And baby makes three...

Lil' Buckaroo

2010-04-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

Just wanna share a favorite...

Happy Birthday Wyatt!

2010-03-30T00:27:00.001-07:00

I miss nursing.

2010-03-04T21:27:00.001-08:00

Some days I'm glad we are doing bottles now, but most of the time, I miss nursing.

POTD: (Feb 28) Playing outside!

2010-03-04T21:22:00.000-08:00

We had a fun day outside in the GORGEOUS spring weather we are having. Of course, he's bundled in this picture because we are in the shade... and he's wearing a hat because the ENT said to keep the wind out of his ears for about a month. So he looks like it's cold outside, but it's not really cold! Not only did he explore some dirt and rocks, we test-drove his new swing! Now he can swing outside with the big kids! He did fantastic and had a really good time.

POTD: (Feb 27) Mama's girl

2010-03-04T21:16:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to take some family pictures for my friend, Sarah! This one is a favorite. Little Miss M was such a good sport and let me take a ton of pictures of her! She's just beautiful and sweet! At this point, she was tuckered out and ready for some quality time with her blanket & crib. I love this picture and I feel like it tells a story. Thoughts? Feedback?

POTD: our little trooper (& flirt)

2010-02-23T19:38:00.001-08:00

Waiting for surgery--how adorable is that little gown?

In the recovery room!

Today Wyatt had to get tubes in his ears. He was a super star! He flirted with all the nurses, played with blown up rubber gloves, laughed at the antics of all the nurses and doctors who came to talk to us prior to the surgery. He was all grins and giggles. He did much better than I anticipated--I expected him to be throwing a fit since he didn't get to have breakfast. However, there were so many people there to wave and smile at him that food was none of his concern!

They took him back to the OR and he was perfectly content. It was weird to watch them just walk away with my son. He looked at me with just a bit of hesitation when the nurse came to get him. She reached for him and he buried his face into my chest and I didn't cry! I just played a game with him to pass him over and he grinned at her and did great. He looked at me and I smiled and waved and he went on out without so much as a peep!!

It didn't take long and the doc was back in the waiting room with me telling me Wyatt did great! He hung out in recovery for about 20 minutes before I was allowed to go to him. He was so glad to see me, but still no tears! He was hungry and clingy, but still happy! He was still flirting with the nurses. We were headed out of the hospital parking lot by 8:45 this morning!

He's a champ and doing great all day! He's been a bit fussy and a bit clingy. He's still rubbing on ear quite a bit. We'll see how tomorrow is and hopefully he's back to his old self!

POTD: Alaska goodies!

2010-02-23T19:36:00.001-08:00

This is Sunday's POTD... I'm so behind. But, I promise that I took it on Sunday.

I am part of a fantastic group of online spouses of Military Aviators. We are a small group and periodically we have a secret swap partner. My partner is stationed in Alaska and she sent me a wonderful box of goodies. Here is just a little sample of what she sent!

POTD: Vintage Tricycle

2010-02-19T16:16:00.000-08:00

This bike is a favorite toy for Hannah. It's such a cool bike! Check out the aging with rust and the rough pedals. This things was made to last and it still stands up the the kids playing with it!

POTD: Zucchini Bread--best snack EVER!!

2010-02-18T20:41:00.001-08:00

David's absolute favorite care package include loaves of zucchini bread. Today I made a few loaves to send to him tomorrow. David likes it with chocolate chips. Wyatt's been eating more and more finger foods and he is a big fan of bread. I figured he'd enjoy the zucchini bread. However, I didn't think he'd be overjoyed! Just like his daddy... zucchini bread makes him very very happy. This is just one of several I got of him enjoying his snack. Later on, he had chocolate all over!

POTD: "Why, Queen Bee, of course..."

2010-02-10T20:23:00.000-08:00

We are having a "Super Hero" party for our FRG this weekend. Part of that is a cape contest. I could not think of anything to theme for my cape. In talking with one of my team members, she came up with the "Queen Bee" idea. So, here is my Queen Bee cape and the luggage tag we used to help create it!

Oh--and the little red cape is for Wyatt... he's my little beehive! haha!!

I will not be able to get POTD updated for the next week. I am traveling and will not be able to get to a computer to do pictures. At this point, I'm not sure if I'll have the space for my camera. See you all in a week!

POTD: To Daddy, with love...

2010-02-08T17:25:00.000-08:00

Every now & again, I tease Wyatt that I will send him to his daddy! I thought it would be fun to take a fun picture with this same concept. :) Wyatt had a blast playing in the box and I love the end result of this.

POTD: Baby Feet!

2010-02-08T16:54:00.000-08:00

Note: I missed yesterday's picture, so I did 2 different concepts for today. This is making up for Feb. 7th's POTD.

I love baby feet. I cannot get enough of them. Wyatt's feet are getting bigger, but they are still so little and adorable. I have a picture similar to this when he was littler. I've been wanting to update it and today seemed like a good day!

The triangle of a Christian relationship...

2010-02-06T17:48:00.001-08:00

Today I got to take some engagement pictures of Cory & Gina. I had this great opportunity to create a picture that I've always seen as a diagram. The diagram says that you have a triangle. God is at the top and the husband is on one lower point, and the wife is on the other. To get closer to each other, you have to get closer to God. I've always loved that! Today at Huachuca Oaks, I had an opportunity to create something like that!

Cory's help (& a bonus pic)

2010-02-05T16:36:00.000-08:00

We have an amazing Brittany named Cory. Cory is very curious and likes to "help." Today I worked on a special Valentine/Thank You for some wonderful people in our FRG. I wanted to play with the light of the setting sun. Here is Cory checking it out.

This is why I love living at home! While I was outside playing with my camera, this is what was happening inside.

Mom is not winning this battle...

2010-02-04T19:28:00.001-08:00

Today I have 2 pictures that I cannot choose from for the photo-of-the-day. Of course, they are of my favorite subject. :)

Wyatt has started sucking his thumb. He is still happy to take a pacifier and he doesn't really suck on it as much as he chews on it. He's got the top two teeth coming in and he's chewing on anything he can get into his mouth--and his thumb is quite handy. I'm not happy about this. I'm anti-thumb sucking. However, there is only so much I can do...

Here is a glimpse of our life. Wyatt cruising through the living room, trying to avoid my saddle. I need to get my saddle put away, but it's in the middle of the living room. He's most happy when he's cruising and we are all paying attention!

GGpa.

2010-02-03T20:55:00.000-08:00

We are so very fortunate to have my grandfather living here too! It's such a blessing to have him part of our every day life. W loves his "G-Gpa" (short for Great Grandpa) and it's so nice for W to have this time with him. Every day, GGpa reads his newspaper while sipping his coffee.

Catching up...

2010-02-03T16:10:00.000-08:00

Here is the picture that I was behind on. This is not today's picture, but Feb 1st's picture. I love this shot because Cory's face is so expressive. He's such an amazing dog and let's our son climb all over him.

Things I love about this shot--the lighting, the focus, the expression

Things I need to fix-- don't cut off the dogs feet.

What are your thoughts?

My project for February...

2010-02-02T21:42:00.000-08:00

I know I'm a day behind already, but it's best to get a late start than not at all. However, I have committed to taking at least one picture every day in February and post it on my blog. I know this will help me grow as a photographer and I'm excited to see what happens.

I would love to hear feedback on the pictures I've taken. Do you like them or not? What would you like to see different? What do you like or dislike about them? Do you have suggestions to make it better?

Here is today's submission: My nephew at lunch... enjoying his milk after devouring his pb&j. :) Those eyes are amazing!

Where's Wyatt?

2010-01-30T13:26:00.000-08:00

This is Wyatt in his walker. He loves his walker. He can make this thing go fast! However, it has started a new game in our house called "Where's Wyatt?" He disappears before your very eyes! You go to the kitchen to get a glass of water, by the time you've taken a swallow, he's GONE!

This is the view we normally see of him... walking away from us (unless I'm offering food--then he's coming at me quick!). You call him and he'll look over his shoulder so innocently...
Then he takes off! His favorite place is down the hall--specifically the laundry room. There are fascinating things in the laundry room! There is the washer, the doggy door, and most interesting (and apparently yummy) is the dog food! Where there is dog food, there are dogs! He LOVES the dogs!!
If he's not discovering the laundry room or chasing the dogs, then he's in the kitchen. The kitchen is a smorgasbord of big fun! He likes to play with the chimes hanging off of the cabinet handle (actually there just for little people). Or maybe help with the dishes...

But his absolute FAVORITE thing is pulling down and playing with dish towels! He grabs them and then takes off! He swings them about so victoriously. He will run to ggpa to show them off. If I try to grab it so I can use it, he runs away--swinging it in the air as he goes. If he's upset or bored or irritated that it's taking too long to make dinner... just give the kid a dish towel!

He's made me panic a few times when he discovers a new place and I can't find him. I'm sure this is just the beginning of many many times where my heart falls into my stomach. But for now, I'm just laughing at the idea that we now have to holler, "Wyyyaaattt... where arrrreee yoooouuu??"

**click on the pictures to see the full size image!**

Visit from Aunt Liz

2010-01-28T22:23:00.000-08:00

Liz is probably the closest and most devoted friend I have. She's one of the most remarkable women I've ever met and I miss her terribly! God gave me Elizabeth as a friend on April 20, 2003. David was in Iraq for the first time and he'd not been gone very long. I had been praying for a good girl friend who I could relate to. After awkwardly staring at her through the entire beginning of Easter service, I finally scootched to the end of the aisle and whispered "Hey, do you want to sit together?" and the rest was history!

Elizabeth has never been farther west than Ft. Hood, TX (where we met). I was so excited to show her the desert and the beauty here that no one really expects. We had such a wonderful visit and I enjoyed showing her around!

The first day she was here, we went to Old Tucson. I wasn't planning a trip to Old Tucson--it was a last-minute brain drizzle. We got there about 3 hours before it closed. That's plenty of time to do Old Tucson during the week. The place was pretty empty. We got to see a few shows and just look around. We did most of the "rides" and Wyatt had a great time.

The next day we went to Bisbee & Tombstone. We stopped at the junk store in Bisbee and had waaayyyy too much fun just fondling and laughing at all of the items there. Liz's favorite part was the picture of someone's hiney for sale. Seriously. It was a black & white picture... and it was a saggy hiney. We weren't sure why they had such a high price tag on it. Then, we saw these classic hair salon chairs... oh boy we had fun!

From Bisbee we headed over to Tombstone. No trip to Tombstone is complete without the fun old time picture. We made sure to make it to the picture place and we were one of the last people to make it before it closed. The experience was a bit awkward as they give you these outfits with very little back to them (I'm thinking a hospital gown is about the same coverage). They gave us these men's boxers and then an outfit. There were signs all over the dressing room that we were NOT to tie the outfits. It wasn't too bad until we went out and there were strangers there and we both felt very exposed. Plus, it was COLD! We were barefoot on this very very very cold wooden floor. We had a good laugh getting ourselves ready.

We ended up gong back to Tombstone one more time to look for something for Liz to take home to her kids. We also went to Texas Canyon and drove through Sonoita. I don't have those pictures on this computer, so you will just have to imagine the beauty of those two places in your mind.

It was such a wonderful weekend. I was so blessed by our time together. It was the perfect break. I've missed Liz so very much. We always laugh together and we picked up right where we left off. I already miss her like crazy and really wish Ohio was a bit closer!

Guess who's crawling!

2010-01-11T22:10:00.001-08:00

Look at those big baby... grays? browns? hazels?

Today Wyatt has discovered that he can get his belly off the floor AND move at the same time! He's not moving fast yet, but I'm sure it's just a matter of hours before he is.

We also had another follow up with the pediatrician today. Wyatt still has fluid on his ears, a ton of congestion, and still some coughing from his bronchitis. However, he has improved quite a bit since Wednesday. He's gained back his weight and he's back to 18 lbs. 6 oz. I'm relieved that he's gained some weight back! The doctor isn't worried yet. He says that there IS fluid, but his ears aren't infected right now. He doesn't seem to be in any pain and he's not had a fever now for a few days! The congestion concerns me much more than the it concerns the doctor. He said today, "snot happens in little people." I guess we'll keep going with our routines of humidfiers & vicks vapo-rub. Until this clears, I am tempted to change his name to "Sir Snots A Lot." Poor kid!

He's a happy boy though. He's been happy all day today. He's been giggly and playful all day. It's been wonderful to have my happy boy back!

Here are some pics from today. This is a good show of what color his eyes are. What is your guess? I can't figure out what to call them other than "not blue." haha!! Put your vote of eye color in the comment section!!

Look--TEETH! Both are through and this is the first picture that I've been able to see them!

Teeth! (well... tooth)--and prayers please

2010-01-06T23:14:00.001-08:00

Today Wyatt's second tooth (bottom right) came in. I'm hoping that this will help some with the fevers and the ear problems he's not been able to kick. We were back at the doctor today. Wyatt's been on antibiotics for so long that he's having some gut problems. We have a follow up on Monday to see if the fluid on his ears has cleared. If not, then we are headed for an ENT. I would really love for this to clear up and go away. If you could please pray for Wyatt to feel better and for his body to heal.

Here is a picture to hold you over for now. :) This is Wyatt after the Christmas parade. It was quite cold. The excitement of the parade and the walk back to the truck just tuckered him out!

9 month check up & stats

2010-01-04T15:13:00.000-08:00

Today Wyatt had his 9 month well-baby check. It's interesting because he's not been well for several weeks. He's had an ear infection for a little over 3 weeks at this point. We are on the 3rd set of antibiotics at this point and I'm hoping it will clear his little ear. He came in at 16 lbs, 9 oz. which is a 2lb loss from when he first got sick. He's 27 1/2 inches long and his head is 44 cm around. He's got a big noggin. :) He is at the bottom of the scale for babies his age all around. The doctor isn't concerned yet. He said, "well, he's a small baby." That was his only commentary.

Wyatt has 3 words now. He's got up, uh-oh, and hot. I don't know if I can technically count "hot" because I am not sure he knows what it means. He does like the way it sounds though! The words "mama" and "daddy" aren't even on the horizon! He also plays "pat-a-cake" and waves all the time. He's still a happy boy and a huge flirt! He eats a ton of food! I wish I had this kid's metabolism! He is definitely taking after his daddy in that area. He is not crawling yet, but he does a pretty speedy low-crawl. He gets up on his hands and knees, but can't figure out how to get his arms moving to crawl. He's got the legs figured out, but not the hands. It's fun to watch.

Yesterday (Sunday, Jan 3), his first tooth finally cut through! He has his bottom left tooth and the bottom right is hot on it's tail! It should pop through any moment now. He's also got some top teeth trying to show up all at once.

We had a fantastic Christmas! Wyatt enjoyed all the presents. He opened a few, but I did most of the work. The day after Christmas we took a trip up to Colorado to see BamBam & Grandpa. We got lucky and got to visit with Aunt Susan too (who lives in Georgia!). Wyatt fell in love with all 3 of them and he ate up all the extra attention. He traveled great and was super on all of our flights!

That's about it from here! I hope everyone is having a fantastic January!

Did you give up on me yet??

2009-12-23T22:34:00.000-08:00

It has been waaayyy too long since I last updated. We have been insanely busy here. Lots going on over here!

A quick run down...
Wyatt is 18 1/2 lbs. He's 8 1/2 months old now (wow! how did that happen??). He is sitting up on his own and can low crawl at a pretty good speed. He can usually get to something he's not supposed to faster than I can catch him! He's so close to crawling that I expect it any moment now. He has spoken his first word, "Up." Meaning, pick me up, I want to jump, I don't want to do this any more... UP UP UP works for all of those things. He has also learned "uh-oh" and enjoys saying that over and over since it gets reactions from everyone!

Right now, the poor kid has an ear infection and bronchitis. We have already completed one round of antibiotics for the ear infection. Nine days later and the ear is still infected and now he has bronchitis. We have changed antibiotics and hopefully this will kick it. Please pray for him to feel better soon. We are flying to Colorado to see BamBam and Grandpa H this weekend and it will be a much better trip if he isn't feeling sick.

Wyatt still is a pleasant little boy who smiles at every pretty girl he sees. Makes it hard to get things done quickly when he's flirting with every girl in Target! We get stopped a LOT. Of course he turns on the charm for all of them. He's such a big flirt--I'm already dreading adolescence!

Today we woke up to a beautiful blanket of snow!! Wyatt doesn't feel good, so he wasn't very interested. However, I took about 150 pictures (I'm not exaggerating) and enjoyed the views while they lasted--until about noon! haha!

I am going to try to get better at updating this thing. Here is a picture to tide you over until next time. :)

Pumpkin Patch, growin boy, and more!

2009-10-24T00:40:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot going on over here! We've stayed VERY busy. It's nice because it makes the time go by much faster.

Wyatt had his well-baby check this week. He's doing fantastic! He's 16 lbs. 5 oz. He's slowed down a bit on his weight gain, but he's getting quite long. He's 27" long (I think--I cannot remember clearly). The doc is happy with how Wyatt is doing.

Wyatt can sit up with support now. Not quite on his own yet, but he's getting close. We've finally put up the crib and he seems to like it for the most part. He sleeps a bit longer and he seems to be more comfortable.

Unfortunately, we have entered a new phase with lots of crying & screaming. It's wearing me out. For over a week, he's waken up in the middle of the night (between 1-4am) to just scream and cry at me for an hour. I'm exhausted. He's also become very clingy lately. If I leave the room, it's just devastating to him--at least that's how he carries on. Driving me slightly crazy. I'm guessing that this is teething and we just have to get through it. I just need some super human strength.

He's started eating more and more real food. I have some jarred food, but mostly we just mash up whatever we are eating and give him rice cereal. He LOVES to eat with us. He gets quite adamant that he needs more and more. Very rarely does he indicate fullness. He loves to eat and is always up for more big people food.

We went to the Pumpkin patch last weekend (well, the Pumpkin tent really). He had a great time! Poor kid was subjected to mommy with a new lens to play with. He took it well and I think I got some fun images. Enjoy!!

6 months old!!

2009-10-01T21:18:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go? Our little man is 6 months old already! It's hard to believe. On one hand, it feels like he's always been a part of our lives, on the other hand it feels like he just barely got here! We have had a very big 6 months since Wyatt joined us. It's kind of hard to believe. Quick run down of what Wyatt can do these days:
He rolls to travel (even getting himself stuck under the couch, cornered by the door, stuck under gpa's saw horses)
He's eating cereal every day
He can almost hold the bottle by himself (for his daily apple juice--we are still nursing)
He laughs easily
He's very ticklish
He is a drool factory
No teeth yet, but they are working on it (hence, the drool)
He loves his bouncer (both the johny jump up and the stationary bouncer)
His favorite part of the day is when I take him outside
His favorite songs are: Jesus Loves Me, You are My Sunshine, Animal Crackers, Teddy Bear Picnic
He's almost out-grown his cradle (and that makes mommy sad)
He's a very happy boy 90% of the time. The other 10% he's royally TICKED OFF!! (it's kind of funny... as long as you're not stuck in the car with the angry screaming).
He is starting to respond to his name

I think that's it. :) Here are some pictures I took today to mark his 1/2 birthday... It was interesting. He was not at all interested in posing. Poor kid! haha!!

Enjoy!!

Ok mom... this is enough, right? Are we done yet?

I give up. Can we do something else?

Ooohhhh, DIRT!! That's different!

Yummmm, cereal!

2009-10-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I finally gave in and let Wyatt try cereal. He so desperately wants to be a big boy and join us at dinner. We started with oatmeal, but it's a bit heavy for him. We are doing rice cereal now and he's a very very happy camper! He loves eating off of a spoon! I think I could give him mud on a spoon and he'd happily eat it just because it's eating like a big boy. He seems to think he's ready for steak.

Here a few pictures of his first bites of cereal. He was very happy until I took too long to re-fill the spoon. Then he got a bit grouchy. haha!

Growing, growing, growing!

2009-09-21T23:00:00.001-07:00

My baby is growing up!! I hate it! I love watching him learn and grow, but I want him to stop!! This week, we started solid foods. He LOVES it!! He's been very interested in eating and watching us put food into our mouths. He gets rather grumpy at the table when we are eating and he isn't. He kept trying to grab at my food, and that helped me decide he was ready for cereal. I didn't want to start it until 6 or more months old, but he was so ready. I'm unsure as to if I like it or not. He spits up all the time now. He had quit doing that. Now it seems like he's spitting up all day long. And it's slimy. Not loving that. Plus.. the diapers are stinky now! I really enjoyed the non-stinky nursing-only diapers!

He's not sitting up yet, but he sure wants to. He's been rolling to travel. The other day he had a blow out all over the blanket on the floor. I got him changed and set him back down on the floor. I wrapped up the blanket and the pj's he had soiled to put them in the washer. When I came back to the room, he was gone!! I had to catch my breath for just a second. He had rolled himself under the desk! He was quite proud of himself too. So far, he's gotten under the desk, under the couch, out of the living room & into the hall, wedged in the saw horses (still remodeling over here). The problem is that he gets stuck because he can only roll in one direction. He gets rolled into a corner and then hollers for me because he can't get out.

Cory & Wyatt are best buds. Cory just has to walk by and Wyatt will break into a big smile. Wyatt always reaches for Cory and Cory tolerates kisses, slobbers, pulled hair, and more. Cory will just snuggle up to Wyatt on the floor. It's adorable! Cory is very protective of Wyatt too. If there is any thing/person/dog that Cory feels is a threat, he gets between the threat & Wyatt and squares himself up. He's growled a few times. It's kind of cool to see!

Everything is going really well. Time seems to be flying over here. Before I know it, another week is gone. It's nice that the deployment is going so fast. However, it just goes to show that once you have kids, time becomes jet-fueled.

The zoo...

2009-09-21T22:38:00.000-07:00

We went to the zoo quite a while ago. However, I just got the pictures off the camera tonight. I know, I'm a big slacker! We've been staying super busy. It's all good things for the most part.

Wyatt did great at the zoo! He just looked around and took in all of his surroundings. He was very curious and very alert! It was quite warm in Tucson that day and he got frustrated with the heat. We would soak the muslin blanket and give him a bit of evaporative cooling. That helped a bit. He hung out in the stroller and enjoyed seeing everything. He didn't make it through the whole day--he was asleep by the time we got to the bird display!

Wyatt's stats...

2009-09-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

We saw the doctor yesterday to do his 4 month shots. We are a month behind, but that's fine. The new doc is WONDERFUL and he did a complete check up of Wyatt. Right now, He is 15 lbs, 8 oz. He is 26.5" long. His head is 44.5 cm around (this kid has a big noggin!). He is in the 33%ile for weight, but in the 76%ile for height. He's gonna be a tall, skinny kid with a big round head! He has the perfect shaped head to be bald... which is good since he IS bald!!

He did really well with the doctor yesterday. He smiled and talked to the doc the entire time. He had a new nurse practitioner with him and she observed and then checked him over too. Wyatt really liked her and smiled pretty big once she got there. He's already a big flirt! He sees a pretty girl and lights up. Of course they come over to smile back at him and just encourage this behavior! I'm dreading jr. high & high school already. :)

Growing some gills....

2009-08-31T16:54:00.000-07:00

Wyatt loves the water! Every time we start a bath, get in a pool, or get near water he is excited! He kicks his feet and starts talking and is nothing but smiles. Here are a few pictures from our adventures in the water.

We are doing well! We are settling in Arizona. Wyatt is finally starting to feel more comfortable and I'm hoping that means he will start sleeping at night again. Yesterday he hit 5 months old. Where does the time go? He's getting really big. His eyes are starting to get darker--I'm a little sad about that. I really loved those baby blues! He's always smiling and has started to really find his voice. Today he just has been making noises to see what they sound like! I think he's going to be a lefty. He always reaches for things with his left hand, he jumps in his jumpers on his left foot, he always manages to get the left shoe off... Maybe he's taking after his Gpa Holt (a lefty).

Wyatt LOVES the johnny jumper and his little play center. He's not quite sitting up on his own yet, but he sure wants to! He's been very interested in things I drink, so I've let him start drinking from a cup. It's mostly messy, but he keeps wanting to try! For now, we are still nursing and that's it. I'm not quite ready to introduce foods yet, though he's ready and very intrigued by eating. It's just me that's not quite ready for my little boy to be big enough for that yet. Wyatt also loves playing with and talking to the dogs. Cory is always catching Wyatt's attention! He gets to play with his cousins most days and it's fun for all!

I'm doing pretty good. I have been staying incredibly busy. I've been very tired, so my list of accomplishments is pretty small. I think we've finally got my rooms settled down the hall. Now it's just a matter of getting everything put in a place and getting some pictures on the walls. I've seen a few friends, but have many more I want to connect with.
Eating at daddy's favorite restaurant... enjoying his favorite sandwich!

We're still here!!!

2009-08-19T16:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in forever!! Things have been so so so busy! It's been one big thing after another. All in all, we are doing great! We are getting settled in at mom's house. I'm still unpacking. Wyatt is growing like a weed and seems to be changing every day. Here are a few pictures to whet your whistle. I will try to update with some fun stories or a real update soon (heavy on the TRY).

Enjoying his new play station! He jumps & plays the whole time!

first drink out of a big glass! He was trying his hardest to grab it from me, so I let him have a try!
Hanging out with Hannah at a rest stop.
Having his apple juice--and trying to be independent! (He can't hold his bottle yet, this was a quick moment without my hand... but he's trying!)

Wyatt is a growing boy!

2009-07-29T15:20:00.000-07:00

We just came back from Wyatt's 4 month check up. He did fantastically!! He was a bit grumpy since he didn't sleep hardly at all last night and was refusing to nap. So instead of being his happy, smiley self, he looked at the doc with his lower lip out on the verge of crying the whole time.

He came in at 15 lbs, 2 oz. and 24 3/4" long. He is in the 60th percentile all around. He's very healthy and gaining well. The pediatrician said we could start rice cereal, but I think we are going to hold off. There is absolutely no reason to right now. He's healthy, he's gaining weight well, he's happy. I don't think we need to introduce solid foods. She said that it was just for "practice" to learn how to eat with a spoon and when he's 6 months, I need to introduce veggies. She mentioned that many breastfed babies have a hard time transitioning to spoons so that's why she suggests the rice cereal so that he can take to solids a bit better in 2 months. I asked if there was any real hurry or deadline and if he had trouble and didn't really get it down until 9+ months then is that a problem? She said no. Since he's doing so well, I think we are just going to stick with what we are doing for now.

In the last 2 days, Wyatt has starting rolling a LOT. He has started using rolling as a mode of transportation. It's wierd to set him down and when I look back, he's not where I left him! He's starting to scoot a bit too, but its not realy intentional. We are staying with Adriana right now and Wyatt is getting some quality time in with his girlfriend in. She is still stealing his pacifier and smashing him with love. It's adorable!! He is much happier when she is around. The only sad part is that when one of them cries, the other one gets very sad too. So, we get crying in stereo. It's still adorable. Right now as I type, she is trying to shove his pacifier up his nose and he's grinning from ear to ear. She loves to rub his head and tries to grab the peach fuzz that is posing as his hair. He likes to hold her hands (though, it may just be to keep her hands from stealing the pacifier... we're not sure).

The next few days will be very busy. I will be out of the area by Friday afternoon. I am looking forward to it, but sad to be leaving so many new and old friends.

Let's get this party started

2009-07-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

Well, we have started Iraq Chapter 3 for our family. David got going with no major hiccups or issues. It was a crazy busy day (heavy on the crazy), and time is never enough in these situations. I don't know if I should say "fortunately" or "unfortunately"... but I'm getting used to this and it is getting easier. It's nice to have the confidence in myself to know that I will be ok. I have a plan. I know that it is going to be a good year. David's crew is a fantastic team and I know they are going to accomplish great things and also become a cohesive team. There are several spouses who I have met and we have a great time together!! Today two other girls spent today with me to help us distract ourselves! (We did a little damage at IKEA---yaayyy for retail therapy!)

The day started with a bang. We got up and loaded up the truck with David's ruck sack (I think that was heavier than me!), his duffel bag, and Cory. We all headed to David's office intending to just drop him off. However, a little man named Wyatt decided he was hungry RIGHT NOW. So all of us piled out of the truck and into David's office (including Cory) to give Wyatt more breakfast. From there Wyatt, Cory, and I got BACK into the truck and we headed to the boarding kennel. I got Cory dropped off (and it only took 3 trips to the truck & back--I just don't have a lot of arms--one holds the baby and that means very little room left for cargo). He is spending a few days at the kennel to stay out from under foot with all the packing & moving. After all that, we headed BACK to David's office just in time for lunch. We were able to escape back to the apartment to pick up a few more things to throw into a tough box for David (instead of me having to mail it) and then went to lunch. David wanted Cracker Barrel and some chicken fried steak & eggs. I got a little choked up there as the reality of the day started to settle in. We didn't have a lot of time to be sappy though--it was back to work for David. We got back on post and the flurry of activity began. He dropped off his bags at the gym, ran to the office for the tough box, ran to the TMC to drop off records, back to the gym to put his pocket knives in his bags, back to the office to clean up some emails, then into the van to go check weapons. This is where we went separate ways. David had to go get his weapon, I went to get something to drink and start waiting for him at the gym.

It was more than an hour before David was able to join us at the gym. Once he got there, there was more busyness. We did a casing ceremony of the colors, then had just a few more minutes together. We said our good-byes and then they all filed out to the bus. And he was gone. It was sad, but it was manageable. I tear ed up, but I didn't sob or get too upset. I joked with some of the girls, and then we headed out (after all the buses were out of sight). One of the girls came over last night and we just had a really good visit.

Today I moved us out of the apartment and came to Adriana's house. I don't know what I would do without Adriana. She continually saves the day. I might have to make her a superhero cape!! She came to help get us out of the apartment, and then gave me her giant king size bed to camp out on for the next few days. We decided to get out of town, so we went to IKEA. It's quite an experience!! I did a little bit of damage and had a lot of fun!! It was great hanging out with the girls and it was a fantastic way to divert my brain.

I can tell that there are a lot of people praying for us. It's very evident. I've been doing so well and while it's not been super easy, it's definitely easier than the deployment departures in the past. Wyatt is doing amazing and we are more than ok! I'm sure reality will set in one of these days, but for now we are doing fantastically and just focused on everything coming up. THANK YOU all for your prayers. Please know that God has made Himself known every day and I appreciate all of your prayers so very much.

Wyatt's first birthday party!

2009-07-23T22:53:00.000-07:00

Wyatt has a girlfriend. Her name is Elizabeth. She hugs him (well, grabs his head and squeezes it, or she grabs him and lays her head on him--SO ADORABLE!!). She kisses him (well, slobbers him really). She hits him on the face & head in excitement. She steals his pacifiers. It's love. :)

We celebrated Elizabeth's first birthday party last night. Wyatt had a great time being passed around and spend a good amount of time getting "loved on" by the birthday girl. I have a lot of pictures from the party, but our internet at the apartment is lousy. I thought I'd show you a picture of the 3 of us and as soon as I have decent internet I will share more pictures from the birthday party.

David's departure is rapidly approaching and he will be gone very soon. Please keep us in your prayers as we are trying to accomplish all of the errands, spend some quality time together, and enjoy the time instead of stress about how short it is. Pray for David. He's having a hard time leaving his little boy behind. Pray for me to have the strength to accomplish everything next week after David leaves.

A rough day today...

2009-07-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

Something I wrote for the book my mom is making:
Grandpa was always a pushover for little kids. No matter how gruff or grumpy he wanted to be, a little kid would always have the upper hand. This was evident in the way he'd always let me (or any of us grandkids) climb into that big brown chair with the brass rivets to sit on his lap for hours on end. He was always inviting us on to his lap, no matter how many of us there were. Grandpa could fit 3-4 kids on that lap!! I remember him taking us on trips to see grandma at her cafe and he'd always get us a donut even when he had protested the entire drive over there that we weren't getting anything to eat, just going to say hi to grandma. The biggest evidence of little kids getting what they want was the candy drawer! It was never empty and if it was lacking in a specific candy, the next time we came over it was magically there. Grandpa would override moms & dads to let us have "just a mug full" of m&m's, or "just one more" snickers bar. Grandpa remained a pushover even with his great-grandson. Even though his memory had started to fade and he was growing very tired in his old age, he lit up brighter than the Central Park Christmas tree when he held my son, Wyatt. That big old tough guy melted and smiled the biggest smile I'd seen since his wedding to Fran. He coo'd and talked and made faces at Wyatt for hours. He reminisced about the times he used to hold me and play with me just like that. He didn't want to share with anyone and it was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. That was the last time I saw my grandpa--the grandpa I remember from my growing up years who loved openly and was absolutely enchanted by the little babies that made up his family.

Wyatt loves his daddy!

2009-07-17T23:03:00.000-07:00

so much to catch up on...

2009-07-17T21:28:00.000-07:00

It has been VERY VERY busy around here lately. There is a lot to update you on and it's not all good news. It's not all bad news, either. Just a lot of news in general.

First, Big Grandpa passed away this week. Thankfully he & Fran made it to their 8th anniversary and she spent his last night with him before he passed. He was in a lot of pain and had quit eating and talking. It's good to know he is finally out of pain. The funeral will be next week and we will not be able to attend. It is very very close to David's departure and it's impossible to be everywhere. I will just have to experience it through pictures. I am just so thankful that I said my "good byes" to him in April when he met Wyatt.

Secondly, things are gearing up for David's departure. We are down to single-digit of days before he has to do some globe trotting for his 3rd combat tour. Our to-do list seems endless, the nights are short, the sleep isn't good, and next thing you know he'll be gone. I had purchased a ticket for my friend, Elizabeth, to come help me drive. This is the first time the Army has changed a departure to give me MORE time. Now I have to figure out her ticket and hopefully it will work out without costing too much money. I haven't had the brain space to think about it.

Our little apartment has had no internet for over a week now. It's driving me a bit crazy since I'm up to my ears in rosters, deployment plans, and more. This weekend we are staying at Adriana & Eric's house to stay with their dogs. It's a nice break from the apartment and it's nice to be able to help them out while they take a weekend away together.

Wyatt is doing amazing! I put him in our johnny jumper this week and he had a great time! He's slowly figuring it out and he likes being upright and seeing all around. The first few times he made himself bounce, he scared himself. After that, he realized how much fun it was! He can stay in it for about 15 minutes before he gets tired. He's starting to giggle and he's laughed once. David wasn't around for when he was laughing, but I'm hoping he'll do it again.

We were in Dallas last week (was that just a week ago??) for some flight training for David. We stopped by to see Aunt June. She's in the hospital for now, but it was a good visit. She was absolutely enchanted with Wyatt and he did great. Aunt June is Wyatt's Great-Great-Aunt. So we told the nurses that she was his "Greatest Aunt June."

Wyatt is getting stronger every day. He's getting better about car rides and starting to state his own opinions. He does not work himself into being angry. He goes from zero-to-angry in about 1.2 seconds. This kid does not mess around. Fortunately, if I solve it quick enough (for example, if it takes me too long to get him latched on to nurse, he's mad... but once he's getting fed...), then he's quickly happy again. HOWEVER, if he has to stay mad for a while, he holds a grudge. The other night we were at a meeting and we left a bit late. He decided shortly after he was buckled in that he was hungry. We had to get home, so I figured we'd make it. He was MAD MAD MAD!! He sobbed like I've never heard before and screamed and got so angry! Even after I had him latched on, he was still mad. He'd take a few bites, break off, look at me and then scream in anger. If he could have figured out how to eat without actually having to touch me, he would have been happy. It took him 30 minutes before he wasn't mad at me anymore. I am thinking that we have a lot of lessons in forgiveness in our future.

I can't believe my time in TX is almost over. On one hand, it seems like we've been here forever. On the other, it seems like we just got here. It's been a big 3 months and I'm exhausted. I'm looking forward to getting to AZ, riding my horse, getting this deployment going so we can get it behind us. I have a lot of goals for this year and I'm ready to get to AZ so I can tackle them. I haven't been able to visit with everyone I wanted. I haven't been able to do some of the touristy things I wanted (the broken ankle didn't really help with that...). I'm ready to get out of here, but I'm sad that what I wanted to happen didn't happen.

There is so much going on here. I have no way to keep you all up. Plus, it's just not that interesting. Just keep us in your prayers as we prepare for David to leave. It will be hard on both of us this time.

Mom, put down the camera. I'm not in the mood.

2009-07-09T10:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I tortured my kid by making him "pose" for pictures. He was NOT in the mood (see above pic). That didn't slow me down one bit. Poor kid. I thought I'd share a few of what we did.

This one is my favorite. Such a sweet baby (as I type that, he's yelling at me....):

Swimming!!

2009-07-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

The first day at our hotel here in Dallas, Wyatt & I jumped into the pool. He LOVED it!! We had a really good time. David was there to take pictures and watch Wyatt take his first dip. We are probably going to jump in again today and enjoy the water. It's been very hot here and the pool is indoors. We don't have to worry about getting sunburnt. It's a nice bonus to this hotel.

I thought I'd share some pictures. I think this little guy is going to be a fish. He loves bath time, he loved the pool... maybe we have an Olympic swimmer! :)

mommy, I'm so tired. Please leave me alone

2009-07-08T08:46:00.000-07:00

My poor kid... I just wanted to take some pictures. :)

More to come later!

Independence Day (and more pictures!)

2009-07-06T05:49:00.000-07:00

We had a very relaxing Independence Day! We all slept in (even Wyatt!) and had a very leisurely morning. We loaded up and went shopping for a video camera, had a delicious lunch, more shopping, then we went to the rodeo in Belton. It was a very relaxing day. We had a good time even though it was ridiculously hot outside. We spent all of the day inside, so it worked out.

Wyatt enjoyed his first rodeo so much, he slept right through it! The rodeo started at 7pm. Wyatt is normally headed for bed around 8. We had a big day, so he was tuckered out. The sound was incredibly loud and it was physically painful to my ears. I was worried about Wyatt's little ear drums--if he's going to lose his hearing to sound damage, at least let it be his own choice, not because I wanted to go to a rodeo when he was 3 months old. The rodeo was indoors, so the sound just reverberated off of everything. Wyatt spent the evening with a blanket wadded up around his ears. I'm hoping that was enough of a muffler. He was not happy about his ears being covered, but he eventually fell asleep. He slept pretty well, but he'd jump and make faces every time the buzzer went off for the rough-stock events.

The rodeo was an evening rodeo and didn't finish until almost 10pm! We didn't get to see fireworks this year. It was a bit disappointing, but we weren't too upset. It really was miserably hot and fireworks are an outdoor activity. We saw a few fireworks on the drive home from people setting them off in their yards. That was kind of fun. Over all, we had a good Independence Day and a very fun weekend.

For now, we are headed up to Dallas for David to get some flight time in. I'm confident I can find some good shopping up there. haha!! The hotel we are staying at has an indoor pool. I am planning for Wyatt & me to get some good swimming time in--it will be the first time in a pool for him. I might be able to convince David to do the pool tonight so that he can take pictures of us. He will be working the entire week, so tonight is the only chance to have a photographer. I need to go get us packed so we can drop Cory off at the boarding place and we can hit the road!

OH--most importantly... I know you want to see pictures. HERE (click the word "here") are a few from the last several weeks. These pictures were mostly taken by my mom. I've taken a few since she left, but not nearly as many.

Wyatt rolled over!!

2009-07-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

He did it twice even!! I set him down on his tummy (which he HATES) and he flipped over right away. I wasn't going to count that because it happened so fast, I figured it had to be because of the way we set him down. I flipped him back over and shortly after that, he rolled to his back again. This time I wasn't touching him at all, so I figure we can give him credit for it. I've since flipped him back to his tummy and he's TICKED, but not rolling over. So it was probably an accident, but kinda cool at the same time. He's getting pretty good and pushing his head up to look around when he's on his tummy. But, he really really hates being on his tummy.

Already a battle of the wills...

2009-06-30T08:34:00.000-07:00

I never thought it would start this early. But it has. Wyatt & I disagree and we are BOTH determined to get our way. Wyatt wants to be a thumb-sucker. I am absolutely opposed to it. I have about 47 pacifiers in this house and he can have any style or color he wants of those. However, he'd rather have his thumb. I'd rather he have a pacifier because it is better for the development of his mouth (don't have a thumb pulling against the roof of his mouth), and mainly because you can take a pacifier away. You cannot take a thumb away. Wyatt is quick! He gets that thumb in there fast. I'm not sure if he's teething already because the boy has some drool! He is a drool factory right now and he really wants his fists and anything else in his mouth at all times. He even will chomp on his hands through socks or sleeves. I keep pulling out his hand and popping in the pacifier. He'll go with the pacifier for a bit, but seems to prefer his hands. I just hope I am more determined than he is about this. The only bad part is that I cannot constantly be on thumb-patrol. I've got stuff to do!

In other news... It's still crazy busy around here. Let me just summarize the last 7 days:
Wednesday--got my cast off, returned my scooter, picked up dad from the Airport in Austin.
Thursday--breakfast with David so dad could see him, time with mom and dad, then they get sent off.
Friday--Family Day at the lake for David's unit
Saturday--an AWESOME visit with Tom & Sheila who came up from Houston.
Sunday--church with a potluck, finishing up the family book for deployment that has consumed me for the past month
Monday--Wyatt & I spent ALL DAY at the unit to create & construct the books for deployment. Wyatt did amazing! I wore him all morning and he slept for 3 hours while I worked. Then he hung out in his stroller and was content all day! Now I am convinced this kid doesn't belong to me!! haha!! After we finished what we could of the books, it was time for our pre-deployment brief.
Tuesday--Today I am catching my breath! Wyatt & I slept until 9. We were both exhausted after yesterday (we all got home after 9pm!). I have about 4 loads of laundry to fold, I am desperately behind in cleaning, and I need to get bills paid.

Starting tomorrow, I have to take the FRG leadership courses for the next 2 days (again... I took it 5 years ago and I have plenty of experience, but it was "highly encouraged"). Then we have a 4 day weekend, then we are off to Dallas for David to get some flying done.

As always, I know that I need to share pictures of the little guy. I know that's the only reason some of you even read this--just to see the pictures. Of course, who knows if you are even reading this part, this could all just be filler around the pictures for you... So to keep you happy, here are some of my fav's. I have been REALLY bad about taking pictures this last week (I cannot imagine why, I've had absolutely nothing going on...).

Family play time on the floor.

Wyatt was soooo tired, but really didn't want to fall asleep!

Love this shirt from Aunt Miriam!!

He is a very happy baby!!

FINALLY asleep. He fights it sooo hard!

Got some big Praises to do...

2009-06-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

I always love it when doctors are surprised. I KNOW I have a lot of people praying for me. I know that we are so abundantly blessed with so many wonderful people in our life. I know God answers prayer!

I got my cast off yesterday. The next step was supposed to be a walking boot for 2-6 weeks. Then PT with a brace (flexible) and then I'd be done. We did the x-rays and he came in and said that it healed REALLY well. He said that I could do the walking boot (completely immobilizing the ankle) or I could skip ahead to the lace-up flexible splint. He really felt like the boot was not necessary at all. He said that I can slowly put more and more weight on it over the next 3-4 days, then just keep walking. Once I'm fully weight-bearing without pain, then I can drive. He said 2-3 weeks! PLUS, I don't have to do PT!! He gave me a resistance band, a few exercises to do and sent me on my way. I don't have to see him again unless I have problems. He said he doesn't expect to ever see me again!! He is a fantastic doctor and he was wonderful through all of this. I'm really sore now. The cast had me pain-free for almost a month now. I had some incision pain, but that's about it. Without the cast, I can really feel the sprain that came at the same time as the break. I'm also having a hard time easing myself into weight-bearing. I'd love to just jump in. Today I probably did too much. I'm pretty achy. The muscles are very very sore and weak. It's not horrible, but it's a bit annoying. It is nice to be able to set this foot down completely while on the crutches. I've already returned my scooter. I am hoping to be walking by Sunday!

We've also found a church here that I really like. The people have been so great and very friendly. Several people have personally offered to come drive me anywhere, cook a meal, sit and visit, or anything I need. It is wonderful especially since we've only gone there for the last 3 weeks. I really look forward to Sunday mornings. I'm glad we found some place where we can feel like we fit in even though it is for such a short time.

Another great thing... I've been doing FRG (Family Readiness Group) for several years. I've done 2 full deployments as a leader, and another deployment as a support volunteer. Last time, I had a very hard time finding enough volunteers. This time, we have plenty of volunteers who are excited and ready to tackle FRG!! This is so encouraging to me! I've been working on a deployment handbook for families and it's really coming together. I think we have a great group of people.

I just thought it would be nice to have a post about all the good things happening here in TX. God has been very good to us. Even though we have had so many challenges and "speed bumps" it's all going really well. God has answered so many prayers, I cannot even count them. Thank you again for all your prayers, support, encouragement, notes, and calls. You have helped more than you know!

Still alive & kickin'

2009-06-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

Hello all!! I feel like I've fallen off the face of the earth. I know that I am dreadfully out of touch with most of you. I've been drowning in "life" and I haven't been the greatest friend right now. I haven't been up for much phone chatting and I haven't been good about sending emails or cards. Heck, I still haven't written my thank you notes from my baby showers. I promise that all of you are on my mind and in my heart. Please accept my apologies for being so terrible at staying in touch over the last several months.

Updates:
On Wednesday I will get this cast off!! I'm stoked! I won't be completely up and around, but I will be walking. I will get a walking cast. It's more like a moon-boot. It's something I can take on and off, but it will keep my ankle still completely immobile. BUT--I can shower! I can walk! I can hold my baby & move at the same time! I can cook dinner! I won't be able to drive. I don't know if I can swim. I have a lot of Q's for the doc and most of my plans cannot be made until we get some answers from him. Dad is flying in Wed. night and he & mom will depart Thursday morning. I'm a bit sad about mom leaving. It's been really nice having her here. She's been a huge help and the last month+ would have been absolutely miserable without her help!

Wyatt is doing amazing. He's growing so fast I can't believe it. He's becoming his own little person. He is starting to loose that newborn cry and get a deeper, more opinionated cry. It's cute and sad at the same time. It truly amazes me how fast time is going. Between my little boy growing up and my husband preparing to depart, time seems to be on turbo speed.

The biggest thing is another prayer request. I know I've had to ask for a lot of these lately. Please know that your prayers really do make a difference. I've been doing so well and I've healed fast and I've had a great outlook. We've been able to accomplish so much and God has provided in ways that we didn't even know to expect. Now... I need more.

We got some tough news this week. You all got to "meet" my grandpa. Well, "Big Gpa" is not doing well. They have discovered a tumor in his liver. It's very rapidly progressing. I don't have a lot of information, but I know that the doctor doesn't think he has much longer with us. He is in the hospital right now. I don't really know a whole lot. Grandpa's dementia and Alzheimer's is so bad that he really doesn't understand what's going on. He doesn't know he has cancer and I don't think he will be told. He's just going to be told that he's going to hospice to get stronger. He's a fighter and one of the strongest and most obstinate men I've ever met. Gpa's been fighting sickness for my entire life. He's defied the odds more times than I can count. Who knows what he will do this time. Please pray for him. Pray for pain management. Pray that he will make it all the way to his wedding anniversary. Pray for his wife (Fran). Pray a lot for Fran. She has been the best thing to ever happen to Gpa. She is absolutely devastated at the news and she is struggling with her health as well. Please pray for my dad. I cannot imagine losing my dad and he's now in that situation. This will be so hard on him. It's already been hard on everyone seeing how confused Gpa has gotten and how much he just doesn't feel good. Please pray that Gpa can hold out until after David deploys so that I can maybe see him one more time.

I don't want this to just been a heavy-hearted post. I will share some pictures of my amazing little man. He's the light of my life. We are having so much fun with him. I never imagined how FUN he would be! I knew it would be amazing, but I never thought it would be fun this soon! I hope you enjoy the pictures!!

Packing up...

2009-06-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

Wyatt has grown out of all of his 0-3 month clothes. I'm amazed and sad all at the same time. I went through all of his clothes today to box up all the tiny stuff. It's all so tiny and cute and I remember when it was all too big for him. He didn't get to wear some of those little outfits more than 2 or 3 times. It's all just so adorable! I can't believe that I'm already packing away part of his history.

Wyatt is still amazing and doing very wonderful. The zantac is the miracle drug! He hasn't been colicky since we started it. Our evenings are spent listening to coo's and seeing smiles. Wyatt is very smiley. He's a very happy little guy and the bright spot in my day. He loves to snuggle and be snuggled. I've been wearing him as much as we can. I love wearing him and I'm getting addicted to wraps! I'm having to rein myself in. I'd love to go buy more and more--then I could coordinate with my outfits!

Wyatt is still sleeping through the night. I'm in shock. I don't know who's kid this is, but I'd like to keep him! I never slept through the night. I didn't think MY kid would be sleeping this soon. I figure our second kid will be the kid I deserve. Wyatt loves his bath time and if he's having a bad night, all we have to do is put him in a bath. I thought I'd share some of his bath time.

He still hasn't giggled/laughed yet. He's so close to it. David is TDY this week and I'm hoping that Wyatt won't giggle until his daddy can see it. David will miss out on so many firsts, I really want him to be here for this one. Please pray that Wyatt will save his giggles for Daddy and that Daddy will be home when he does.

All Wrapped up...

2009-06-03T17:11:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to making a sleepy wrap. I first discovered/heard of one when reading Erin's blog and she was sporting her twins in one. I was looking for one to buy, but did some googling and found very easy instructions. Mom & I went to Hobby Lobby today and got everything I needed. It's just a really big piece of fabric. After a few youtube videos of instruction, we were ready to go. Wyatt loves it, I love it, and now I can cruise on my buggy with Wyatt! Check us out!

Check out my new wheels!

2009-06-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

I have a knee walker! Ever heard of one? I hadn't. My friend Robyn suggested it to me. I started doing some research and I found one in Georgetown. I could have gotten one off the 'net, but it was $140/month rental. I found the one in Gtwn for $70/month and I could get it that same day! My right shoulder has been giving me some problems and since that is the shoulder that took the hit, I'm not surprised. The crutches were killing me. I got this new buggy yesterday and it's been WONDERFUL. I have a little bit more independence, but leave it to me to even fall off of a set of 4 wheels. It was right in the store too! I was wearing flip flops (when you only wear one, is it just "flip flop?") and as I scooted myself forward, the back wheel caught the back of the shoe. Down I went. I like to leave lasting impressions! The buggy isn't stable enough or easy enough to carry Wyatt, but I can atleast make my own bowl of cereal and it's a lot easier to fit through the hallway!

Today we took it easy. It's been a busy couple of weeks since mom got here. Today I just wanted to stay in the house--so we did. I started to get bored and ended up doodling on my cast. I thought I'd show you what I came up with. :)

And of course, my handsome little man is growing and he's so stinking adorable. I just had to share a picture of him from yesterday. We got him in his little bucket hat for a day outside. He actually left the hat on!

Wyatt meets "Big Grandpa" & "GGpa"

2009-06-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to get myself caught up on blogs. I've been meaning to share these pictures for quite a while now! However, the last few weeks have been a bit busy. haha!

When Wyatt was just 21 days old, we all headed to AZ. While there, I wanted to make sure that Wyatt got to meet & get some pictures with both of his Great Grandfathers. Since Wyatt is not the first great grandchild on either side, the names for both of them have been previously chosen. We call Great Grandpa Ed (Kristina's Maternal Gpa) "GGpa," using the initials from "Great" & "Grandpa." Great Grandpa Bane (Kristina's Paternal Gpa) goes by "Big Grandpa." Now, this is not a commentary on anyone's size... at least it isn't now. Back in the day when my great grandmother was alive, we called her "Big Grandma." The reason being that Grandma Charlotte was a peanut of a woman at 5'1" (with big shoes on) and Great Grandma Hester was much taller at 5'10". In my mind, that was one taaaaallll lady! Both gma's lived in the same house with Big Gma living downstairs. Since they lived in the same house, "Grandma" just wasn't sufficient. To differentiate, we came up with "Big Grandma" for Big Gma. Both of those ladies were very skinny, but to me, Big Gma was an amazon of a woman. Well, the tradition has just stayed with the Bane side and my Gpa goes by "Big Grandpa" now.

Big Grandpa was absolutely enchanted with Wyatt. His memory has started to go, but the day we were with him he was very lucid and he was glowing as soon as I put Wyatt in his arms. He talked to Wyatt & coo'd at him for at least an hour. I will always remember the smile on his face when Gpa got to meet my son! Gpa could not get enough of Wyatt. It was great because Gpa told me about when I was little and how I'd sit on his lap for hours when I was that tiny. We had a great time visiting and I had Vicky take a bunch of pictures! Big Grandma Fran had to be convinced to hold Wyatt, but once she had him, she had the most beautiful smile on her face. She let Gpa spend the most time with Wyatt, but I'm pretty sure she fell in love with Wyatt too.

GGpa also enjoyed his time with Wyatt. He snuggled with Wyatt and talked to him for several minutes. I think Wyatt is great-grandchild number 17! With each one, Ggpa's heart just about bursts with pride & love. I was so thrilled being able to share my son with him! I'm looking forward to the time Wyatt will get to spend with his great grandparents when we move back to AZ in the fall.

I will get a photo album uploaded soon to share all the pictures of Wyat with his "Greats." :)

Family Pictures!

2009-05-27T15:41:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to get these up for a while. Check them out HERE!

I still have pictures from when Wyatt met his Great Grandfathers to share! That will come soon!

Sleeping... and other things in life!

2009-05-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

Wyatt slept through the night last night for the first time. He slept for 8 hours and we had to wake him this morning in order to make it to my doc appointment today! It's hard to believe that he's doing so well. He's been building up and progressing from 4-5 hours at night to 5-6, and then last night I got 8! It was MAGICAL!

It's been a busy week in the Holt household. We have found a new-to-us truck to replace the expedition. I have my long-term cast. We've made a million phone calls for the new truck, financing, insurance, etc etc etc... It's been busy!

First thing... we found a truck! We were looking for another expedition or an excursion. I guess I'm just a Ford girl. However, Ford didn't make expeditions this year. We could special order it, but that was CRAZY expensive. There were only a small handful around here at dealerships and they were all King Ranch editions and also had about 5k miles on them from demo/VIP use. The dealerships weren't willing to give us a good price because they call a demo vehicle with 5k miles on them "new." That's not my definition of new! We started our search for a used expedition. We couldn't find a 4 wheel drive used. We looked from Dallas to Houston and couldn't find any. We started pondering a truck again, but I really liked a lot of the SUV features. We started looking for a used excursion. We found several, but every time we'd find what we needed, we'd call and it had *just* sold! This happened several times! We were hunting around on Craig's List and saw a listing for a very nice truck. It made David drool! Since I LOVED my old F350, I was willing to look at a truck--especially with how difficult it was becoming to find a big enough SUV for pulling horses. We went and checked it out and we both fell in love. I've always been a truck girl at heart. It's big, it's red, and it's MINE!! :) Here are a few pictures. For the men in our lives, here are the stats:
2001 F250
7.3L Turbo Diesel
4WD
112k miles
Ranch Hand bumpers front & back
Auxiliary tank with a tool box on top--total of 80 gallons of diesel with the stock tank and extra tank.
spray-in bedliner
leather interior
custom rims
I think that's it.

Today, I got my stitches out and a new cast! I love this fiberglass cast! It's so light and it's really supportive. I have another 4 weeks with a cast & crutches. On June 24th I will go back in to take this off and then get a boot. I don't know how long I will have to wear the boot, but at least I will be able to walk. I won't be able to drive, but at least my mom can go home and I can take care of my munchkin here. The best news is that I'll be able to shower like normal after that! I am so ready for that! I took some pictures of my incision and ankle. Let's just say it's colorful! I won't share those with all of you. I took them for my friend Stephanie. If you really want to see the rainbow of colors, drop me an email and I'll send you the picture! :)

Wyatt is growing and changing so much and so fast. He's coo'ing and smiling all the time. He loves to be talked to and he's VERY ticklish! He's a little charmer and everyone who meets him is enchanted with him. He's busting out of all of his newborn sized clothes and the 0-3 months are getting tight! He's so long! I am already going to be packing up some of his clothes for storage. I cannot believe it. I dont' want my little guy to get so big so quickly! He's been crossing his eyes every now & again. Mom happened to catch one on camera today. For more pics of the little man, you can click HERE.

Check out our pictures... leave comments here or there! Enjoy!!

This boy takes his eatin' seriously!

2009-05-21T20:40:00.000-07:00

Wyatt had another doctor visit today. This trip was just routine though. We have a new pediatrician here in Killeen. I love her! She was fantastic with him! For his stats: He is weighing in at 11 lbs, 8 oz. That's a full pound in 2 weeks!!!!! He also grew 3 inches in length! He's doing really well and the doc was very happy with his overall health. When he was born, he was in the 25th percentile for height and 5oth percentile for weight. Now he's in the 75th percentile for both. I need to make sure he gets more tummy time since he still can't push himself up off his tummy. He is not a fan of being on his tummy, plus I enjoy just staring at him all day. We are going to try some zantac for him to see if his tummy problems are reflux. I sincerely hope so. I've eliminated so many things out of my diet and he's still hurting. On the upside--today I found some rice milk ice cream! It actually tastes really good and it hit the spot!!

Wyatt is starting to really focus on people and things. He will "talk" to you (he especially likes women), kick his feet, and make faces. He loves to look at his mobile and he's learning how to get the bouncer going! It's amazing to watch him focus on things. My favorite is when he is winding up for a sneeze, but then it falls off. He goes, "AAhhhhh, aaaahhhh...... AAhh-000hhhhhhhh."

He is still a fantastic sleeper! He's not always great about naps during the day, but he sleeps pretty consistently at night. It is wonderful and I'm so blessed because that gives me more time to sleep & heal.

Mom has been here only one day and it's been such a HUGE help! We got a lot done today and had a really good time.

We are looking forward to our long weekend. We will be doing some new-to-us car shopping. Maybe we'll find my new dream car/truck. :)

For now, I'm exhausted. The internet connection here is sketchy at best. I have been trying to get a kodak album of pictures going, but it seems to lock up the internet connection. I'll give it a try again next week.

I hope everyone has a safe & fantastic Memorial Day weekend!!

Super mom to the rescue!!

2009-05-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

Just a fast note to give everyone some updates.

Surgery went well. We were in and out pretty quickly. They were a fantastic group of docs and I had wonderful care. The nurse was very sweet and even gave me her home phone number as I was leaving. She heard our story about all that is going on and offered help to fetch groceries, run errands, or anything.

I have had a lot of help show up over the last week! My friend Nicole has brought us dinner and is ready on call if I need another. Adriana has been BEYOND AWESOME and has let me, Wyatt, and the dogs (yes, even the dogs!) hang out at her house every day while David is at work. She is my legs. She takes care of me, feeds me, changes Wyatt, and just makes sure I am doing well. She has picked me up at our house, brought me lunch, kept me company, listened to me complain, and so much more. Ft. Hood PWOC has called me and they are available for meals, help, encouragement, a day out, or a grocery run! Sarah came up from Austin yesterday to hang out, drive me to get a new cast, to the chiropractor, and she cooked dinner! We watched the Dancing with the Stars finale and laughed over the www.ihategreenbeans.com Bach'ette recap. It was a fun night!

My sister has been the biggest help. She took the initiative to find babysitting for her kiddos and someone to help out at mom's house. She then declared that mom was coming out here to help me. That means so much to me since Vicky has had to find back up babysitting several times over the past few months already. She is willing to deal with the behavior "bonuses" her kids will give her since grandma isn't there for their normal routine. Mom & dad got here this afternoon around 3:30pm, Dad was on a plane 2 1/2 hours later back home. Mom is here for about a month. We are cozy in this apartment, but it's do-able.

Command has started for David. He's already busy with pre-deployment plans, Soldiers, training, and all that jazz. He's had to dive right in. I went with him on Friday to meet everyone. I thought I'd make a lasting impression and showed off my crutches prowess by falling in the HHT building. Yah--I'm that cool! Haha!! I hit a wet spot with my left crutch and down I went. I hit a couch on the way down. I'm sporting quite the bruise from it. Since my motto is "go big or go home" I decided to fall AGAIN on Friday when I got to Ady's house. I didn't quite guage the step on the patio right and down I went. Poor David--I'm going to give him a heart attack. He's ready to pack me in bubble wrap until I'm healed. I've definitely kept him worried these last few weeks.

My ankle is healing really well. I've already had to get a replacement temp cast since the swelling went down so fast. On Tuesday I get my long term cast. I'm looking forward to the support a lighter and full cast will give. I'm still hurting pretty good. The incision of the surgery hurts as much or more than the break. The doc said that's pretty normal. Every day I'm feeling more and more like myself.

Thank you all so much for your prayers, calls, emails, prayers, encouragement, prayers, thoughts, and prayers. Can you tell that we are feeling the prayers? It really is making a difference. Please keep them up!! Thank you to my friends who were figuring out ways to come help me for a week! It really means so much to me!

Tomorrow Wyatt goes in for a check up. I'll post some stats on him and new pictures as soon as I get a chance!

Because "boring" just isn't our style... Prayer requests

2009-05-14T06:45:00.000-07:00

Well everyone... we are in Killeen, TX. Seven years ago when we arrived, I remember being overwhelmed by the crowds here and intimidated by the aggressive drivers. I said to David, "I can tell we'll be in an accident before we leave here." We were never in an accident that first trip to Ft. Hood, but my prophecy did come true with this trip to Hood.

Last Thursday we were in a car accident. Everyone is ok! We were t-boned by a small truck and the front passenger door took the hit. Wyatt & David are perfect and fine. Wyatt only had a few scratches from glass on his scalp and David is just sore all over. I was sitting in the front passenger seat and took the brunt of the impact. My Expedition did it's job and all I have are some scratches from glass and a broken ankle. The cab crushed around me, but didn't crush me. I had to be cut out since my right leg was wedged into the car. Both Wyatt & I had our first ambulance ride, but all is well.

I have a fractured medial tibia. That's right in the joint of my ankle. I went in for a follow up yesterday and we learned that I need surgery. They will pin the break together and possibly a pin on the other side depending on the ligament damage. I will be on crutches for at least 6 more weeks. I'm not sure how to function with a newborn and crutches.

In all this, we are dealing with insurance and need to replace my Expedition. We have the little civic right now, but I'm sure you can understand that it's a little nerve wracking being in such a small car right now.

It's hard to process all the changes & challenges we have been through in the last 2 months. In a span of 2 months we have had a baby, packed up our house, moved with a detour for family visits, arrived in a new location, been in a car accident, and now headed for more surgery. On the horizon we have many long hours for David, plus his deployment, plus Wyatt & me moving to AZ. Oh yeah... and a new car for me, several different casts, and who knows what else!

I go in today at 11:15am and surgery will be around 12:15pm. We could use lots of prayer for strength, wisdom, and comfort. Pray for David as he is very worried about us and also really tired. He's had to take over lots of care for me & Wyatt. He's not had much rest. We had planned on this week in TX to be his opportunity to rest before he deploys and that didn't go so well. He won't have any down time now until he returns from Iraq. Pray that I can continue to be creative in ideas for ways to make this situation work (my best idea so far is to grow 2 more arms--then I have a pair for the crutches and a pair to hold the baby so we can move around. Sadly, I don't think this plan will work!).

Right now, I'm so thankful for Adriana & Eric who picked us up from the hospital and even had a car seat available to us. Adriana will be taking care of us while David is at work to be a spare set of arms and/or legs for me during the day. She & Elizabeth (her 9 month old daughter) are such wonderful friends and I'm excited about our time together. I'm thankful for Kim & Sarah who are prepared to come out here at a moment's notice to live with me the week David is TDY next month. I'm thankful for Stephanie for being ready to come out as soon as I say the word and for also getting the PWOC network going. I'm thankful for Liz who I know is praying her heart out for us right now.

We have had such an abundance of support already. I hate asking for more, but we do need it. I am praying that we can get a little bit of "boring" in our life soon! Please keep us all in prayer & I'd love to hear any brainstorming you have!

While we were in CO Springs, Sandy (I cannot remember her last name) took more family pictures of us. She is the amazing photographer who did the Holt Family pictures at Christmas in 2007! She was very kind and came to take some pictures of the three of us before church on Sunday. She generously gave us a photobook & CD plus she made a small wallet-sized book of pictures for David to carry with him while he's deployed. The pictures above are just a fraction of what she took! I thought I'd share them with you.

Daddy Terms for baby stuff...

2009-05-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

David is an absolutely amazing father! He loves this little guy so much and has jumped in with both feet. He helps with everything. I think he's changed as many or more diapers than I have. He helps with the bathing, dressing, night time feedings, etc. David's been peed on, puked on, and has done a few miles of pacing and bouncing. I am so very blessed to have such an awesome husband who is a fantastic dad. Since David has been so involved, he's made up a few of his own terms. I thought you'd enjoy hearing/seeing some of them.

Rubber sheet="tarp"
burp cloth= "drop cloth"
diaper bag=tactical back pack**

**David asked right before Wyatt was born about a diaper bag. He said if he was going to carry a diaper bag, he didn't want to carry a dorky frilly thing. I started looking for a basic black bag. David had something entirely different in mind. Instead he started looking for a tactical backpack. He got it ordered and we have our brown military backpack for Wyatt's diaper bag. That thing can carry a LOT of stuff.

Wyatt's growing!

2009-05-08T21:26:00.000-07:00

Wyatt got checked out today and he weighed in at 10 lbs, 7 oz!! He also got an inch longer to make him 21" now! He is doing absolutely fantastic and is just perfect. Today he even smiled at us for the first time on purpose! He was in his car seat and I got close to him in preparation of taking him out. I said, "Hi sweetie!" and he grinned at me. I got excited and told David, so he came over and I repeated, "Hi Sweetie!" and Wyatt smiled AGAIN! It was so wonderful to share that together. I never knew a little person smiling at me would be so amazing.

Success! Check out the pictures...

2009-05-06T22:09:00.001-07:00

OK, I finally figured out the Kodak thing. If you want to see some of our pictures, please click HERE!

Now that I know how to do it, I will get more uploaded to share soon. :)

We are in TX!

2009-05-06T16:11:00.000-07:00

We are back at Ft. Hood... for the 3rd time in David's career. It's funny how David said he'd "Never go to Ft. Hood," and he discovered that "never" is about 6 months long (from when he made that declaration) and not only would he go there, he'd go there a LOT! It's warm and humid here. I am trying to adjust to it. Wyatt gets really sweaty and doesn't want to be held when he's that hot. I'm hoping the humidity will help with his baby acne. We've already connected with a few friends and it's been wonderful to see everyone! I'm excited about our friends here that we will see in the near future.

It has been a very very very busy couple of weeks for us. I will try and catch you all up and share as many pictures as possible! We started our move 2 (or is it 3?) weeks ago. We first went to Sierra Vista to drop off David's truck and to take some things for me. We also wanted to make sure Wyatt could meet his Great Grandparents. We had a very good time and a busy week. We got some great pictures of them all together and it was a fun visit. It went super fast and felt very short. We were able to get a trailer full of hay for Houdini and managed to do a pool party/bbq at Gpa & Fran's house.

From SV, we went back to Las Cruces. We spent an extra day there because we just couldn't get it all done. We stuffed the Civic full of things we need for the next 3 months (and in David's case, the next year) and pulled it behind the expedition. If it wasn't for our friends Heather & Ryan & Ashley we'd probably still be stuck in Cruces. They were absolutely life savers. Ryan helped David in stuffing things into the car (they used every crevice available) while Heather & Ashley helped pack my bags. Wyatt was not feeling good the day I had planned to pack & I wasn't getting nearly enough done. Everything I had packed previously needed to be re-packed into smaller bags. You know you have good friends when they are packing all your clothes... ALL of the clothes. We finally got out of Cruces and headed North.

Yes, I said North. We took the very long way to Texas. We came to Ft. Hood via Colorado Springs! Before we got to the Springs, we stopped in Albuquerque. We saw David's aunt & uncle (who got completely mushy over Wyatt--so adorable). They fed us some very yummy BBQ and I got to nap on their couch. It was a perfect break for all of us--including the dogs who played in the back yard! From there, we went to meet the Welch's who are childhood friend's of David's. It was a short visit as we were all tired and had to keep going up I-25. We spent two nights in Santa Fe to have some time for just the three of us! We spent the day in the mountains and just cruising around SF. The new train station is VERY cool!

From SF we headed up to Colorado Springs! We were there for a week and so much happened that it needs to be another post. Wyatt met his grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins. We went to Garden of the Gods, saw Uncle Robert retire, had family pictures, visited friends stationed at Carson, explored Co Springs... and more! I took a ton of pictures & you can see them as soon as I figure out the Kodak gallery thingy.

After a week in Colorado, David drove to Killeen (15.5 hours) while Wyatt & I hung out for an extra day. We flew in last night. Today we have already connected with old friends and I'm excited about more friends we will see soon!

I have a lot to do once David goes to work next week: Wyatt's birth announcements, catch up the baby book, write my thank you notes (my sincerest appologies for not having those out to all of you yet) and get us all unpacked! I'm looking forward to cooking again--we've eaten out enough!!

Big Ideas & Good Intentions

2009-04-26T04:56:00.000-07:00

It is not quite 6am. It's Sunday. We are a day behind of our projected schedule. However I planned to have some room for error. David was up all night with Wyatt (he totally gets the "Amazing Husband" Award for letting me sleep!) I have to put together our last-minute things and then we are hitting the road. While we've been traveling for a week, today is the last day in our home. It's a bit sad.

I've got lots of pictures on my camera of our little man. He's growing like a weed and changing every day. I have lots of stories to share. However, real life is preventing that right now. I will get this updated as soon as I can with more pictures and lots of stories. We will be seeing so many friends and family starting today! I'm excited and exhausted at the thought.

I hope everyone is having a fantastic week!!

Welcome to Army life, kid...

2009-04-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

Wyatt is already racking up experience as an Army brat! Yesterday the packers came to pack & load all the things I'm taking with me to AZ. It was a flurry of people all moving quickly and noisy taping up boxes and emptying my house. Wyatt slept through the entire thing! He was right in the middle of it all and completely unaware. He's a great sleeper and noise doesn't bother him a bit--dogs barking, TV, vacuum, or movers don't wake him.

The house is looking rather empty. David says it reminds him of his bachelor days. Day after tomorrow we make our first leg of the adventure. We will head to AZ to meet Wyatt's GGpa's (great grandpa's), cousins, and aunts & uncles as well as receive the household goods from the movers. We will also be there to celebrate my sister's birthday! I'm looking forward to the visit. It will be a quick trip, but I'm hoping we'll have time to rest a bit. From AZ we will head back here to load up everything we need for TX. Then we'll go to Abq to visit with David's Aunt & Uncle, then on to Santa Fe. We'll spend 2 nights in SF just to enjoy it and take a short family vacation. From SF we will head to Colorado Springs for Uncle Robert's retirement from the Navy and visit with cousins, aunt & uncle, and most importantly BamBam & Grandpa Holt! After that, David will drive to TX and Wyatt will take his first airplane trip! This kid is getting all kinds of experience and he's not even a month old!

Wyatt's doing fantastic. He's just amazing and he's growing like a weed! He's already starting to fill out his newborn sized clothing! Here are a few more of the pictures I took. I had big intentions of editing them and making them pretty, but I haven't had a moment or the energy. Maybe when we get to TX and my to-do list is much shorter.

Two week check up... he's growing!

2009-04-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

Today Wyatt had his two week check up. It was a great visit. I love the pediatrician here--and of course I'm leaving. But, Wyatt has gained 13 ounces since our last visit (8 days ago)!! He has a total gain of 20 ounces (including the recovered weight he lost in SCU). The doctor is REALLY impressed and said he didn't expect Wyatt to do so well after he had such a rough start (All of your prayers have continued to work!! THANK YOU!!). He was expecting to have to talk to me about trying to keep him at and above birth weight. Well today he came in at just over 8 lbs! The doc was very happy! He also looked at his umbilical stump and told me that I need to get more aggressive with it to get it to dry up. The more he looked at it and saw that Wyatt already has an "innie" he decided to go ahead and cut it off and put some silver nitrate on it to help dry it up. When the doc cut it off, he found that there were still two blood vessels feeding the stump! He said it would have taken a VERY long time for it to fall off. Wyatt was not happy about the umbilical cord and he wailed like he hasn't ever done before! The doctor was happy to see that he CAN cry. :)

I had my post-op yesterday. My incision is looking really good. I've lost all my baby weight and then an extra pound! However, I have an infection called endomitritis. My understanding of it is that the lining of my uterus didn't sufficiently sluff everything and it's become infected. She put me on an antibiotic and also something to help my uterus continue to contract down to it's normal size. I started the antibiotics yesterday and today I woke up feeling like a whole new person! Today I was able to take very few pain medications and was able to get quite a bit done today. I did get tired late this afternoon, but Wyatt & I snuggled on the couch while I rested/napped for about 2 hours. I'm feeling a lot better today than I have since Wyatt was born.

Tomorrow we are headed to El Paso to see everyone at David's office. David is a very proud papa and excited to show off his boy! Please pray for my strength tomorrow. We will visit everyone in EP and then I need to finish sorting our things for the packers. The packers and movers will be here Friday to pick up everything going to AZ. We are almost ready for them, but I need to dedicate a few good hours to finishing up all the sorting. David's been working really hard to get his stuff situated as well as keep up with emails with the new unit and finish out-processing the current unit. David finished the roof today. Our fantastic friends, Heather & Ryan, helped us very much yesterday! Ryan was up on the roof with David to help finish re-sealing it, Heather spent the day driving me around and helping with Wyatt (she is a fantastic right-hand-woman). Honestly, we wouldn't be nearly as ready without Heather & Ryan and my mom's help!

I wanted to add more pictures from today, but it's late. Wyatt & David are snuggling in their post-bath bliss. We all need to get to bed. I will try to add pictures soon.

Thank you all so much for your continued prayers and love and support. It is truly felt and appreciated more than I can articulate!

Just a few pics, update to follow...

2009-04-15T13:53:00.000-07:00

I will update later today, but had to share one or two pics I just took.

Wyatt's first Easter...

2009-04-12T20:03:00.001-07:00

HAPPY EASTER! HE IS RISEN!!

In the midst of packing, sorting, stuffing, and such we stopped today to celebrate the most glorious event to ever happen to mankind--the resurrection of our Savior, Christ Jesus!

Our morning started early since my mom & I were working until about 1:30am last night! Sure enough, Wyatt was up about an hour and a half after I finally fell into bed. He's been a fantastic sleeper the whole time, but last night he had violent hiccups and we were up for a while. Poor kiddo! Today we all got dressed up and headed to church. Wyatt was beyond adorable in his little sweater vest and dress shirt! (of course I'm a bit biased).

The Easter Bunny was good to Wyatt this year--brought him a little chick basket, a new Bible, a jumping frog, a beanie bunny, and a little rolling chicken toy. Daddy took the Cadburry Eggs and mommy enjoyed the peeps on Wyatt's behalf. Oh--and the Easter Bunny left a new movie for both Wyatt at mommy--Fern Gully!!

We went to church and enjoyed a delicious brunch and Wyatt wowed everyone. Everyone was so excited to see him. He got told how beautiful he was about every minute! He's already got a huge fan base. Everyone is really bummed that we are moving and they won't get to enjoy Wyatt for long. After brunch we all moved into the gym (our church has Easter at the private school to accommodate all 3 services) and enjoyed a wonderful sermon. We are going to miss this church and all of the wonderful people in it. Wyatt slept through the entire service! He loved the singing (he'd snuggle into whoever was holding him), but did not enjoy the applause. He'd flinch and scrunch his face every time.

After church, we headed home and enjoyed a casserole that Stephanie was wonderful enough to prepare for us while I was in the hospital! We had ground turkey baked ziti. It was DELICIOUS!! After lunch, we packed up the freezers into the cooler, packed up the seasonings cabinet and loaded mom & dad's car. Mom & dad headed home this afternoon. I'm still secretly hoping mom wants to move in with me. She has been a priceless help these last 2 weeks. I'm apprehensive about tonight, but I remind myself that many moms have survived without their mom. Plus she deserves to go back to her life as many many many people missed her these two weeks.

Once mom left, Wyatt & I enjoyed a nap and just took the day to rest. We are still being abundantly blessed with dinners from our church family. Those have been absolute life savers! I am still quite sore from the c-section as I have not had the opportunity to truly rest. My mom did most of the work, but I still had to keep moving, making decisions, etc. The surgery took a lot out of me and I'm definitely feeling it. I am so thankful for all of you who have brought us meals. It has really helped more than I can express!

To finish on a fun note... things we've learned about Wyatt in the last 2 weeks:

He already has a favorite blanket--it's a soft mink-type blanket that has airplanes all over it! I swear to you that he has picked this one out all on his own! You should see him snuggle into it as soon as it touches him!

He LOVES bath time--especially getting his hair washed and then getting wrapped in his towel from Mary Jane for snuggle time with Daddy. He & daddy definitely like the post-bath time the best!

He loves music! We have some music channels with our digital cable. One of David & my favorite stations is called "Singers & Standards." Wyatt settles anytime that is on. He loves the music on his bassinet too.

He loves car rides! He hates getting buckled into the seat, but once we are moving, he is very happy!

He loves being "worn" in our sling! He snuggles in and usually goes right to sleep. He likes to look up at me and just take in the world. I strap him on every time we go out and he does fantastic!

We all hope that all of you had a magnificent Easter!

Today is Wyatt's due date!

2009-04-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that today is the day we expected our little man. In some ways, it seems like he's always been with us and in other ways it's hard to believe we've had him for a whole week!

-------> Wyatt hanging out while the kitchen gets packed.

We have had a very big week. We are making progress on the moving part courtesy of my mom and my friend Heather. They have both been life savers for me & David. David's been working still trying to out-process and tomorrow will be his first day of paternity leave. I'm looking forward to having him home.

Wyatt's had his first bath (and several after that), been to church, had his first doctor's appointment, and then another, been to mommy's doc appointment, watched as the house gets packed, and more!

Doc appointments: Wyatt got me concerned on Saturday when his eyes were crusted shut with yellow & green gunk. The whites of his eyes were gray and he just looked miserable. We found an after hours pediatrician clinic. They were WONDERFUL. When I signed in and they asked how old he was (5 days) they immediately took us to a separate room so we didn't have to wait with all the other sick kiddos! They got us in & out really fast. The doctor was wonderful and Wyatt just has some clogged tear ducts. We were given instructions on tear duct massage & got a prescription for some eye cream to keep it from getting infected.
Today Wyatt had his one week check up. He came in a 7 lbs, 3 oz!! It's a relief to know that this nursing thing is working! The doctor was very impressed and didn't expect him to be doing so well. He is not jaundiced anymore at all--the doc said that it usually takes a lot longer for babies to "whiten up" (his words) when they are breast fed. He said, "Wow, you have great milk!" I've never had quite a compliment like that before. haha! The doctor was very happy with Wyatt's progress and we'll see him again in a week.
My doc appointment yesterday went really well. I got my staples out, so I don't have a zipper anymore! The incision is healing fantastically and I'm all steri-stripped now. The sensation is starting to come back and I'm wishing it was still numb. I'm still hurting quite a bit if I do too much. Sadly, "too much" isn't much at all. It's tough for me to sit back and watch everyone else working around me--especially since we are trying to pack and get a move going. However--the good news is that this morning I weighed in at only one pound over my pre-pregnancy weight! I'm excited and can't wait to get into my old jeans! I actually put on a pair yesterday and they fit--but because of the incision I couldn't sit in them. Soon I should be back in my regular clothes!

Wyatt's been a bit colicky at night. I'm trying to figure out if it's anything I'm eating. It's hard to tell yet. However, we've discovered that if we give him a bath when he starts to get upset he will settle and have a much better night. His favorite part of the bath is getting water on his head! It's hilarious to watch. He will stop crying and his eyes roll back into his head. It's adorable! Wyatt LOVES being naked (well, only diaper) and wrapped in a towel or blanket. After he gets all cleaned he & daddy snuggle and they both love it. It makes my heart melt!

Wyatt's a great sleeper so far. We are very spoiled. Nursing has gone really well and I'm so thankful. It could have been so much harder since he was started with a stomach tube and then to a bottle. I know that not all babies will transition from a bottle to nursing. We are so blessed that it's going so well!

We've been abundantly blessed with friends from church bringing dinners to us! We have had some DELICIOUS dinners and are so thankful for all the love that people have for us. Thank you for everyone's prayers, thoughts, notes, calls, gifts, and more. We are so lucky to have so many friends and family who loves us so much!

Our first day at home

2009-04-03T22:16:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd find a reason to share some pictures of our handsome little guy. We have had a great first day at home. Daddy slept in and snuggled with us in bed for our morning nursing. It was the perfect way to wake up. Wyatt is getting this nursing thing down and he chowed down for about 45 minutes! Wyatt blessed us with a full night of sleep! He slept from 11:30-4am when I woke him up to feed him. He ate for almost an hour, then slept from 5-8:30! I hope this trend will continue, but I'm not holding my breath. :) Daddy helped get him dressed and then spent some time with all of our children--the dogs & Wyatt. Here is David helping get the dogs familiar with this new little person who lives here now.

Once David left for work, we got a few things done around the house (actually, I ate and my mom was helping get stuff done). Wyatt hung out in his bouncer while I got a few phone calls made (it's amazing how many doc appointments we have to do in the next few days/weeks), some stuff ordered, and my list for today made. I've been going a bit stir crazy and ready to get out for a bit. We loaded up and headed to Target to get a few boy things. I found Wyatt his Easter outfit, picked up some shoes, and also a few sleepers. It was tough to keep myself in check. It was a fun shopping day! Wyatt spent the time in our ring sling and he snuggled into me and slept the entire time. I did pretty good at the store, but then it all kind of caught up to me at once. We headed home and it was nap time for all!

During nap time, Wyatt hung out in the living room in his bouncer (so I didn't get waken by every grunt and sigh) while my mom got to work! She helped organize all of Wyatt's things so we can see what we have and what we still need. We don't really need anything since we've been so abundantly blessed by our friends and families. The only thing we need to pick up is a diaper pail.

My friend Kristy brought dinner over and it was great to visit with her! After dinner, Wyatt got his first round of colic. David is amazing and snuggled him for over an hour while Wyatt screamed and cried. It broke my heart, but David got him settled and rubbed his tummy. After an hour or so, we switched. Right now, Wyatt is out cold snuggled up on David's chest. It's the most beautiful sight I have ever seen.

We are home!!

2009-04-02T21:48:00.000-07:00

It has been a very big day for all of us, so this will be short. I just wanted to let everyone know that we are home and everyone is doing great! Wyatt was checked this morning by the pediatrician and given a clean bill of health. The doc was surprised and how rapidly Wyatt improved. I'm not--we had a lot of people praying for us! Wyatt's day also included getting a circumcision so he's been quite a bit uncomfy. It breaks my heart to see him hurting so much, but I know that he'll never remember this. We are still learning this whole nursing thing, but we are improving. There are times when we both get frustrated, but that's to be expected.

I am doing pretty well. I'm pretty sore. All the skin around the incision is starting to wake up so it's starting to burn. The OB decided she wants to follow up with me on Monday so I came home with all my staples. It looks like I have a zipper! While in the hospital we found the perfect pain management plan as far as medications. I got behind it today courtesy of the pharmacy (takes forever to get them filled!). Tonight I'm pretty uncomfortable and incredibly tired. I'm hoping tomorrow goes better for my pain management.

I will add more pictures of our little man some time tomorrow. For now, I am falling asleep at the keyboard. :) Wyatt has a full belly and is happily sleeping next to me. That's my cue that it's time for me to sleep too. :)

THANK YOU again for all your prayers!!

Just one more picture...

2009-04-01T01:47:00.001-07:00

This one is too adorable to keep to myself. :) Enjoy!

Daddy & his little man:

Wyatt is wireless!!

2009-04-01T01:04:00.000-07:00

My three David's (Gpa David, Daddy David, and David Wyatt)
Snuggling with mommy shortly after arriving in our room.
Awake and taking it all in!
Full tummy and content
My angel.

First and foremost, THANK YOU ALL so much for all your prayers! The pediatrician didn't think I'd get to nurse Wyatt until tomorrow. Not only have we nursed, he has moved out of Special Care and into my room! He's doing really well! He continues to be a content little guy. He's learning how to get this eating thing going. You can see in the pictures that I forgot to pack a pair of nail clippers so he's scratched himself up. You can also see a red mark from the tape for the stomach tube he had until today. However, it's great to see his whole face without all the wires and tape.

I'm doing pretty well. I've been up and walking today. I may have pushed myself a little too hard, but I just wanted to be with my little guy. I spent a good chunk of time walking from my room to the Special Care nursery to spend some time with Wyatt. He would settle with me & David there, so I just wanted to be with him to help him feel better. Now it's 2:20 am and I've got a good case of insomnia. If this post is a bit incoherent, I'm blaming insomnia. :)

My mom has been a lifesaver and is still hanging out with me tonight. David has to get some stuff done at work tomorrow & Thursday. He is already an amazing daddy and I am going to be lost without him tomorrow! I'm so glad I'll still have my mom.

That's probably enough of an update for 2:30 in the morning. :) Thank you again for all your prayers! We are taking this time in the hospital for Wyatt & me to get recovered. David is trying to keep up with calls & emails. I promise I will get to all of you eventually! Thank you for your love! We can feel it surrounding us.

Good day today!

2009-03-31T11:26:00.000-07:00

Howdy All!
Wyatt is doing better, and is still a very calm, even-keeled kid. When he gets upset or frustrated, he scrunches up his face and lets out a squawk or three but doesn't cry. I don't think he's cried yet. Nothing seems to bother him much. They took the feeding tube out and he was breast fed and bottle fed today; he put away some chow, too!! The boy takes his food seriously!

He's still in the special care unit for another 24 hours to continue observations. We should get him tomorrow, then he and Mom will get discharged Thur morning at this point. Kristina is doing well. All wires, tubes and other attachments have been removed so she is moving freely, albeit a bit slow and sore. She's doing well, though, especially now that she's been able to spend more time with her boy.
(Needing some shade... His future is so bright!)

Kristina's folks are still here and have been a true blessing and made things much easier on the both of us.

Thanks for all the prayers, notes and support!! We are doing well and are truly blessed with a great little boy!

Be safe and God bless!!
David

Updates on Wyatt & Mama

2009-03-31T06:09:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone!
Not much has changed yet. Wyatt is still breathing too quickly for the doc to be happy yet. His breathing does slow when David or I hold him. According to my mom, the nurses said his breathing has slowed down, but it's not quite down enough yet. He's been fed via a tube since yesterday and we are going to try a bottle today. IF he can breathe well while on the bottle, then we can try breast feeding tonight. I've been pumping since yesterday so he's been getting all that colostrum.

I finally got to hold him last night for a while. I held him while he was fed and we snuggled quite a bit. I finally got to see his eyes! He seems very easy going. He doesn't get upset easily. Even when he does get upset, he just scrunches his face and *might* let out a squeak. It's so adorable!

I'm hoping he'll be out of the Special Care Unit sometime today. We'll see how it goes. Please keep praying for him! I've been pretty loopy, so what I can remember of what I've been told is that this complication (it starts with a T, but I can't remember the name) is caused by fluid in the lungs. He came out feet first and probably swallowed some fluid. Since he didn't cry to push out all that fluid, he's having to breathe it off. Again, I was pretty drugged yesterday and don't have a super clear understanding of it all.

As for me... at this very moment I'm feeling pretty good (of course, I haven't stood up yet, I'm just sitting up and still livin' large on pharmaceuticals). I slept really well last night and woke up once to pump. I am sitting up today already and gotten somewhat dressed. I'm hoping the IV will come out today. I plan to get up and moving as much as I can today. I'm pretty stiff and very very sore.

I'm just praying that I can hold my son today and hopefully he'll be able to come in with me today. I'm praying he will still nurse even though he's not had an opportunity to try it. Pray that nursing will work for us!

Thank you all for your notes and prayers! I can definitely feel them surrounding me! Hopefully we'll be able to go home tomorrow, but we'll see how Wyatt is doing today. David has to go in tomorrow or Thursday to pick up his orders so he can start out processing.

I'll update again soon and hopefully have more pictures too!

Prayer Request!

2009-03-30T18:31:00.000-07:00

Meet David Wyatt Holt!

He's very content and has cried very little (which isn't necessarily good as crying clears out the lungs after birth). He is having some breathing problems probably related to this so he can't be bottle/breast fed yet. He is on anti-biotics and SHOULD be coming out tomorrow but he will stay in the special care unit tonight. Please keep him and Mom in your prayers! Thank you all for the prayers, thoughts and well-wishes!

(Yes, this is David and no, I can't believe I'm even writing something in a blog......................)

2009-03-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

David Wyatt is here.

Arrived at 8:08 this morning (3/30/2009).

20 inches long

6lbs 15 oz

Delivered by C-Section

handsome as can be

Long toes and big feet

Wyatt still in observation but no concerns

Pictures to follow soon.

Posted by Grandpa for Kristina

It's Baby Time...TOMORROW!

2009-03-29T16:19:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the day! I started labor last night (Saturday) around 10:30. My contractions were 5-7 min. apart and getting uncomfortable. I called the midwife and she said to take a shower, some tylenol, and then try to sleep. I didn't sleep well, but I did get some rest. I woke up this morning very uncomfortable and contracting every 2-3 minutes lasting 45 seconds to over a minute. I had some other signs of labor and they told me to come in.

They checked to see the baby's position and s/he is still transverse. They gave me some medication to stop the contractions. It gave me the shakes, but I was a much happier person. They checked me and I was not dilated at all. The nurse & midwife said that it's because there is nothing on my cervix to help it dilate.

The OB that would be doing my c-section did the Bataan Death March this morning. Since the baby looks good and I'm doing ok, we decided that it would be better for everyone if she does it in the morning. Two scheduled sections were canceled for it tomorrow so they are sliding me into those slots tomorrow.

For now I am at the hospital for observation. I will stay here tonight and get something to help me sleep. I am being taken back at 7:30am. Right now I'm exhausted. My contractions are still there, just very infrequent but still strong.

We'll update everyone tomorrow as soon as we can!

The details to yesterday...

2009-03-28T10:39:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a very full day with lots happening all at once. I thought I'd explain what an external version is and how it all worked yesterday. I had only heard all the negative stories and it went much better than I anticipated.

Our morning started early. I hadn't slept at all the night before and I was still wide awake at 5:30 when the alarms went off. I took a shower and got myself ready. I pulled my hair back, but I did my make-up. I figured if I look good, I'll feel better. We got to the hospital right on time and they took me up to L&D.

I got settled into my room and sported my new hospital gown. At first they were all concerned and didn't want me to ruin my pretty gown. However, once I showed them that it was a hospital gown with all the proper openings, they all thought it was awesome! One of the nurses even wanted to know where to get one for her! Even my midwife got excited and said, "I wish I had done something like that!"

I was there for about 20 minutes before the nurse came in to give me an IV. Her name was Jamie and she was very sweet! However, I was dehydrated. I was told no fluids after 2am, and I wasn't thinking at dinner the night before & was drinking iced tea (that doesn't help with hydration!). My veins did not want to cooperate. She gave up after 2 attempts and brought in a different nurse. I ended up with the IV in the back of my right hand. That was a bummer, but at least it worked!

The nurse went through quite a list of questions and finally Dr. Kemmer came in. She was very sweet and felt around. My belly was soft. That was odd for me since it's usually rock solid. I think my belly being soft was the result of so many people praying for me! She pulled in the ultrasound machine and when we expected to see a feet-first baby, we were all surprised by a very high transverse baby. As of yesterday, the baby's head is under my left ribs, the back across my sternum, and the hiney is under my right ribs and down my side a bit. We were all hopeful since this one has already started moving that s/he would maybe cooperate with the version.

Dr. Kemmer started right away trying to move the baby. She basically dug her hands into my gut and tried to push the baby or pull the baby. It was uncomfortable, but not nearly as bad as I had built up in my head. She tried for a few minutes and then one of the midwives came in to help. The two of them together was a lot more intense, but it could have been a lot worse. The only times it REALLY hurt was when she'd hit the spot where the baby has hit a lot and it feels like the muscle is separated. Unfortunately, that was the spot to dig in to try and pull the head around.

Together, the doc & m/w tried for about 2o minutes going both directions. We'd start to get the baby to move and the s/he'd duck her head out away from their hands and float right back to where we started. The entire time, the baby showed no distress. S/he didn't even get annoyed or angry and start kicking or pushing.

I will tell you that this was very uncomfortable. However, it was not unbearably painful. I've heard stories about how awful these versions can be and I was really worried about it. It was not near as painful as I expected. Today I'm VERY sore and it hurts when I move. Again, it's not unbearable, just uncomfortable. The spot where the baby likes to hang out and was already tender is rather painful today, but that's just one spot that was already sore. Even though this didn't work, if I had to do it again, I would. I just hope it would work next time!

I figure that this kid is very easy going. Maybe since we've had so much going on and lots of stress in our daily life, this kid is very well adapted to stress! I just need to relax and that will freak the kid out! haha! Also, I figure s/he was just enjoying the backrub s/he got yesterday and kept going back to where the rubbing was! Maybe that's why s/he would duck back and away from them. I honestly don't know how s/he could duck away like that. They had their hands so deep into my gut that they could tickle my spine (or at least it felt like that).

David was fantastic through it. He was kind of stuck at the end of the bed just able to stroke my legs and remind me to relax and not to fight it. That was good. I was trying to. Stephanie was there and she was awesome! She could see the u/s and understand what was going on. She would give me some encouraging faces and say, "oh, we're getting the baby to move!" and that would help me relax quite a bit! Plus once we stopped, Steph read all the monitors and kept saying how fantastic the baby looked and was doing even after all that. It's handy having a former L&D nurse as one of your support people! It was great having her there to visit with and keep my mind off of things too.

I wish Steph could stay until next week. However, the kids have school and everyone has real-life responsibilities. Plus, we'll see them next month when we go to Colorado Springs. Also, my mom will be here when it gets time for the baby to be here.

I'll update everyone again on Tuesday as to what has happened. Hopefully the baby will flip and we can just have an induction!

For now, we are going to enjoy our visit with the Baileys! I hope you all enjoy your weekend.

Good News/Bad News

2009-03-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

I'm home. I'm going to make this quick since we are going to be headed down to EP for David's farewell awards ceremony.

Good news: This baby is doing FANTASTIC. It's very laid back and showed zero signs of stress during the external version.

Bad news: This kid is very content where it is at. We did not have any luck getting him or her to move. S/he has changed positions from yesterday and is now transverse instead of feet-first. They tried very hard to get him/her to move and it just wasn't happening.

Now what?: Well, we wait. I was sent home and we are to just enjoy the weekend. My next appointment is on Tuesday afternoon. I'll have another ultrasound to see what this kid has done. If the baby will not flip with some exercises she gave me to try, then we will schedule a c-section probably for the next day (yes, I'm VERY aware that's April Fool's Day, but that's the day they do scheduled sections).

Overall, I'm ok. I'm a little bit sad that I won't be having my baby today. However, I'm very much excited about my time with the Baileys who are here visiting. I'm disappointed we couldn't get this baby to flip, but I'm optimistic since it still is moving around in there.

Today we are going to El Paso for David's farewell awards ceremony. I did not sleep at all last night and my adrenaline is wearing rather quickly. I will be turning off my phone today so that I can rest after we are done in El Paso. Please don't take this personally. I will try and talk to each of you as soon as I can. I'll turn my phone back on tomorrow (Saturday).

Thank you all so much for your prayers! I really felt them! I was very calm this morning and everything went well (except hunting for a vein that the IV would work in, but that's ok). My stomach was soft (which is not normal these days) and they didn't even have to give me any medications at all! That is a huge plus! The baby was fine all through the entire procedure with a fantastic heart rate. As frustrating as the situation is, at least we know this kid can handle stress! It's a relief to know that s/he is ok in there.

More pictures to come later! This was taken last weekend on our jaunt to Cloudcroft (yes, again!).

Thank you so much!!

We've hit a speed bump...

2009-03-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

I just finished seeing my midwife today. During her routine checks, she felt like the baby might be breech. She felt around quite a bit and decided we needed an ultrasound. They took me back to the u/s room and sure enough, this baby is feet-first into my pelvis. The head is up rubbing against the bottom of my sternum, and the back and hiney are lined up along my right side. This is not good!

She asked if I had felt any major movements to indicate that the baby had flipped and I have not. I don't know if the baby has been this way the entire time and what we thought was a head in my pelvis was really a hiney or what. The ultra sound showed that I don't have a lot of fluid in there either. She said I have just enough to try an external version.

At this point, I am now bumped up to see the actual OB instead of the midwives. I have a few options, but none of them are very enticing. I can just schedule a c-section, or I can try the external version and hope we can get the baby to flip. They are concerned enough that they want to do this TOMORROW. I can't even have the weekend. They don't want to risk me going into labor on my own. First thing tomorrow morning I'm going in to try for the external version.

There are a few risks to it, but she said it was low. However, they do this in the hospital just in case. When I go in tomorrow, they will process me as if I am going in for a c-section. I will have blood tests, an IV, and immediately be put on monitors. They want to make sure that the baby does ok with this as well as make sure my placenta doesn't get separated from the uterus in the process. There are four possible outcomes from tomorrow.
1. Baby flips, but my cervix isn't favorable. I go home and we induce next week.
2. Baby flips, my cervix is favorable and we induce tomorrow.
3. Baby doesn't flip, but doesn't become distressed and we have a c-section next week.
4. Baby doesn't flip, becomes distressed and I have an emergency c-section tomorrow.

I'm not thrilled with my options. I really don't want a c-section. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow as it will be pretty painful and we don't know how it will go. I have no idea if I will have a baby tomorrow or if it will be next week. They didn't check me today since I will be in the hospital and they will check me (probably a lot) tomorrow. I have no idea if I'm dilated or thinned at all.

Please everyone pray that this little one will flip over and I'd even be ok with an induction tomorrow. It's not ideal since we have friends in town visiting and I really wanted to hang out with them, but I'll take having my kiddo instead! :) Plus, I really didn't want to do the pitocin thing, but at this point, if we can get this kid head down I'd rather we rock & roll before s/he has the opportunity to flip again. (Plus, this kid is big--and it's gotta come out!!) :)

I will do my best to keep everyone posted as we know anything. We probably won't have any news until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.

Other than breech, everything looks good. The baby is big (over 8lbs guesstimated today), the heartbeat is strong. Though, today it was the slowest it's ever been. It's been in the 150's the entire time, but today it was in the 130's. I'm doing fine and I'm healthy. I'm right on track for weight and my Group B Strep came back negative. Everything for this pregnancy has been very good until today. Breech isn't necessarily bad, but it's not ideal.

Please pray for both this little baby and for me tomorrow.

Thank you!!

We have a date!

2009-03-21T09:07:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, the next several weeks will be slightly insane for us. We are not only getting ready for this little one to arrive, but we are also moving. My midwives & I have decided that they would rather induce me a little early to get us some extra recovery time before all of the driving and moving that we are about to do. Induction isn't the most ideal and I was hoping to avoid it, but I will tell you that the peace of mind I have knowing that I will definitely have a baby and have some time before we drive has been nice. Right now, we have me set for April 2nd! That is a Thursday. She offered to do it March 31st, but I don't want to risk having an April Fool's baby. I mean, if I'm going to CHOOSE the date, then I'd like for it to not be something with "Fool" in the title.

Please pray that this little one chooses to come on it's own before then! I would LOVE to avoid pitocin and just let this kid do it's own thing. I have had some contractions and I know the baby has dropped. This week the midwife estimated that the baby is around 7lbs (which is always just a guess--who knows how big this baby is). The midwife also said that she would be ok if I went into labor at any point now. She's not at all concerned and says that this is one healthy baby! So I'm asking you for prayers for labor! Please pray this kid comes soon or that my body is ready when I go in to be induced on April 2nd!

Names... finally & an update on us

2009-03-17T23:21:00.000-07:00

As all of you know, we do not know what gender this little one is. I know it's driving many people crazy because they tell me about it frequently! Another thing that drives everyone crazy is not knowing what names we have chosen. We weren't trying to keep a big secret--we just hadn't found anything we both liked. We have finally found something we both like!

**** DRUM-ROLL PLEASE*****

A girl will be Rebekah Dorothy.
A boy will be David Wyatt (he'll go by "Wyatt").
(At least for now, this is what we've chosen. We reserve the right to change them when we meet the little one.)

We love the meaning of David Wyatt (Beloved Little Warrior). Dorothy was my grandmother and the meaning of her name is "Gift from God." Rebekah was something we liked just because it's a pretty name and in David's words, "I've never met an ugly Rebekah, and they have all been girls who could hold their own." So, there ya go.

For a short update...
We've finished "phase 1" of the move. Houdini was moved to AZ and is happily settled at "Camp Grandma's." He is very content getting apple treats every day and attention from everyone there. I miss having him here, but there is a lot of stress off of me now. I wasn't able to really work with him anymore. This way, he's turned out in a big space and getting much more attention than I am able to give. I know after I give birth that I won't have the energy to work with him. This is just better for him and for me. He is very content though and here is a picture of him in his new digs.
You can also see in this picture that our baby is growing and going to be a big one!

Also I am now 37 weeks pregnant! I am considered "full term" now. So, this little one can show up any time now and I'd be ok with that (and this little one should be perfectly fine too!). If I can have this baby next weekend or next week, that would give me about a month to recover before we have to start driving everywhere. So, please please please pray that I will go into labor on my own and pretty soon! My midwife wants to induce me at 39 weeks in order to give me more recovery time. I do NOT want to be induced. I'd much rather go into labor on my own. However, it's hard to know how to measure an induction vs. no recovery time for going on my own and late. I know God has a plan in all of this, but I figure it can't hurt to put in a request or two. :)

I think that's about it from here. I hope all of you are having a wonderful week!

An awesome give-away!

2009-03-11T21:59:00.001-07:00

I've "met" an incredibly talented via a forum for Army wives. She is quite the seamstress and you've already seen a bit of her work. Sarah made my designer hospital gown for me! She's also made a purse that she is GIVING away! It's full of bright spring colors and it's adorable! Check her out HERE and you can also enter for this beautiful purse.

Here is the picture of the purse from Sarah's blog. Enjoy!!

Candy the angry babushka

2009-03-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

Candy is our 14-15 year old dog. She's a fantastic pet and still going strong. She busted the tip of her ear and we've been trying to fight this hematoma for over a month. The vet I was using was insisting on surgery and I really didn't want to. My gut told me it was a bad idea and plus it's crazy expensive. I didn't feel like we need to put her through that. The vet refused to explore other options, so I decided to get a second opinion. I'm so glad I did. The vet today (East Lohman Vet Clinic if you are in Cruces and need a vet...) was very positive and didn't even mention surgery. She put in a stint to let it drain and heal. We have to go back in 10 days to get it removed and the Doc thinks Candy should be ok! I'm soooo relieved. This is so much less traumatic for everyone!

However, it includes a headscarf to protect my furniture & carpet from the drainage. Candy really really hates the headscarf. I had to put the cone back on her head so she would quit peeling it off! So she's mad about the wrap and mad about the cone. Here is the set up she's sporting these days. You can see in the pictures that she looks sad. :( Only 10 more days until she's all better!!

My new standard baby gift will be....

2009-03-07T12:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my friend Ashley helped me dig through that mountain of gifts to start sorting! We sorted "now", "TX", and "AZ" stuff in preparation for the move. I also decided to go ahead and assemble the bouncer we were given. While assembling that, we realized that we needed 3 batteries of 2 different sizes! That was somewhat annoying, but that's ok. I decided since I had the battery box down, I should put some batteries in the bassinet too. That required 4 more batteries and of course, a different size! So far, I've only built two baby things. I've used 7 batteries in 3 different sizes. I know we are just beginning! Why don't they find some sort of standard form for the batteries?? I never knew we would need so many!! Plus, we haven't even used these yet--how quickly will baby furniture use up all these different kinds of batteries?

From now on, I'm going to give a giant Sam's Club variety pack of batteries for a baby gift! If I had only known!! :)

It's been insanely windy here this week. I've got sime interesting pictures of a dust storm that was white in our back yard. I'm used to the brown dust storms, but this white one was a bit startling! I'll share those soon!

Stylin' in the delivery room...

2009-03-05T07:47:00.000-08:00

I hate the hospital gowns. I really do. They are ugly, thin, and just blah. I asked a friend to make me a designer hospital gown. I picked out a fabric that made me smile and she used it to make a gorgeous gown! I haven't seen it in person yet, but she posted pictures of it on her blog. I wanted to share with you how awesome it is!!

I love this fabric so much! I think I might ask her if she has enough left overs to make me a ring sling or use it as an accent on one. I love the bright colors! Check it out HERE! (click on the word "HERE" to be taken to her site!)

Sarah is a very talented photographer and super crafty. Check out her blog for other entries to see some fun things she has created!

Baby stuff galore!

2009-03-04T21:25:00.000-08:00

I am beyond blessed! We have so many friends and family who have been very excited about this new little one showing up. There are so many people who want to be involved and have shared much insight, tips, and special presents. I have had two baby showers and I still have one more on the horizon.

I am now 35 weeks pregnant. It's hard to imagine that in as early as two weeks we could have this little person join us. Part of me thinks that two weeks is very close, part of me feels like that is a long way off. My due date is April 7th, but I'm praying this little one shows up in the last week of March. That allows me to get moving stuff done, but also some recovery time before we have to leave here.

This week, my nesting has started to kick in. Since we aren't staying here, there isn't a nursery to create, or even a dresser to fill. However, I did build the bassinet! We were given the bassinet from my sister. She was kind enough to store it for me and was very happy to hand it off as soon as I announced my pregnancy. It was well kept, but without the directions! At first I was a bit overwhelmed by it, but then I was determined to get it figured out. Fortunately, the picture of the box made it pretty easy. The parts will only fit together one way, and it was pretty easy to figure out once I jumped in. I got all the ruffles washed and snapped on. There are a LOT of ruffles on this thing!

I thought I'd show you some of the abundance of gifts we've been given as well as show off my bassinet construction!

A day in the mountains!

2009-02-23T22:00:00.000-08:00

Today David & I went up to Cloudcroft to enjoy their Mardi Gras celebration! We got there just in time for their parade and to enjoy some of their festivities. There was a tent with all kinds of fun stuff to do and roasted turkey legs on the grill outside. The weather was absolutely perfect and we had a great time! The dogs were very well behaved and just enjoyed all of the attention people were happy to give them. After we wandered around town (which is an entire 2 blocks), we drove up and played in the forest for a bit. There was snow on the mountains still. David & Cory were in heaven! The dogs ran and played for a good hour or so while I slowly hiked up to keep up with them. I got some pictures of everyone else playing and also had David take a few of me to show that Baby Holt is going to be a big one! We ended the day with a crawfish boil at a local restaurant. It was incredibly delicious and the perfect end to a perfect day!

We had a great day and we are so happy we were able to get away. This is probably the last time we'll get up the mountain before we leave here in a few weeks. Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare for this move so quickly after our little one arrives. We have a lot on our plates and in our minds and it's tough to get it all situated. Please keep us in prayer for wisdom, strength, and patience... and some creative thinking too! :)

I hope you all enjoy the pictures! We certainly had a good time while taking them!