pics of Christmas #1

Whew, where to start! I have a post floating around in my head but no time to post it now. You will just have to be content with pictures:) We leave in a couple of days for my parents for Christmas. We had our family Christmas today. There isn't enough time in the day for all of the things that need to be completed. The days are packed now until we leave...see you again when we return!

Beautiful got to play for 1 week on the public school team (we found out late - thought she couldn't play since she is home schooled). She loved her 3 games...which were all wins!

Our Family Christmas!
Happy Birthday Jesus!!!
Right after he...ROLLED OVER!!!!!! He turned 4 months yesterday. We were at the kitchen table listening to Beautiful recite Luke 2 and I had JJ on his tummy on the table. All of a sudden he flipped over fast, landed on my plate and almost spilled my milk. After we all got over the initial shock we all shouted with excitement getting him all giggly. He rolls every time we put him on his tummy now. What a big boy! Weighed him a week or so ago - he as finally broke 12 lbs and is officially out of all of his newborn clothes:) He got a cold last week. The little girls and I are on antibiotics - Faith is particularly sick in her lungs. Sick since the beginning of Nov - gotta be better before going to Grandma's!!!
I finally got brave enough to let them (read: Grace) have play doe!!!

Modesty

http://www.edelweisspatterns.com/

This is a site I recently discovered regarding modest clothing (patterns, clothes, etc).

eating and sleeping

I have not sat down and completed a meaningful post for a long time. I will try to complete one now:)

I love my son! I could spend hours and hours just staring at him, awake or sleeping. He is precious! He is a gift! He is amazing! I cannot even think of enough adjectives to described how incredible adoption is this time around. To have been given the gift of being in his life from BIRTH on! To get to email with his mother weekly and have her a part of our "family!" To hear his squeals and see his excitement when I walk in the room! Oh, the wait, the cost, the utter upheaval to our lives is SO WORTH IT! Have I mentioned that I love him with all my heart and hate to spend any time away from him?

So, aside from gushing over a baby, what else is new? He is currently 3 1/2 months. He just broke 12 lbs. He started at 5 lbs 4 oz if you have forgotten:) He still wakes up usually 3 times a night to eat. That seems like a lot, but my body has gotten used to it. Until 2 nights ago he woke at 2, 4, and 6 a.m - going down around 10:30 or 11. My body got into a rhythm and I did OK with it. We usually crawl out of bed around 8 a.m. (when he wakes again) so I am getting adequate sleep. Praise the Lord for home schooling and a flexible schedule!!! While we did bring him to bed sometimes around 4 or so, the last two nights I have brought him to bed at 1:30 when he woke up. He seems to be getting colder. Last night I was rewarded with him not getting up again until 5:30!!! 3.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep was so great!!!

Eating: JJ did not tolerate formula. He was horribly constipated and was so uncomfortable that we held him ALL THE TIME or he would be very fussy. We tried all the formulas on the shelf but he would vomit them up. One night a friend offered some breast milk. He ate it and SLEPT 5 UNINTERRUPTED hours! I knew then that the old adage "breast is best" was again true and began the process of adoptive breastfeeding. This was when JJ was 4 weeks old. The first month was quite a process, but now I am able to supply all but 4 - 10 oz a day depending on the day. He is supplemented with goat's milk. It was totally worth it - but I admit I'm glad I'm on this side of the process:) Even though he never nursed in the hospital, at 4 weeks he latched on like a pro and there were no struggles with that part of the process. God is so good:) We had a couple of friends providing breast milk for him during the transition and we are SO thankful for their sacrifice of time to help JJ be as healthy as he can be:) I was reminded that it takes a community of believers to raise up a child:)

My back has seemingly been healed! If you remember my pain started in April with the herniated disk. I used chiropractic treatments and in July went to my physician and had a MRI diagnosing the herniated disk. I used chiropractic treatments (traction) and then some physical therapy learning stretching and muscle strengthening exercises. Night time was still terrible. I woke up in so much pain (and was waking so often with JJ). My husband would get up with him and soothe him until I could work through the pain and get set up to feed him. The pain at night would be a 6 or 7. I woke up on 11/22 and for the first time since April (when not on pain pills) IN NO PAIN!!!!! I am so thankful for the prayers of my faithful friends:) My pain is now always around a 0 - 3, but MANAGEABLE! It is so freeing to be able to roll over in bed! To cross my legs again! To carry JJ! To even "wear" JJ! Standing still too long and carrying JJ too long still hurts, but it is a pain that I can stretch out now and not be down for 3 days with it.

Well, lots of other "life" is happening that that will have to wait for another time. JJ is up now and home schooling, cleaning, parenting, and life goes on!

God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. DO NOT GROW WEARY IN DOING WHAT IS RIGHT!!!!

Christmas picture

Beautiful attended a home school homecoming dance with a friend:) It was a special night!
I love this picture:)
And finally, our Christmas picture for 2010:)

2 weeks?

I still find one of the most precious sites my husband loving on his children:)JJ's Tummy Mommy requested some pictures of he and I together, so we had a fun photo shoot:) This was my husband's favorite:)
Bedtime stories:) The kids LOVE this book. I read it all the time so I have the rhymes in my head a lot. I find myself making up silly rhymes about my life/day throughout the day lol:)
Again, a daddy and his son:) When JJ won't sleep we bring him into bed and he calms right down. He loves being near us...and of course we love having him near us all the time!
One day Faith started crying when I was holding JJ. I asked her if she was sad that she doesn't get held as much since JJ came home. She said, "NO! I never get to hold him!" Oops. So she held him so long her leg when to sleep lol! I used to think her hands were so tiny and petite - I guess they still are but she seems so big now compared to JJ:)

15 days with no posts?!!? Sounds about right. I just finished my Friday's "to do" list today...from 2 weeks ago :( I'm supposed to be doing Physical Therapy exercises every hour. Ha. It seems like 3 hours slip by before I realize that it has been 10 minutes lol! Today my husband took me out to celebrate 18 years since we met. October is also the month that we got Grace and that Superman and Faith's adoptions were finalized:) A month of celebrations!

I'll try to do better to update for those few of you who still check in:) Right now I'm holding JJ while he is sleeping and Beautiful wants me to read to her (one of our favorite past times). The big boys are playing play station and relaxing after a long day. Life...our family...I love it:)

TV

Our friends raise purebred Siberian Huskies. Beautiful gets to help them a couple of times a week with chores. She LOVES dogs:)And, no post can go by at this stage without a cute picture of JJ:)

We have decided to ban TV M - F. I am having a hard time getting life done. Obviously I am not keeping up with my blog as I used to. Unfortunately I am on fb way to much farmvilling. It is one of those things where I feel like I can get something actually done - not that what I am getting done is REALLY getting anything done...and certainly nothing of eternal value. I'm trying to cut down a bit...

Anyway, we have been playing games as a family, trying to connect more as a family, etc. The kids are all missing mommy time since I am usually taking care of JJ or my back is hurting so much I can't do much (other than hold them or read them books). It is requiring me to be more intentional about teaching the kids to be more independent and to care about others. We have lots of pride issues in our home which need to be addressed (starting with my own:) So, I have enjoyed the kids not being on the Netflix so much (we only get 2 channels of "tv" and don't have cable or satellite).

I have been in PT for 3 weeks now. I am starting to hurt more, but differently which I think means I am getting better. I can't "wear" JJ anymore which makes me very sad (and mad). It just hurts too much. I can carry him and lift him (so far) but no wearing. It has to do with where the weight is distributed - out in front versus the side and how that affects my herniated disk. All will be well. I trust I'll be healed some day:)

JJ has been sleeping 5 hours, then 8 hours at night. Last night he decided to get up every 2 hours and eat a whole bottle. He is going to break 10 lbs in no time lol!

Beautiful has decided that she wants to start cooking more. She has found some new friends who are home schoolers too and they are encouraging her. I appreciate her desire to be more "homemakerish" which is a switch from her wanting to do ANYTHING that is not tomboyish lol! Maybe all we will actually be well by the time she leaves in 5 years:)

God has been so good through all of this transition. Tuesday we paid off the last of the adoption expenses (except the court process for finalization). He is provided just enough and keeping me just busy enough to pay bills but be able to be home plenty. I am loving being a new mommy. It is so different at 37 when it is #6 than it was at 24 with the first one. I love how our family is gelling. I love how God is sovereign. I love how we are developing a relationship with JJ's Tummy Mommy and trust in God for the outcome of her soul. I love my life...yet...long for the perfection of heaven...don't you?

More pictures:)

These pictures are of about 2 weeks to 8 weeks of JJ's life - in random order:) The top picture was just taken showing that JJ just broke 9 lbs at 7 1/2 weeks old!!!! We had him weighed at the store in the meat department, hence the fun sticker! I love living in a small town lol! Our little t-bone:)
One of my sweet blogging friends sent us this ergo infant insert so can wear JJ. I use the wrap so far, but it is too small for my husband:) Now he can wear JJ too - and it will be very handy as JJ grows.

I love this new kid pic! Oct 6, 2010Faith could stare at JJ for hours!

A smile!
JJ's dedication
:)
The older kids needed some alone time - we took them out for supper and got Beautiful's ears pierced:)
More park pictures - Sept 2010

One of my favs!
The musketeers can't get enough of him;)
My parents came down to visit - my mom has a picture of our oldest 2 just like this too (the other 3 came when they were older).

Just home

Buddy mounted this for the fair - it went to the state fair:)My husband and his mother with JJ.
Grace LOVES the baby!

Aren't those just the cutest little feet!!Superman also dotes on his little brother - this is his first day of preschool.
Check out that little smile!

Buddy is even getting in on enjoying the baby:)
The 3 Musketeers are still as energetic as ever!
Beautiful likes to dress up and imagine being a pri
He is so TINY!!!! 5lbs 4 oz when born.

More Utah

Gotta get JJ started early!!

The kids all think JJ is wonderful:)
All the kids - at Park City where the 2002 Winter Olympics were held.
Proud parents:)
Isn't he adorable!!!

Starting Over:)

Our first family picture with JJ - taken by his Tummy Mommy.

A visit to the Copper Mine outside of Salt Lake City - while waiting for our time to go to the hospital to sign the adoption paperwork:)

A few hours after JJ was born.
Having fun at the hotels we stayed at:)
We all braved the long trek together to get JJ.

I decided that since I chose to make this blog public again, I would delete all of the old posts. I made them assuming I knew who was reading them:) I got them all made into a book and will be able to keep them as a journal of the past 3 years. I planned to keep the posts since JJ came - but accidentally pressed the wrong button and deleted them. Oops. So I'll post a few pictures of JJ to the present. The purpose of this blog has changed in my mind, so here we are starting fresh:)