Playtime With Daddy
99 Balloons
You have to have a box of Kleenex nearby in order to make it to the end of this video.
This family's unwavering faith in the Lord truly touched and inspired me. It reminded me that no matter what happens in our lives, it's for God's glory and we need to thank and praise Him for every moment - good and bad. I am so incredibly blessed to have my precious baby boy and I can't fathom what it feels like to lose a child. I am truly thankful for every day, every minute, and every second with my son, knowing it was all orchestrated by God's loving hand just for me.
Thank you, Lord, for hearing my prayers for a miracle. Thank you for blessing me.
This family's unwavering faith in the Lord truly touched and inspired me. It reminded me that no matter what happens in our lives, it's for God's glory and we need to thank and praise Him for every moment - good and bad. I am so incredibly blessed to have my precious baby boy and I can't fathom what it feels like to lose a child. I am truly thankful for every day, every minute, and every second with my son, knowing it was all orchestrated by God's loving hand just for me.
Thank you, Lord, for hearing my prayers for a miracle. Thank you for blessing me.
"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward."
Psalm 127:3
The fruit of the womb is a reward."
Psalm 127:3
Thursday, September 25, 2008
First Fever
Of all the "firsts" first-time parents get to experience (both good and bad), there's a couple that I personally dread the most - the first injury and first sickness. I've officially experienced both in two short months.Robby was doing just fine after his shots, yesterday, other than being a little on the sleepy side, but then around 7pm, he started getting really cranky. After going through the usual checklist of possible offenders, Matt noticed that his face and forehead were on the warm side, so I took his temperature. 101. Great. So, we sent Daddy out for some baby Tylenol as I tried my best to comfort my ailing baby without losing it myself. Within an hour after taking the Tylenol, his fever broke and he was able to relax. After keeping it together the whole time, I lost it. I started bawling. I felt like a dork, but it was scary for me, having had nothing but the healthiest of babies thus far. Plus, I think a large part of me still wants to think of him as fragile, even though he's really not. I doubt I'll ever get over that.
Matt comforted me and assured me that he was going to be just fine and I felt better holding him. Just before slipping off to blissful baby slumber in my arms, he looked me straight in the eyes, grinned widely, and drunkenly gurgled at me as if to say, "I'm okay, Mama. Don't worry." He then slept through the night, awaking chipper, playful, and fever-free in the morning. I'm not looking forward to November.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Mr. Robert got his shots, today, and I'm feeling like the worst mother in the world. I know it's essential for him to get his shots and disease far outweighs the mild and temporary pain he felt, but I almost started bawling as I felt his little body jolt and then heard the wail of pain come from his mouth. He was a trooper, though. No sooner was it said and done, he stopped crying and started smiling for the nice nurses, again. I would have cried more if I would have just had three needles in me, so he definitely has my respect! He's happily snoozing away in his crib for his morning nap, now. We'll have to keep a close eye on him for the following 48 hours for any reactions, so I'm praying that the next couple days fly by without incidence. He'll be going back for the same set of shots in November, so hopefully knowing what to expect will prepare me for next time.As a side note, I've been spoiled the past few nights. I hope not to jinx anything, but Robby has slept through the night three nights in a row, now! Hopefully this trend stays!
Two Months Old
Full of wide smiles, the start of giggles, and baby conversations - he's Robby, the two month old.Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Okay, NOTHING to do with parenthood, but I just want to come clean about something. I have an addiction - an addiction to the game Spore. I know. Shocking. I feel better, now.If you like any Sim game, you'll love Spore. It's even made by the same people who made The Sim games. It's basically about evilution (evolution), which stinks, but I'm still stupidly addicted to this game. You start
out as a single-cell organism and you "evolve" into five different stages, ending in a sentient being in a space age. You get to create your own creature, vehicles, and buildings on your very own planet in your very own universe. The playability of this game is amazing. There's so many options and paths to take, you could spend hours just customizing your critter (not that I've done that...*cough*).Matt and I fight over the computer just to play Spore. That's how serious this addiction is. We need help.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
I'd like to dedicate this post to my grandpa, who's celebrating his 75th birthday today!
Happy Birthday Gramps!!!
Happy Birthday Gramps!!!Monday, September 15, 2008
A HUGE congrats to the Bateman family for the arrival of their precious baby boy, Benjamin!He was 8lbs., 2oz., 19.5in. long. Mom and baby are doing great and should be home tomorrow!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Today we packed up the car and took a roadtrip as a family - dog included. We decided to drive out to City of Rocks and then visit Matt's Aunt JoAnn in Burley on the way home. We found that our main destination was a lot farther than we expected (about two hours away from Twin Falls) and wasn't as grand as we were expecting, but we had a really good visit with Aunt JoAnn, who was nice enough to have us for dinner, so it was worth it. Robby did fairly well and it did feel good to get out of Twin for a day. The highlight of our day was getting stuck in a "cattle-jam" (view this video). Here are some photos from City of Rocks (click to enlarge):
Can you see the elephant?
Piles of rocks at every bend.
A big, scary bug that tried to attack me!
Nice view.
Pretty flora.
Rocks, rocks everywhere!
BIG rock.
An old stone building.
A big, scary bug that tried to attack me!
Nice view.
Pretty flora.
Rocks, rocks everywhere!
BIG rock.
An old stone building.
Friday, September 12, 2008
I've created an online photo album for all the billions of photos of Robby and placed the link under my "Favorite Links" in the column to the right (called "Robby's Photos"). I will continue to add any new photos to this album for your viewing pleasure.
If you're a family member and you're interested in having some of these photos printed, please feel free to. Picasa makes it very easy for you to order prints varying in price and provider.
Or, if you're too lazy to scroll down at the moment, you can always just click here. Lazy bum. :P
If you're a family member and you're interested in having some of these photos printed, please feel free to. Picasa makes it very easy for you to order prints varying in price and provider.
Or, if you're too lazy to scroll down at the moment, you can always just click here. Lazy bum. :P
A Blast From the Past
Nothing to do with parenthood. Just wanting to throw my thoughts out there.
To avoid a long, drawn-out story (just a long, drawn-out blog post), I'll just say that my family had a falling out with my late uncle's ex-wife and his kids after his death. I didn't get to hear both sides of the story due to how hard my uncle's death had hit me and strain between family members. I just assumed that I would never speak to or see that part of my family ever again.
But, of course, I was proven wrong last night. The phone rang and I was shocked by what I saw come up on the caller ID. It was my cousin, Greg, one of Russ' sons. I admit I was skeptical and afraid to answer, so I didn't. What did he want? Why after two years is he calling me? I thought the worst and passed it off as him wanting money or a place to escape to. If he calls back, maybe I'll answer.
Later that evening while I was cooking dinner, the phone rang again. It was him. I hesitantly took the phone from Matt and answered, "Hhhello?" A confident, deep voice answered, "Yes, is this Jennifer?" "Yes it is," I said. "Hi! This is Greg!" he said excitedly. Having not heard his voice in years, remembering it much different, and having another extended family member with the same name, I asked, "As in my cousin, Greg?" "Yes!" He said. "I was just making sure. I was shocked to see it was you calling me and couldn't figure out why the other Greg Callen (an older gentleman I've never even met) would be calling me."
He told me that he had tried to gather the courage to call me for the past couple years and finally felt the urge to look up my number. He seemed genuinely repentant and humble about what had happened and just wanted a relationship with this part of his family again. "We grew up together, but I don't even know you anymore," he told me. "All I know is that you got married. That's it." I told him that I was still married and then told him that we had a baby two months ago, which was complete news to him. "Wow! That's awesome! Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!" After catching him up on my short life story, he told me that he was working two part-time jobs and going to college to be a para legal. I admit I was shocked. I remembered him as a careless trouble-maker. He told me of his school and career aspirations about continuing college to eventually become a lawyer. I told him, in all honesty, how proud I was of him. He also told me that he was engaged and had hopes of starting a family, but the young lady had chosen to join the Air Force and the long distance relationship would be too difficult for them.
We then talked about his dad and all that had happened. He told his side of things and I told mine. "I didn't realize how sick he really was," he told me. "He kept it quiet from us." "Be glad you didn't really know how sick he was or that you had to witness it. I watched your poor father suffer a slow and painful death," I told him. "He loved you boys until the end, though. That's for sure." I could hear him choking up a bit on the other end.
As we were wrapping up the conversation, he asked me if it would be alright if he could maybe visit when he had a break from school in May. "You're more than welcome here. My door is open," I told him. I also told him that he could call me whenever he wanted to and that I was willing to share with him any information about his dad's last days, having witnessed his whole disease from start to finish. "I appreciate that. I just miss having family. I miss having a relationship with everyone there."
We then said our good-bye's and I mediated on what had just happened. My heart used to be hardened to the idea of anyone from that part of my past approaching me, seeing how they had treated Russ in the end, but I'd like to think that I'm a different person, now. Seeing life through God's eyes, I now see this mature, intelligent, driven, young man I once considered my brother, completely deserving of forgiveness just as my Lord forgives. Worst case scenario - he lied about the whole thing, he tries to take advantage of me, I have nothing to offer him, and we split ways again. But why would he try to take advantage of me, of all people, after all this time and knowing that there's nothing in it for him? It just doesn't make sense, which leads me to believe that he is telling the truth and just wants to know his family again.
I will continue to pray on the matter and let the Lord take it into His hands.
To avoid a long, drawn-out story (just a long, drawn-out blog post), I'll just say that my family had a falling out with my late uncle's ex-wife and his kids after his death. I didn't get to hear both sides of the story due to how hard my uncle's death had hit me and strain between family members. I just assumed that I would never speak to or see that part of my family ever again.
But, of course, I was proven wrong last night. The phone rang and I was shocked by what I saw come up on the caller ID. It was my cousin, Greg, one of Russ' sons. I admit I was skeptical and afraid to answer, so I didn't. What did he want? Why after two years is he calling me? I thought the worst and passed it off as him wanting money or a place to escape to. If he calls back, maybe I'll answer.
Later that evening while I was cooking dinner, the phone rang again. It was him. I hesitantly took the phone from Matt and answered, "Hhhello?" A confident, deep voice answered, "Yes, is this Jennifer?" "Yes it is," I said. "Hi! This is Greg!" he said excitedly. Having not heard his voice in years, remembering it much different, and having another extended family member with the same name, I asked, "As in my cousin, Greg?" "Yes!" He said. "I was just making sure. I was shocked to see it was you calling me and couldn't figure out why the other Greg Callen (an older gentleman I've never even met) would be calling me."
He told me that he had tried to gather the courage to call me for the past couple years and finally felt the urge to look up my number. He seemed genuinely repentant and humble about what had happened and just wanted a relationship with this part of his family again. "We grew up together, but I don't even know you anymore," he told me. "All I know is that you got married. That's it." I told him that I was still married and then told him that we had a baby two months ago, which was complete news to him. "Wow! That's awesome! Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!" After catching him up on my short life story, he told me that he was working two part-time jobs and going to college to be a para legal. I admit I was shocked. I remembered him as a careless trouble-maker. He told me of his school and career aspirations about continuing college to eventually become a lawyer. I told him, in all honesty, how proud I was of him. He also told me that he was engaged and had hopes of starting a family, but the young lady had chosen to join the Air Force and the long distance relationship would be too difficult for them.
We then talked about his dad and all that had happened. He told his side of things and I told mine. "I didn't realize how sick he really was," he told me. "He kept it quiet from us." "Be glad you didn't really know how sick he was or that you had to witness it. I watched your poor father suffer a slow and painful death," I told him. "He loved you boys until the end, though. That's for sure." I could hear him choking up a bit on the other end.
As we were wrapping up the conversation, he asked me if it would be alright if he could maybe visit when he had a break from school in May. "You're more than welcome here. My door is open," I told him. I also told him that he could call me whenever he wanted to and that I was willing to share with him any information about his dad's last days, having witnessed his whole disease from start to finish. "I appreciate that. I just miss having family. I miss having a relationship with everyone there."
We then said our good-bye's and I mediated on what had just happened. My heart used to be hardened to the idea of anyone from that part of my past approaching me, seeing how they had treated Russ in the end, but I'd like to think that I'm a different person, now. Seeing life through God's eyes, I now see this mature, intelligent, driven, young man I once considered my brother, completely deserving of forgiveness just as my Lord forgives. Worst case scenario - he lied about the whole thing, he tries to take advantage of me, I have nothing to offer him, and we split ways again. But why would he try to take advantage of me, of all people, after all this time and knowing that there's nothing in it for him? It just doesn't make sense, which leads me to believe that he is telling the truth and just wants to know his family again.
I will continue to pray on the matter and let the Lord take it into His hands.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
...or does this look like a baby straight jacket?
They call it a "SwaddleMe Infant Wrap", but I think they really meant "Infant HugMe Jacket". It looks like it would work really well - especially for Houdini babies like mine, but it's just a tad...creepy. It also makes me ponder the true reason for crib bumper pads.
Also, for the safe transfer of your crazy baby, there's the "SwaddleMe Traveler" -
They have obviously sedated this child (sedative sold separately) so that he won't go for anyone's jugular during transfer. Be one with your happy place, little guy.
They call it a "SwaddleMe Infant Wrap", but I think they really meant "Infant HugMe Jacket". It looks like it would work really well - especially for Houdini babies like mine, but it's just a tad...creepy. It also makes me ponder the true reason for crib bumper pads.Also, for the safe transfer of your crazy baby, there's the "SwaddleMe Traveler" -
They have obviously sedated this child (sedative sold separately) so that he won't go for anyone's jugular during transfer. Be one with your happy place, little guy.Wednesday, September 10, 2008
I was taking pictures of Robby (shocker) and was disappointed by what I got. I liked the way he was posed on one picture, but he wasn't smiling. Yet, on another picture, he was smiling, but I didn't like the pose. What's a nerd mama to do? Photoshop it, of course!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
I can't believe he's almost 2 months old!
He crashed in the middle of tummy time.Whine Time
Just for the record - it really sucks being sick. Especially when you have to pry your achy, diseased body out of bed at 2am.
Thanks to a friend's infectious little monkey children (I won't name any names...*cough*Sara), I have...something. I don't know what it is, but it's kicking my tush. My throat's swollen and sore, my sinuses are draining, my whole body aches, and I had a fever off and on last night. Simply put, I feel like crap. Normally, this would call for NyQuil, but I can't take it since I need to get up with the little guy. And I feel bad because I just know poor Robby's going to catch this junk. I guess it had to happen sometime, but I was hoping to hold it off for at least a little longer. The poor little guy keeps looking at me like, "you don't look so good, Mama...". I think he knows something's up. Maybe it's the froggy-sounding voice and the look of death warmed over that tipped him off.
As a side note, I'm blessed with the best husband in the world! He watched 'Lil Bit and let me take a nap after he got home from work, yesterday. I really appreciated it! :)
Thanks to a friend's infectious little monkey children (I won't name any names...*cough*Sara), I have...something. I don't know what it is, but it's kicking my tush. My throat's swollen and sore, my sinuses are draining, my whole body aches, and I had a fever off and on last night. Simply put, I feel like crap. Normally, this would call for NyQuil, but I can't take it since I need to get up with the little guy. And I feel bad because I just know poor Robby's going to catch this junk. I guess it had to happen sometime, but I was hoping to hold it off for at least a little longer. The poor little guy keeps looking at me like, "you don't look so good, Mama...". I think he knows something's up. Maybe it's the froggy-sounding voice and the look of death warmed over that tipped him off.
As a side note, I'm blessed with the best husband in the world! He watched 'Lil Bit and let me take a nap after he got home from work, yesterday. I really appreciated it! :)
Monday, September 8, 2008
I'm happy to report a clean bill of health for Mr. Robby! The doctor said he's exactly where he needs to be and even complimented us on the good job we're doing with him. All his stats (head size, body length, and weight) we're in the 50-75th percentile for his age (see "Robby's Growth" in the right column). The doc also wanted me to start feeding him rice cereal at three months, which surprised me. Robby will be needing his two month shots, soon, and he'll be going back into the doctor for another well child check up when he's four months old in November. I'd also like to note that he behaved perfectly for Dr. Dan and only cried when we were leaving. Perhaps there's someone else out there that actually likes Dr. Dan, too?
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
I feel very Betty Crocker, today. After doing a few chores, I decided to bake some brownies for Matt, who's having a really long, bad day. I wasn't satisfied with that, though, so I decided to try my hand at making bread. I'm thinking about making some cookies, too, but I don't know how much longer Robby is going to stay asleep to allow that. I just want to bake! I don't know if it's just the harvest-time vibe or the preparation for hibernation or what, but I always feel the urge to bake this time of year. There's just something about a house filled with the smell of baked goods that makes the cold weather more bearable.True, the brownies were from a box and the bread's being made in a bread maker, but it's the thought that counts, right?
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Well, I went to pick up our fair photos, today, and much to my surprise, Matt won 3rd place on ANOTHER photo! Geesh! I had better step it up for next year so he doesn't beat me again!
Here are Matty's pretty red and white ribbons. What a lucky guy! I hope this gives him the confidence he needs to enter again next year!WAY TO GO MATTY!!!
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