All about .... NOTHING!!!

Hi my fRamily!!! So, I have a whole lot to say about really nothing much... just some updates! Sophie is getting to be GINORMOUS!!!! HUGEMONGOUS!!! BIG! She started out at 6lbs, 11oz. and at her two month check up she was 12lbs, 3oz!!!! First of all - TWO MONTHS?!?!?!?! How can that be? Holy canoli, I am in utter shock! Secondly - can you say HEAVY!? I hope that she can sit up soon, cause she and her carrier car seat weigh even more!!! I am just kidding - I don't want to wish even one moment away. She is also really starting to come into her own little self. She has such a sweet spirit and her personality is showing itself in such amazing ways! She has some funny quirks - she will NOT take her bottle if her diaper is even the slightest bit wet. She has to wiggle and shift and get comfy in order to go to sleep - at first I thought she was fighting sleep, but I realized last night and this morning that she is just gettin' settled! She really needs to see what is going on around her - for instance, she LOVES her car seat but hates when you put a blankie over it to shade her from the sun or protect her from the wind/'rain etc... She will cry until you take the cover off and then she is fine! She LOVES to hug her big sis and always gets the biggest smile when Hattie comes near! And - this is my favorite - she thinks the word "tushie" is funny! How do I know? She smiles and squeals every time you say it (well, almost every time!!). I LOVE this kid!!!!
Then there is our Miss Hattie! She is really starting to blossom at school. We have recently been asking for prayers because she is being observed and tested for Autism. And wouldn't you know it - LITERALLY the moment we began asking for those prayers she started to "wake up" at school. She is starting to participate, speak, answer questions, follow directions and play with other kids!!! Coincidence??? I think NOT!!!!! Thank you all for your prayers. Some examples of her increased social awareness and verbal activity ... The other day I was getting Sophie a bottle and she was NOT being patient! When I came into the living room with the bottle Hattie was sitting near her, rubbing the top of her head and telling her softly "Calm down Soapy, it's ok... Mommy comin' ... get you bottle."!!! Then it took me another five minutes to get the bottle to her cause I was crying!!! Yesterday, we were getting ready for school and I had her all dressed and told her to go get in her chair for breakfast. She was looking at a magazine and ignoring me, so I said it again ... nothing ... "HATTIE!!" Without even looking up she said "I HEAR you Mommy". Hubby and i looked at each other and I thought, had I not been praying for you to develop language to express your thoughts you might be flying across the room right about now, but PRAISE THE SWEET LORD - she talks!!! Finally, today I had gone down the hall for a sec and when I came back she was climbing up the stairs ... the OUTSIDE of the stairs!! Freaked me out and I yelled at her to get down, she did and then started crying. I came over to hug her and said "tell me what's wrong". I could see her thinking and processing and then she looked at me and said "you scared me". Then we both cried!!! God is sooooooo (are there really enough o's?) good!
So then, my phone rings this afternoon ... I look at the caller id and it is Steven - my stepson - who NEVER calls me except for Father's Day and birthdays for gift ideas. I answer and it is his girlfriend Mindy - whom I LOVE DEARLY!!! She says that she has news for me - "Steven proposed to me today!" My first reaction "It's about stinkin' time!!!!" to which Steven says "you're on speaker". Seriously though, they have been dating FOREVER and I have been asking him and asking him when he was gonna marry her already and he always says "why do women always ask that?" The last time I asked him if MINDY ever asks that and he said yes, I said "there ya go!" So, I like to think that I had a little something to do with it (I am sure i didn't, but still!)
So, that's about all for now.... Blog at ya soon!

Cure For Cradle Cap!!

OK, can you hear the angels rejoicing? Well, we can at our house, which makes me absolutely positive that all of Heaven rejoices over even the smallest of things that make the children of the Lord happy.
So, you may be asking yourself, what has caused such happiness here at B Manor ... well. I will tell ya. We have found a solution for cradle cap!!! YeeeeeeHaaaaaw!!! (Sorry for the hick-ness, but sometimes "yay" just aint enough!!)
Now, this is quite a bit unorthodox, and possibly a tad insane. Plus, I will have to tell you the story of how this solution presented itself to, hopefully, make it seem just slightly less absurd....
OK, in an earlier post I told you about the cradle cap solution product. Well, I was trying it again. This time I was bathing Sophie in the kitchen and had her in the sink with a head full of the stuff before I realized that I did not have a comb. The product instructions are to apply the stuff to the head and use a baby comb to pull the flakes out... So I am in the kitchen, it is on her head and I have no comb. OH what to do?!?!?! The night before had been pizza night in B land and I had used one of my lovely Pampered Chef stones for the baking. I had cleaned the stone with one of the handy dandy little brown rubber scrapers that they provide for your convenience. And guess what? That little scraper was on the edge of my sink.... Wheel turning in the head, thoughts flying by - should I? Could I? WOULD I????? Well the answer to all three is yes. For those of you unversed in Pampered Chef (let me just say that you must run - not walk - to your computer and find yourself a consultant .... ok, you are already at your computer so....... OH, I get sidetracked so easily!!!) I must assure you that this is in no way a sharp, chemically treated or otherwise dangerous product. Simply a little brown rubber square that is AMAZING at getting pizza off of a stone. AND, now we know that it is also quite functional at removing Cradle Cap...... The flakes just slid off and her head looks sooooooo much better!!! And, just to reassure those of you who may be doubting the sanity and safety, let me assure you that sweet Sophie smiled the whole time!!!
Oh yeah, God is good!!! And sometimes He really does work in mysterious ways!

Fall Is Here

OK, so I looooooooovvvvvveeee fall!!! And here is the biggest reason why:







Hattie gets completely giddy sliding down the slide into leaves. So much so that even in the summer, she will search the yard for any leaves that may have fallen onto the ground and - even if there are only two - she will pile them at the end of the slide and go. Then she will laugh and laugh until she literally cries with laughter!!! It is the cutest thing EVER .... until I saw this .....



So, now BOTH of my girls love fall. OK, maybe Sophie is only slightly tolerating it, but I got a cute picture, so, it works for me!!! I LOVE FALL!!!!

PS: When the neighbor lady came over to chat, Hubby got sidetracked from his leaf duty and was not moving fast enough for Hattie's liking. So, she took over....


Yep, I LOVE fall!!!

They're so cute it's SPOOKY!!!

OK, so I have the cutest kids EVER!!! I know you are saying that yours are cuter, but I am sorry - MINE ARE!!!!!
Halloween was a chore - picking a costume Hattie would actually wear and one that Sophie could wear without spending a fortune ...
Last year I bought Hattie a Sully costume - from Monsters Inc. - and she would not go NEAR it!! I figured if I could get it on her she would get over it ... I was wrong. She screamed in TERROR and fought like heck to get it off. So, last year she was a cowgirl. Jeans and a plaid shirt, oh so creative ... NOT!!!! This year, I figured I would try Sully again and if I could get her to go for it, she could be Sully and Sophie could be Mike - green jumper with an eye in the middle, simple. Except Hattie STILL would not go near the costume. When my mom was here Hattie fell in love with a kangaroo costume, but they only had an infant size. My mom bought it for her anyway. Then one day we were watching Dora and she was a kitty for Halloween. PERFECT - if Dora can be a cat, so can Hattie. I got out some cat ears - actually they are skunk ears (and their are April's) but she went for it. So I bought her black sweats and a turtle neck, made her a tail and we were in business. I dressed Sophie in the kangaroo outfit, but just long enough for pics, cause Hattie got a little possessive - ok, a LOT possessive!! But they both looked ADORABLE as you can see!!
Also, Auntie April sent some Halloween clothes for Sophie - April is the holiday QUEEN (probably has Halloween undies!!) and I included those pics too!! Too stinking cute!!!!!

Sleep & Cradle Cap

OK, I know that is a weird combination ... but that is life in the B Manor!!! Sophie has slept through the night ... in her bed ... for two nights!!!! I am trying not to get too excited, but it aint working too well! She has slept multiple hours before, but in Steve's arms in the recliner and NEVER for more than two nights in a row ... so, tonight will be the big test!!! PRAY FOR US!!!!! She has had a cold so she is sleeping in a car seat (sits her up a bit more!) but the car seat is in her bed - does that count?!?! I say it does!!!
In other news, Sophie has a MEAN case of cradle cap. It is one of the worst I have ever seen and I have tried all of my old standbys - baby oil, big people shampoo, brushing it with the shampoo on it and I have even tried a product called "Cradle Cap Care" which has helped a little but we still got it. SO, I am taking suggestions - anything at all, bring it on!!!
And the BIG news of the week is that on Thursday, Kim (birth Mom) had her relinquishment hearing. Meaning she signed the court papers giving up her parental rights to Sophie. She now has 30 days to appeal - but only if there is a legal reason, she can not just "change her mind!" So, after court we got together for breakfast and Briauna (Sophie's sister) was there. They were really cute together - of course I forgot to take a picture!!! DUH!!! But It was nice to see Kim and for her to get to see Sophie and the girls to see each other. They look a bit alike, but not as much as I thought they would. B is so much bigger that I would not even peg them as twins if I were to see them on the street! And, may I just be so bold as to say - they are quite beautiful (of course Sophie is the most beautiful -wink wink!!).

And then there is our Miss Hattie! She is really starting to love here sis - calls her Super Baby or "Soapy"!! SO, SO, SOOOOOO cute!!! When Sophie cries or gets upset, Hattie worries - she has been known to put a bottle in her mouth and at times says "calm down Soapy!!" ... very sweet! She is still loving school - can't wait for the bus in the morning! She is going to be evaluated at school, soon as well as by a neurologist, because the teacher is concerned about some of her behaviours. She is not as social as most children her age and isn't talking as well and there are a few other things that lead them to believe that she may be slightly autistic. This is very concerning to us of course. We want to do all that she need though, so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be in prayer for her - and for us - over this development. That God would open her mind to what they are trying to teach her and that we would be the parents that she needs for us to be.
That is about all there is for now! I will blog at ya soon - hopefully bright eyed & bushy tailed!!!! Sleep is our friend!!!!

Even When It Is Tough ...

So, I have had a huge piece of Humble Pie in the last few days .... in fact, I sat down at the dessert cart with a fork in each hand and devoured the whole pie!!! Just jumped right in and stuffed myself - my own personal pity party and I was the only guest.
Sophie is 6 weeks old tomorrow and she is still having some trouble figuring out a sleeping schedule - or should I say that HER MOMMY has had some trouble trying to force a sleeping schedule upon her!!!! I have been telling myself everything from "I am doing this for Steve, so HE can sleep" to "I have a 3 year old too, so I HAVE to do this!" But the truth is that I want what I want and I want it WHEN I want it!!!! So, I started reading a book that a friend of mine gave me and was so excited to read that a pattern starts to form at around six weeks... THEN I read that it is six weeks from the DUE DATE - so I have 3 extra weeks!!!!!
Now, truthfully I have had it pretty easy. I am married to the greatest man alive who is so willing to help with every little thing that he has spent many a night in the recliner - because it so happens that Sophie's favorite place in the WORLD is in her daddy's arms. And he has let me sleep quite a bit, but still I wanted it the way I wanted it, so I whined and complained.
Then, through some other blogs that I read faithfully, I have found blogs of women who have lost children too soon or have been trying unsuccessfully to have children and are facing daily heartbreak ... enter the humility.
Here I sit with a perfect, healthy BEAUTIFUL little soul - two of them in fact! I am so completely blessed with these sweet girls and I have the audacity to complain because I have lost some sleep!!! I begged God for these children. I prayed daily for the chance to be their Mommy. And God heard my cries and He answered my prayers with two girls that he ordained plans for, bringing them to me through wombs other than my own. He healed the wound of my own infertility and gave me these blessings to have and to hold as my forever children. He gave me a glimpse of His own love for me through the love I have for them and still I complained. Could I be more humbled? I pray that I will never know.
So, now that I have tasted the stuff, I have decided to try to avoid the humble pie from now on. I want to be grateful for every moment and not let anyone - here that satan, ANYONE - rob me of the joy of loving my children. I have a chance in the middle of the night, every night, to thank God for my life... and someday soon she will sleep through the night and I will not have that time.... but I will have first thing in the morning. I pray that I can teach my girls to start each day with a grateful heart that KNOWS the power of His grace - the grace and redemption and MERCY that is new every morning!!! And I pray that I will show them every moment possible - even if it is 2am - how blessed I am that they call me Mommy.
Thanks you Father, for a new start, for Humble Pie and for Your unending mercy and forgiveness!!!!

Praise the Lord!!!!

OK - Huge day in the B Household ...... (do ya hear the drum roll?!) ..... Hattie officially likes Sophie!!! Yep, it's true! She played on the floor with her and fed her a bottle!! She was not, however, so hip on sharing the tub with her tonight. I think we pushed it a little too far with that one. The tub is Hattie's domain and she did NOT want to share! Good to know! None the less, we now have pictures to put in their Sister frames!!! Another huge miracle of God, because Hattie HATES to have her picture taken and she was actually smiling and saying "cheese"! So, here ya go - proof that life in the B abode has taken a friendly turn!!!
YAY!!!! Girlfriends forever!!!
So, this is officially the sweetest picture EVER!
My three favorite people!!!

My Hubby ROCKS!! (10 reasons why!!!)

So, I lost it the first time ... we will try again. Here ya go!!!

10 - He is pretty stinking cute!!!! This is not the reason I married him and it is not the reason I stay, but it sure don't hurt!!!:)

9 - He cooks!!!! Yep, knows his way around a garage AND a kitchen - nuff said!!!

8 - He aint scared of diapers!!! Trust me, this is very important lately!

7 - He is sooooooo smart!!! I don't know why, but there is something so enticing 'bout him explaining the scientific & aerodynamic reasons why this car does better than that car on that particular track in this race!

6 - He even makes NASCAR interesting!!! I never thought I would say it - 4 hours of cars turning left?!?! - but I am actually starting to enjoy it (shhhh, don't let it slip!)

5 - He can fix ANYTHING!!!! So, Dodge wanted $45 per key fob to reprogram 'em ... my man did it himself in about 5 seconds ... for FREE! Not to mention all of the strollers, phones etc.... It's goooood to have a handy man!!

4 - Did I mention the hands?!?!?! I know you are rolling your eyes right now, but hey ... it's important! They aint just handy for fixin' - if ya know what I mean!!

3 - As long as we are on anatomy, let's not forget the - get your mind out of the gutter - lips!!! Not only are they REAL good at kissing, but they always know just what to say to make me feel beautiful, special, loved and cherished! Gotta love that!

2 - He is THE BEST Daddy in the whole world!!! His grown boys wnat to be him and hi little girls can't get enough of him. Sophie's favorite place in the world to fall asleep is on his chest. Hattie can't get to the door fast enough to greet him when he comes home from work. I can't tell ya what that does to this heart of mine!

AND ... the number one reason My Hubby Rocks .....

He is a truly heart focused and mind set MAN OF GOD!!! There is a reason I was not afraid to use the word "obey" in my vows. I have no qualms, second thoughts or fears of following a man who is TRULY following after God! I could not ask for more and I could not be more Blessed!!!

So, there ya go... I love my Hubby and if he ever reads this he will probably be embarrassed, turn a hundred shades of read, be horrified by numbers 3 & 4, and somewhere deep down, be honored and humbled! And THAT is why I love him!

Been a While!!!

Hi fRamily, sorry it has been so long between posts.... Been a bit busy! My wonderful man had a birthday and I had a post all ready to go about the top ten reasons my hubby ROCKS!!!! and I lost it..... Will try it again later! For now I will just update ya as to what we have been up to.....
Last weekend hubby allowed me to participate in the Breast Cancer 3 Day event ..... Quite a commitment since he would be alone with the girls while I was there. We both survived and the girls are no worse for the wear it seems!!!
Most of you know that My Bestest friend Paula fought a brave fight with Breast cancer before she went home to Jesus in 2004, leaving behind a husband and two sweet, strong , amazing girls who turned 8 and 10 last month. I miss her every moment of every day and will do ANYTHING to make sure that her girls don't have to live with the fear of the disease. But I have a few women in my life who have fought and won too - my Grandma, my sister Marla and my friend Alice to name a few and as we speak (or as I write) my friend Holly is recovering from her surgery last monday..... So, I think it is time for the big BC to go away for good!!!!! And I am committed to that goal and will fight till it is won!
Well, Sophie is stirring so I better go - ok, now she is CRYING!!!
I am attaching pics of the girls and the event!
Blog at ya soon!!!

Big Sister AND Guardian!!!

So, we were all concerned that Hattie was not going to bond with her little sister ... Well, she still won't touch her or get too close, but she also won't let us get too far without our Sophie! We have had to make a couple of outings and Hattie was sure not to leave her sis behind. Hattie likes to push the garage door button, so I set Sophie down so I could lift Hattie up to push it - but I set her down INSIDE the house and H thought that was where I was gonna leave her and she would not touch the button till Sophie was safe in the garage with all us (granted the door into the house was still open and Sophie was just inside the door, but that was NOT good enough for her protector!!!). Then, at the store I had to put Sophie in the cart before Hattie would get in and had to put Sophie back in the CAR before Hattie would get in! I love that!!! Does my heart good to see her loving her sis!!!

As for the reason for the shopping trip - prune juice. Yep, the doc had me start giving Sophie a 1/2 tsp of the stuff once a day 'cause she was a bit backed up ... well, it worked. I know a little TMI, but there is more to the story that I need to tell cause I need prayer!!! Seems prune juice also gives ya a bit of the cramps - at least that is what we are thinking it is - and Sophie is AGAIN not sleeping well at night. Again today she fell asleep as Hattie was waking up!!! PLEASE keep us in prayer as we figure out how to help our girl. It is SO hard to see her in misery!

On a good note, Sophie started her very first Bible Study yesterday!!! We are doing a Beth Moore Study (who I am convinced is one of my very best friends, I just don't know her yet!!) and Sophie went with me!!! What a testimony for someday!!!!

Blog at ya soon!!!

Getting reaquainted with our old friend SLEEP!

Ahhhhhh, sleep is back in the house! It is only 3-4 hours at a time, but we will take it!!! Sophie is brilliant and a very fast learner and it only took a couple of days for her to get the hang of it!!! I am not big on routines for newborns, so it was hard - but worth it! And now we are back to letting her decide how long she sleeps. She is eating well - already back up to her birth weight! She is the one
of the easiest babies we have ever had - now that she sleeps!! - and is such a sweet pleasure to have around! How quickly she has captured our hearts:)
So, I feel as though I have neglected to brag on Hattie and how well she is doing in school... Let me fix that!
She is cool with getting on the bus - not as excited as the first time she rode it, but gets on without screaming and crying, so we will are happy with that. Her teacher is going to work with us on Hattie's social language and awareness, which has already improved greatly - so we can't wait to see how far she can go with extra help. She will also be working with a speech therapist and possibly an occupational therapist to improve thos skills. We are just so very thankful that it was caught so early and we can help her before she starts Kindergarten. I had posted a pic of her in her classroom on the first day there but neglected to say ... HOW STINKING CUTE IS SHE?!?!?!?!?! With her little dress and buster brown shoes and sweet little bob haircut. I am just busting at the seams with how much I love this girl!!! She is such a big girl and is getting used to having a baby around and being a school girl. So many changes so quickly in her little life and she is hadling it all beautifully!! Thank you all for your support and your prayers!
Blog at ya later!!

Ahhhh, sweet sleep ... we miss you!!

Well, we are all home safe and sound. We brought Sophie home on Friday.... well, let me start at the beginning of Friday....
Hattie rode the BIG bus for the first time on Thursday - they brought her home to me after a pretty good first day of school. She seemed to enjoy it, but I knew the real test would be when it drove away the first time.... Praise the sweet Lord - cause it could ONLY have been Him, she was actually excited to get on it Friday morning!! Yay!
Friday afternoon we all went to pick up Sophie. Hattie saw her and was fine ... till Sophie got in the car with us!! She did NOT like that!! But she calmed down pretty fast and was soon ok with it. Not happy. but ok!
Friday night was a little rough, but not nearly as rough as Saturday night. I knew at about 7am Sunday morning, when Sophie was falling asleep just as Hattie was waking up, that we were going to have to work to get the days & nights thing straight!!
So, all day Sunday I only let Sophie sleep 2 hours at a time and fed her less but more frequently till about 10pm. Then she had a bigger bottle - 3oz - and we let her sleep to establish a night time routine. So, she woke to eat at 12:30, 4:30 and 8:00. Much better than the 5 hours awake and fussy the night before!! Plus, the tummy drops may have helped ... Milicon is our friend!!!
As for Hattie, Saturday she was oblivious and/or indifferent to Sophie, Sunday she seemed curious and by evening a bit concerned when Sophie cried. THEN, Sunday night on the way to bed, half way up the stairs Hattie stopped, looked over and said "night night Sophie" .... Praise God AGAIN!!!!
Life is going well ... still a bit tired, but ok. Happy and full ... that is B manor .... sweet abundance!

*** I am attaching some pics, can't decide which to use for the announcement. Any votes?

Sophie Lee is Here!!!!!

So, big day in B Manor!!! Hattie went to meet her teacher, then we went to meet her new sister!!!! It was amazing! I watched both babies come into this world! I am whipped tired, so just the basics for now and I will tell ya all about it soon.....

Sophie Lee born 09/05/07 at 3:02 pm.... 6lbs 11oz, 20inches and healthy healthy healthy!!!

PRAISE GOD FOR HIS BLESSINGS!!!

Blog ya more soon!!!

The Final Countdown ....

So, six days from now there will be two extra little people in the world. And I can NOT wait!!!!! We are scheduled for a c-section at 1:30 eastern time. I will try - but make no promises - to have pictures for ya later that day.

So far, we are still just getting Twin B - we have named her .... do ya hear the drum roll ... SOPHIE LEE. Sophie from the Greek word for wisdom and in some translations, the Greek word for the Wise Men of the Bible are sophus (we like the idea of not only wisdom, but a heart seeking after God and His Truth as well!) and Lee after my grandpas who were both named Lee!!

Here is the thing about Twin A - Kim really, really, REALLY wants to keep her. Her heart is set on it and if that changes I have a feeling that it would be due to circumstances out of her control and it would hurt her deeply. Well, I have spent the last month & a half getting to know her and truly coming to care for her and I just can not bring myself to pray for anything that would hurt her.... SO, I am praying the best way that I know how ... for God to do His will. What a novel concept, letting the One that created the universe have a say. Letting the One who created these two little lives choose where they live those lives and with whom.... I learned a long time ago that the truest - and hardest - form of prayer is giving it up to God and leaving it in His hands (this means NOT trying to take it back!!!). Now it is time to practice that discipline ....

Another blessing of the week is that the ladies of my church have decided to throw a shower for me - I have never had a baby shower, so I am so very excited!!! We got to go to Babies R Us and Target and register for stuff.... did I mention EXCITED!!! I may have gone a bit crazy, but tried to be good. The biggies that I put on the lists are a new swing (ours was a hand-me-down to begin with and then spent 10 months with Squeakie the Spitter and a few months with Hattie the spiller and Yogi the tinkler, so ... now it is in not the best of shapes!!), a highchair (same reason!!!) and a monitor that does two rooms at once!!!! Other that that, bottles, diapers, toys and stuff!!! I am just feeling so overwhelmed with blessings at the moment, I just don't know what to do!!!!
Thank you Father God for this amazing life and for Your sweet sweet sweet abundance!!!

Blog at ya soon!!!!

Even in the little things ...

Isn't it great to know that God is caring about EVERY thing in our lives, even the little things?!?!?! I am constantly amazed at how GOOD He is! It should no longer come as any surprise how well He takes care of us ... but then again, maybe it is good that is still surprises me!

So, the other day I was in a panic - the babies were scheduled to be born on the same day that Hattie was scheduled to start school. What do we do? Do we make Hattie miss her first day of school? Do one of us miss the babies births? Do we miss Hattie's 1st day and let someone else take her? Every option seemed UNTHINKABLE!! I cried, worried, pondered and brainstormed - all to no avail... Then, I prayed. I just gave it up to God and let Him do the thinking... I asked Him to somehow work it all out or give us an answer.... SHOCKER - He came through!

I talked to the transportation dept of the schhol district, as they were confirming our address and stuff... I asked if they knew whether Hattie was morning or afternoon (still trying to do the thinking, I thought I could possibly figure out a way to be at both!!). She told me afternoons, starting September 6Th!!!!! What! I must have heard wrong. Nope, her class starts a day later than everyone else!

So, PRAISE GOD!!! We get to be at both - The birth AND Hattie's first day of school...... Have I mentioned God's abundance lately?!?!?!

September 5th

So, we had a doctor's appointment yesterday with Kim - everything is going very well. It is a textbook pregnancy and an AMAZING pregnancy for twins!! At least that is what the doctor said. So, there was a misunderstanding and they did NOT do the amnio as we thought they would.... BUT - we do have a plan.....
On September 4th we will do an amnio test and if the results are good - lungs strong and mature etc.. - they will do a c-section on the 5th. Now, she could go into labor before that, the amnio could START labor or the results could say to wait, but barring any of that the babies will be getting born on September 5th!!! YAY - exciting! The reason we are waiting so long is that the birthfather - Kim's boyfriend - had to ask for the time off in advance and his boss is going on vacation etc..... But there ya go! Babies - Sept. 5, 2007!!!
The tough part of this whole thing is that Hattie's first day of school is scheduled to be, yep, September 5!!!! OOOOOOOHHHHHH, what to do?!?!!? We are trying to get in touch with someone at the school and make some decisions - PLEASE pray that we do what is best for EVERYONE!!! We REALLY want Hattie to NOT be slighted in anyway and we want her to feel loved and special and treasured - because she is! So, any advice in how to do that and be new parents and ..... HELP!!!!
Well, now that I have had my mini meltdown of the day, I can go back to trusting God. He will work it all out and give us the words and love for Hattie and the new baby(ies) and, yes, each other!!! Isn't it awesome how he provides for all of our needs..... aaaahhhh, sweet abundance

where we are ...

So, Hattie LOVES the new room! She is sleeping well and wakes up happy - talking to her starfish etc... SO CUTE!!!!! She is a funny girl, talking up a storm and making this Mommy proud. Her new big love is Diego - and, sadly, girl stuff just doesn't come in "diego" ... but that doesn't stop Hattie!!!!! Her speech therapy must be working too, cause she is VERY vocal in her love for Diego!! When my Mom was here we were, of course, shopping and Hattie saw some Diego pj's and started saying over and over "Mama, Diego". I said "yes Honey, that's Diego". She grabbed my face, turned it to her and said "WANT IT!!" They were boy pj's so I was reluctant, but Grandma spoiled her and bought them. Now I can't get her out of them!! Then, on Sunday we were at the store and were picking a backpack out for her to take to school (she starts preschool this year through the school district - whole other story ... pray for her - and mommy!!!) and I gave her a few to choose from - Tinkerbell, Hello Kitty, Sesame Street, Dora, Backyardigans ... she, however. spotted the Diego one on the other side of the display ... NOT the nice, blue, cute one ... the brown/orange/green slightly less attractive one with Diego and a DINOSAUR!!!!! ahhhhh, that's my girl!!!
In other news, I have been going to the doctor visits with Kim (birthmom) and I am feeling so BLESSED to be able to share this with her. Yesterday we went for a test to be sure that the babies are getting enough bloodflow and able to move around enough. The test went well, baby B - our "for sure" baby got the hiccups, so we got to hear her hiccupping for a few minutes. Kim says she feels that alot and now knows what it is!!! Thursday is the amnio - please be sure to keep that in prayer. THere is a LOT of baby in there so they have to be extra careful not to poke anyone.
So, pretty much, life is good, we are blessed and have so much to be thankful for!!! We pray that we don't let a day go by without hitting our knees in thankful prayer for all we have been blessed with! Including our amazing fRamily!!!

The New Room!!

OK, here are some pictures of the new room. It is not completely finished. There is one wall still undone. We had to order a dresser and are gonna paint some wall shelves, but you get the idea. Hattie LOVES it!!!!! Especially the starfish - she talks about it all the time! This is her first night in the big girl room, bed time was a little rough, but she was also overtired and did NOT want to go to bed!!!! I will have to let ya know how it all works out!!!
It looks like the babies are gonna be here in about a month - they are already at 5lbs each and gaining fast, so they are running out of room in there and Kim is pretty uncomfortable and is having a hard time getting around, so they are gonna monitor the development and as soon as they feel that the lungs and such are properly developed they will be getting born!!!! CAN"T WAIT!!!!!!
Keep Kim, babies and all the rest of us in your prayers if you would... gonna be alot of changes soon!!!! But, God is good all the time and all the time, God is good!! We know He has our backs, so we can handle whatever comes - LOVE that Guy!!!
Blog at ya soon!!!

Good Times!!!

Well, the last week was a crazy one! My Mommy and my Trinity were here. I had a birthday - yep I am getting old!!! We painted a mural in Hattie's new big girl room (pictures to come!). Worked at a 3Day expo on Saturday - I am a crew member for the Breast Cancer 3 day in September!!! Went to Kim's (birth mom)Doctor appointment on Fri and saw the ultrasound, heard the heartbeat etc!!! WOWEEEEEE - Good stuff! And, of course, a TON of shopping to do!!!!
Just a few highlights - On Wed (the BIG day!) we went for pedicures. Mom & T and I all got matching flowers on our toes and then they got manicures and I got a way cool design on my cell phone! Yep, they painted flowers right onto my phone! So cute! Then my man's family came over for a birthday party - I love my in-laws!!! We got the water & sky done for the mural so when helpers came over thursday we could just go!! And go we did - it looks great! Can't wait to show ya! Then Saturday my mom went to the expo with me and afterwards we got to have a long quiet lunch and just chat. I love my Mommy!!! Saturday night we gave Trinity the choice of activities - she had several to choose from (including Shrek 3) and she chose to stay home, watch a movie and play board games. We watched Freaky Friday and played Sorry - I love my Angel Face!!!! Hattie really loved having "Tititeeeee and Gamaw" around and missed em yesterday. Hubby was a trooper dealing with all of that femaleness around, and when it was all over he even said he was looking forward to the next visit!
So, there ya go... besides boring you with all of the shopping trip details, that was the week in a nutshell! I had a blast and hope that after all of the walking my mom and T still like me!!! Hattie was a such a big girl and did SOOOOO well with all of the shopping! Such a testimony to all of her therapy and all of YOUR prayers that she was able to do it all without "shutting down". God is SOOOOOOOOO GOOD and is doing a marvelous work in that little girl. The change and growth in her is truly a miracle!!! Praise GOD!!!!!!
Blog at ya soon - and I will have pictures too!!!