saddened to think how fast time is flying by with you. I love watching you grow but I am sad that it is happening so fast. At 13 weeks you are smiling and cooing often, especially in the morning, or when you are getting your diaper changed. You are really seeming to enjoy watching Sam and Sophia running around you and watching them play. You have taken an interest in music, and really seem to calm down as soon as you hear it. You are now 10lb 6oz!!! You are getting so big. You are most definitely out of newborn clothes, most 0-3month clothes still fit, and I am now also putting the straight 3month size on you. You are continuing to wear size one diapers. You are starting to outgrow your newborn size swaddleme blanket, but you are definitely not wanting to be unswaddled yet. Feeding has been a huge challenge in the past week. Nursing has gone fabulously well, and my supply has really increased, so I think you are going through a growth spurt. But the bottles of my milk have gone very poorly. Daddy even had to call me at work one night because you were complaining so much about having to drink a bottle. WE have been trying different brands of bottles this week, for me you had been doing really well with Playtex VentAire bottles, but for Daddy you choked. So we also have been trying the Avent ones....waiting to see what you tolerate better. Your reflux has also been getting increasing worse, and thankfully the doctor increased your dose of Zantac this week.

IVIG, Legos, and More...

Today Sam had IVIG. As always he was so brave for the IV access. THey got it in on one try, praise God. The lab had to draw labs today, and unfortunately that was two draws but again he was so brave, and they then rewarded him with a coloring book and crayons. He was very happy about that. Oh my goodness he is getting so big! He weighed 42.5 pounds today!!! He has gained more than a pound in the last month!!! I think they said he was 44inches too!For some reason today he was starving and INHALED a lot of food while there. So he ate, we did some puzzle type things in his coloring book, and then we did a real puzzle. His blood pressure was elevated today, so not sure what is going on there. And because of that it took almost five hours arrival to discharge today....Hoping he isn't too tired for school tomorrow. I heard back from Children's today, Soph's MRI is scheduled for December 21st. IT feels like that is forever away. It stinks because it is right before Christmas. And as much as I remind myself that God is in control and that He knows those results already, the unknown is really starting to get to me. The "what if" questions are starting to play more and more frequently in my head....Praying praying praying that this is nothing, and that although when you look it up on the internet mostly all you see is cancer, that that has NOTHING to do with this. The kids have really been playing well together lately. Between coloring together, driving the matchbox cars, puzzles, and legos it has been so enjoyable to watch them developing a deeper friendship. They try to help each other out when the other has a problem. I am just so blessed... I brought Preston with me today so he could nurse. And while we were there I put him on the scale: 10lb 6oz!!! Woohoo!!!

Trying not to think...

about what a "bone Lesion" on my Princess' leg could be...Talking to MRI scheduling and doctors office again tomorrow. Please pray for my little girl....

Happy Thanksgiving

To be perfectly honest I was having a really tough time thinking about thanksgiving this year. I knew that this year would be the last that my parents were up here, and I was really sad knowing that I wasn't going to be spending it with them. Due to Preston's prematurity we decided that we would stay home this year, in order to avoid exposing him to lots of people. So this year was my first year hosting thanksgiving. We origionally invited my aunt and uncle but they turned us down as they had already made plans. However yesterday those plans fell through....so they called and asked if they could come along with my three cousins. So they did. It was a really nice time, and the food came out really well. My aunt brought several dishes, and I had made several so we had a huge amount of food. My mom was so cute, and got Soph and I matching aprons and hats:-) Both of my older two kiddos had a blast helping me make the food. We made everything from scratch! I made dressing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, squash, broccoli casserole, cranberry apple pie, and of coures a GIANT turkey! The cranberry sauce came out so well, I was nervous about it but it came out good. My aunt brought several dishes too so we had tons of food.

My aunt and uncle brought a game and a toy that I used to play with as a kid at their house! When we were young children my cousins and I used to have sleep overs all the time. I very clearly remember playing this game with my cousins. It is so fun to see my kiddos playing with things I enjoyed so much as a child! The game is by Milton Bradley, and is called "Guess Who?" I don't even know if they make it anymore, but if they do I highly recommend it for your kids.

My aunt and uncle are so wonderful with kids. My kids couldn't wait for them to get here. They did lots of playing and then everyone got tired....

All three of my kiddos got to wear this little outfit for Thanksgiving. Sam and Preston were born in July and August, so I can see them fitting into it, but Sophia was born in March, and she fit into it too!!! The front says "Thankful as can be" and the back is a turkey...I love this outfit:-)

12 weeks old

Preston I cannot believe you have been here with us for twelve weeks already! I am so in love with your sweet precious face and personality. You are really starting to get big (to me at least) since you are now over 10pounds and have grown four inches! This week your eyes have definitely leaned more towards the brown side. The last few weeks we really couldn't tell what color your eyes were, some days they looked grey, sometimes they looked green or hazel. But in the last few days they are definitely looking like they will be brown, like your momma:-) You are cooing more and more. I absolutely love it. It is some ooooo kind of sound that you make most frequently, and sometimes there is a G sound attached. You are drooling alot this week too! I hope you aren't already teething but I guess you could be. You have started to really take an interest in Sam and Sophia, and when they make faces or noises you reward them with one of your sweet smiles. Unfortunately although I have probably taken 100 pictures of you trying to get your smile, I STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN IT!!! As soon as the camera comes out you get all serious! Silly boy!!! You are still wearing size one diapers, and mostly 0-3month clothes now. I have put a couple of the 3month size PJ's on you because you are so long. You still love to be swaddled, and have almost outgrown our smallest swaddle me blanket. We still like the miracle blanket the best but the swaddle me's work ok too. Schedule wise you are eating every 2.5-3hrs during the day, and then at night you have a four hour stretch and a five hour stretch. You are taking two really good naps and then a couple of cat naps too. You like your sleep!!! Mommy has been working a little bit, and so you have been taking some bottles, you aren't a huge fan but you really like to eat so you deal with them. Currently we are using Playtex Vent Aire and also Avent. You seem to do better with the Vent Air ones, but get frustrated because it doesn't come out as fast as you would like, but then you aren't quite so gassy.....I am still giving you the Zantac twice a day and I do believe that it helps, and also the Mylicon, which in my opinion is worth its weight in gold.

Sophia's Orthopedic appointment

Yesterday I drove in to Children's Hospital Boston for Sophia's doctors appointment. We were so fortunate to be able to schedule her appointment so quickly. We had seen him several months ago and also last spring. When we scheduled her initial appointment last spring it took several months to get in to see him. He came so highly recommended by several people I thought it was worth the wait. Two weeks ago when we were at physical therapy the therapist recommended that I call to schedule a follow up sooner than origionally planned. So I called, thinking that we wouldn't be able to get in for quite a while, but we got in with the chief of orthopedics two weeks later! God totally opened the door for us to get in yesterday. After doing an exam and reviewing some old x-rays they noticed that there was something on her left leg. So yesterday they did a repeat x-ray of her left leg. And there is a "bone lesion" on her bone. I am not exactly sure what this means, but obviously when I hear lesion I automatically jump to "cancer." Would you please join me in prayer for my little girl? I am not scared currently, and I know that God is completely in control, however the what if's are currently weighing heavily on my heart. We should hear by tomorrow I believe when her MRI will be. The great thing about yesterday was that I got to spend some time with my best friend. Who is expecting twins!!! She is expecting twin girls in March. I am beyond excited for her. I can't wait for these two little girls to get here. She didn't want any photos taken but I did convince her to let me take one of her with Preston... The blue knit blanket that is around Preston is a blanket that my grandmother made. I am really missing her right now. It is so hard to not have our loved ones near, but I am so thankful knowing that I will see her again when I meet my Savior:-) I rejoice in that!!! Don't forget to read the previous post of Sammy's play today, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar"

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar"

Oh my goodness, I got to go to Sam's school play today! The play was based on the book "A very hungry caterpillar" by Eric Carle. We love that book! So each child in his class was a part of the story. My Sammy was the piece of salami:-) He very clearly said his line "One piece of salami, chomp chomp", and seemed so proud of himself. While they have been working on this play they actually made their own version of the book. Sam and his classmates each made their own finger painted version of the book. They are so cute. Then we got to have a little snack with him. I am so thankful for these memories and special days that we get to spend with him.

Today was so fun!!!

Sunday at Meme' and Grandpa's house

For the last several years I have absolutely loved spending time at my parents house after church on sunday. It is a tradition that we really enjoy. My mom makes dinner (or sometimes we each bring something) and we eat and spend time together. Sometimes we watch football, or play cards, or swim in the summer. The kids play on the swing set or in the yard. It is so much fun, and I am so blessed to be able to have these memories. Sadly these sundays at my parents are shortly going to be coming to an end:-( My parents are selling their house and moving to North Carolina in January. So these remaining sundays are bittersweet.... Scrub a dub dub, cousins in the tub

Reading with Grandpa

Snuggling with Meme'

My 3 little monkeys:-)

Special visitors and reading

Our cousin Traci came up from Virginia Beach for the weekend. It was so nice to see her. She is in a friend's wedding soon and therefore had to come up for a dress fitting. WE of course didn't at all mind that as we got to spend time with her too. I was happy to get to introduce Preston to her.

Sam is absolutely loving kindergarden. And I am thrilled with his love of reading. He has always loved to be read to, but now he is just taking off with wanting to read for himself. This summer when I had Preston, the first visit Sam made to the hospital to meet him, Sam said that he wanted to huryy up and learn to read so that he could read to his little brother. How sweet is that? So anyways he is really trying and doing well with sounding things out and trying to string them together, not quite reading but it won't be long:-)