Marleigh's new camera

I promise to post more about our Christmas soon, but couldn't resist sharing some pictures from Marleigh's new camera she got for Christmas.  Not the best quality images, but she LOVES it.  She's already taken over 175 pictures.  Here's a few favorites. 

Marleigh update

Marleigh's doctor appointment last week was a bit frustrating.  The doctor just kept saying over and over, "I do not see a malnourished child."  I understand that.  She isn't malnourished.  But the doctor didn't seem to be listening to me when I told her we have to force her to eat, and that she gags often.  The doctor wanted Marleigh to do a barium swallow X-ray (which I don't foresee happening.  I don't think Marleigh will drink that stuff.) and treat Marleigh for reflux.  So, we'll try to get the barium X-ray done sometime soon.


The doctor also said not to force her to eat at all for the next month and see what happens.  I can tell you what is going to happen.  She will lose weight.  I'm trying to give the doctor the benefit of the doubt, but it is irritating when they only see the black and white and don't LISTEN to the patient/parent. 
 
I'll keep you posted!

Santa and Potties and Teeth, Oh My!

Kinda a hodge-podge of topics, but those are the three main ones at our house these days.

This is the first year that Marleigh really gets Christmas.  So far, it is only the commercialized side (lights on the house, Christmas tree, Santa, presents), but we have been reading many books about the real meaning of Christmas.  I'm sure that will come in time. 

A couple of weeks ago, Marleigh went with Marc to pick out and cut down our tree.  She talks about it all the time.  "Daddy and I picked out the prettiest tree, and he cut it down!"  I hope this is a tradition that we continue for many years to come! 

There is something so special about seeing the awe in a child's eyes when they see Christmas lights or the Christmas tree all lit up.  Marleigh was literally speechless the first time she saw our tree lit up in the dark.  Such a magical time of year! 

Yesterday, she wanted to "pretend it was Christmas" in order to open her presents that are under the tree.  What a stinker! We've gone through the packages a million times, and every time we come across one for her, she jumps up and down saying, "That one is for me!!!" 

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Marleigh is finally beginning to potty train!  I am completely thrilled.  As I've said before, I haven't pushed the issue.  Almost every time we have tried, she will sit for a minute, hop up, and say, "Good try!"  The past few nights before her bath we have tried and success!  I cried I was so proud of her.  She praises herself, too.  "Good job going on the big girl potty, Marleigh!"  Then she claps for herself and runs around the house butt-naked screaming from the top of her lungs, "I pottied on the big girl potty!!!!"  Her little brother just looks at her like she is crazy!  Last night, I decided to try a little experiment.  We put on big girl undies after her bath.  She lasted about 45 minutes, then came running down the hallway, "I need to potty!!!!"  She had gone just a bit in her pants, but then stopped.  Daddy took her and she finished in the big girl potty.  Not 100% success, but I was happy that once she realized what she was doing, she stopped. 

~~

Kade has been a drool bucket for the last few days.  More so than normal.  Last night around 11:00, he woke up crying, and trying to get anything in his mouth to chew on.  A little tooth was barely poking out.  Some orajel finally got him settled down, but he was up about every 30-45 minutes until around 5:00am.  By this morning, that little tooth and gone back down.  I wish there was an easier way to cut teeth!  Hopefully, it will decide to push on through quickly! 

Marleigh's Poor Eating

Marleigh has never really been the best eater.  However, it is progressively getting worse.  I've heard many people say, "Don't worry, when she's hungry she'll eat." But she won't.  Even her favorite foods, she will only take a bite or two of.  In the past 2 years, she's only gained 6lbs, and this is with me pumping her full of pediasure.  Many times when she eats, she gags or even vomits.  She will only eat very small bites of food.  Frequently, when she swallows, it looks like it hurts. 

Frustrated, I asked the pediatrician.  I wasn't sure if there was something wrong, or we just had a picky eater.  He thought it was worth taking her to an ENT.  She has large tonsils, but he was also concerned that she may have either scar tissue from being intubated and extubated so much or that she has narrowing of the esophagus.

Our appointment with the ENT, Dr. Garcia,  was scheduled for this coming Monday.  However, they called me Tuesday and wanted to see her that afternoon.  The doctor agreed that she has "generous"  tonsils, but didn't think they were large enough to be causing problems.  He said he was very suspicious of scar tissue or narrowing of the esophagus, so he referred us to Dr. Zayat.  She is a pediatric gastroenterologist (Marleigh actually say her a little over 2 years ago when she was having so much tummy problems.)   Our appointment with Dr. Zayat is scheduled for Wednesday, the 21st.  Dr. Garcia believes that she will recommend scoping Marleigh.  Scoping her would require Marleigh to be sedated.  I am trying not to worry too much about it until we know for sure that is what is going to happen, but it is extremely hard. Please keep Marleigh and her doctor in your prayers.

A few nights ago...

After feeding Kade a few nights ago, I crawled back into bed around 2:30.  I had a rather strange experience.  I don't feel like I was totally awake, yet I wasn't asleep.  Memory after memory replayed in my mind.  It was more like I was reliving each one.  All of them were having to do with our kids and were very vivid and detailed.  As soon as one would start to fade, another would start.  They were completely random.

The first memory was the moment I heard Kade gasp as he was being born.  Nervously, I asked, "Is he okay?  Is he okay?"  The doctor said he was perfect.  A tear rolled down my cheek, then I heard a nurse say, "He has to be at least an eight and a half pounder!"

Another one was standing over Natalie's incubator anxiously on Valentine's Day when she breathed completely on her own for over two hours.  I was in complete awe of our little girl being so strong! 

Then there was the day we had our first ultrasound when I was pregnant with the girls.  The doctor wasn't even looking at the screen yet, and I saw what looked like to be to be two babies!  Once the doctor confirmed it, we were thrilled!

The day we got the call that Marleigh would need a spinal tap.  We were sitting at Texas Roadhouse for lunch and had just ordered.  We immediately left.  We were completely terrified. 

After we lost Natalie, I had nothing that fit to wear for her funeral.  We went to Dillards to try to find something for me to wear.  After a few minutes, I had a complete breakdown.  I was standing there crying because I shouldn't be having to shop for something to wear to my daughter's funeral.  I was crying because nothing seemed to be quite right. 

Just the other day, I had the kids in Marleigh's room.  She was dancing around to music and her little brother was laughing out loud at her.  I mean, he was belly laughing.  It was priceless. 

Marleigh's first birthday was the day that she finally was able to sit up on her own for the first time.  We were in the living room of our old house.  I was SO proud of her. 

Shortly after we brought Kade home (before he REALLY started to pack on the pounds), he was sleeping in the living room.  He looked so much like Natalie at that particular moment that it gave me goosebumps.

There were many, many more memories.  Some were happy and some weren't.  It went on for over three hours.  I'm not really sure what to make of it.  I felt like I was somewhere between awake and asleep.  As the memories wound down, I felt an immense peace and my heart was content.  Maybe it was a part of the grieving process.  Maybe it was part of the healing process.  Both are ongoing processes that will continue for the rest of my life.  Whatever it was, I am thankful for it.  God always knows just what our hearts need.

More funny things Marleigh says

If you are my friend on Facebook, you might have already heard about some of these, but they are too funny not to share with everyone!

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Me:  Marleigh, could you please do me a favor and get me a burp rag out of Kade's room?
Marleigh (after running and getting one):  Here, Mom.  Does this one match his outfit?

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Marleigh was supposed to be going to sleep one night, but she was just talking away in her room.
Me:  No Talking!
Marleigh:  Who, me?
Me:  Yes, you.  No Talking!!!
Marleigh:  Can I whisper?

~~

One morning while I was brushing her hair.
Me:  Oh, honey, your hair is really knotty this morning.
Marleigh:  No, its not!  It is nice!!!

~~

We were driving in the country the other day next to a wheat field.
Marleigh:  Mom, baby wheat is green.  When it gets old, it turns brown.
I mean really.... how smart is she?!?

Kade has Asthma

This past Friday night, Kade started coughing again in the middle of the night.  He coughed for 2 hours straight 3 different times.  Poor little guy was just exhausted.  Worried it might be croup again, I took him to the doctor Saturday morning. 

The doctor asked a bunch of questions and listened to Kade.  Both times he had these coughing episodes, he never ran a fever, and appeared to feel just fine.  For quite some time Kade would sound rattly off and on.  He also seems to be a bit congested most of the time.  He said Kade's lungs were clear, but sounded tight.  The doctor then said he was very suspicious that Kade has asthma.  There is no real way to test to see if he for sure has asthma or not, so he opted to treat him as if he did have it and reevaluate in 2 weeks.  He prescribed albuterol and an inhaled steroid.  After the first treatment, Kade sounded so much better.  He was so worn out from the night before, that he took a 3.5 hour nap.  That is completely unheard of.  The treatment has worked.  Kade has coughed occasionally, but not the nonstop hacking.  We are fairly sure the doctor was right, and now just hope it can be easily managed and he will grow out of it. 

This brings me to my plea:  We have a VERY sweet, lovable, 7 year old, female cat that needs a new home ASAP.  She is a grey and black tabby, and strictly an indoor cat.  She is one of the nicest cats I've ever been around.  I just don't have the heart to take her to the humane society, but we can NOT keep her if there is a chance that she could trigger his asthma.  I am begging anyone that could possibly take her to at least come meet her.  You'll fall in love.  If you live far away, we'll bring her to you. Thank you.

Just some pictures

Grandma and Marleigh playing in her room. 



For some reason, Marleigh does NOT want to smile for the camera lately.





Snuggling with my kids first thing in the morning. No better way to start a day!!!



It was awfully quiet one evening.  Here's how I found them. 

Daddy and his kids.



I was checking to see if he had any teeth poking through.  Apparently, it was HILARIOUS! 




Our happy boy! 



Kade Johnson: Man Child

Kade has never really been a small baby, but keeps growing faster and faster.  We keep saying, "surely he will slow down."  Apparently not!  :)

Sunday at the ER, the doctor walked in and was checking Kade over.  He commented on how strong and "healthy" he was.  Then he asked us if Kade was starting to walk.  I told him, "He's only 4 months old."  The doctor gave me a strange look, and then looked to Marc like he couldn't believe Kade was really 4 months old.

Yesterday was Kade's 4 month checkup.  He weighed 21lbs 11oz.  That is way off the charts.  (I think about 19lbs is the 98th percentile.)  He was 26.5inches long, which is in the 98th percentile, and his head cirumference was 44.8cm, which is about in the 98th percentile as well. I love that he is thriving and growing.

Karen, my FAVORITE ARNP, thought Kade was very advanced.  Of course, I thought that, but it always feels good to hear it from someone else.  She said he acted more like a 6 month old....very alert, very social, and incredibly strong.  Karen is the sweetest person ever.  She always makes you feel like you are her first priority and that she really cares about you and your child. 

Oh, and chubby bubby rolled over from back to front.  So far only once.  I actually think it was purely by accident, but he did it!  He was straining to turn to watch Sissy.  Well... when you get that much weight behind you and you make a sudden move, you roll over!   He had a shocked/scared/intrigued look on his face.  I have tried to get him to roll over since then with no luck.  I'm not going to rush him, he's already growing up too fast!

Catching up

I'll try not to bore you with all the mundane details, but the last 2 weeks have been crazy.

Marc was gone for work the 7th through the 9th.  Grandma and Grandpa Johnson had a funeral in Western Kansas, so we got to see them the 9th and 10th.  Marleigh had so much fun playing with Grandma!  I've got a couple of pictures of them playing in Marleigh's room, that I'll share sometime soon (I hope!).  Kade was all smiles for Grandpa.  We don't get to see them as much as we would like, so it was nice to have them here for a couple of days.

Marc was gone for work again the 14th through 18th (or what was supposed to be the 18th).  On Monday night, the 14th, Kade coughed a horrible dry cough all night.  I took him to the doctor on Tuesday and he had croup.  Poor baby!  He was doing better the next day, so I left for my tax school.  Marleigh and Kade were going to be staying with my parents, since Marc and I were gone for work.  Thursday, the 17th, my beautiful new niece, Zoey Jane made her appearance into the world.  She was a couple of weeks early, but perfectly healthy weighing in at 7lbs 14oz and 20.5 inches long.  Love her so much already!!!  That meant that someone needed to come home to take the kiddos.  I really had to stay at tax school, so Daddy came home early.

Let's see.... that  brings us up to this past Saturday.  Marc helped his sister Myra move to Manhatttan.  We are missing her like crazy already, but happy for her.  Kade didn't sleep much Saturday night.  He was up about every 45 minutes.  On Sunday afternoon, all of the sudden Kade started screaming and crying uncontrollably.  For 2.5 hours he cried.  He NEVER cries, so I told Marc we were taking him to the ER.  Glad we did.  He had a nasty ear infection.  He hasn't slept well the past 2 nights, making for 2 tired parents!   The good news is, he seems to be feeling better. 

Okay.... so that's why there hasn't been any posts in the last 2 weeks.  Hopefully things are quieting down a bit and we will get you back to your regularly scheduled programming postings.  :) 

"How many children do you have?"

Yesterday, Kade and I had chiropractor appointments.  While we were waiting, a lady was commenting on how cute and how happy Kade was.  She asked is he was my first baby.  I told her that he had older twin sisters.  She then asked how old they were.  I explained that Marleigh was two and a half, but that we lost our other daughter when she was four weeks old.  The woman immediately looked down at her feet and said, "Oh.... I'm so sorry."  That was the end of our conversation. 

The woman at the chiropractor responded like most people do.  Usually, it is an awkward response, and the converstation ends.  I end up feeling bad for the person that asked about how many children I have.  How could they have known?  It is obvious that they don't know how to respond when I mention that one of my daughters is an angel.  Someone once said, "Well, it is easier to just say that you have two children, instead of trying to explain to a complete stranger."  I'm sorry, but the fact of the matter is, I have three kids.  I always will.  Natalie existed.  She is my daughter, but she just happens to be in heaven, now.  My answer will remain the same: "I have three children, but one of my daughters became an angel when she was 4 weeks old." 

I hate that it instantly changes how they look at me.  Instead of smiling at me, they now look at me with sorrow, or don't look at me at all. I hope people don't mistake why I always include Natalie.  It isn't for sympathy or pity.  I don't want to make people feel uncomfortable. I don't want people feeling sorry for us.  It is plain and simple.  Natalie is our daughter and will always be a very important part of our family. 

Special moments

Every so often there are special moments.  Moments that you wish you could freeze and replay them.  My sweet little girl has given me two of those in the last week. 

Marc and I went to the KSU/OU game this past weekend.  My parents kept the kids for us.  Sunday morning, I went out to pick them up.  I told Marleigh it was time to pick up the toys, so that we could go home.  She picked up her toys, then went straight over to Gigi, wrapped her little arms around Gigi's neck and said, "Thank you so much for letting me stay.  I love you."  She then proceeded to do the same thing with Papa.  It was one of the sweetest things ever.

~~

Marc has been gone on business all week.  Kade has worked himself into a schedule of going to bed around 7:30 every night, which means Marleigh entertains herself for about 15 minutes.  I always give Kade his night-night bottle in his room right before bed with the lights low.  We were just finishing up when there was the softest knock on his door.  Marleigh poked her head in and whispered, "Hey, Mom.  You forgot his blankie."  She then tiptoed into his room, and handed it to me.  She gave Kade a kiss and whispered, "Night, night, Kade.  Sleep tight."  She turned around, tiptoed out of his room, and gently closed the door.  Of course, Kade doesn't sleep with his blankie, but she didn't need to know that.  She knew that she always sleeps with her blankie and wanted her baby brother to have his to sleep with.  It made my heart swell. 

~~

I am so grateful for Marleigh's sweet spirit and tender heart.  She has now fully embraced having a little brother, and loves him very much.

Visit from Aunt Monica and Aunt Myra

Aunt Myra recently moved back to Manhattan.  We are so sad she is not here in town, but thrilled for a new chapter in her life.  Not this past weekend, but the weekend before, both Aunt Myra and Aunt Monica came for a visit.  Marleigh had been begging to carve a jack o'lantern, so we did! 



Marleigh wasn't so sure about getting the "guts" out. 



Of course there were breaks for some swinging!



Carving pumpkins is INTENSE!!!

Happy Girl!

Daddy and Marleigh carving their pumpkin

Aunt Monica's on the left.  Daddy and Marleigh's on the right. 

Aunt Myra's pumpkin

Kade slept threw the entire pumpkin carving.  I'm sure he'll be in the middle of everything by this time next year! :)

Marleigh update

Marleigh had another eye check up last week.  As is turns out, Marleigh needs to get glasses.  The crazy thing is, it has NOTHING to do with her being a preemie.  She has amblyopia or a "lazy" eye.  The doctor thinks that it may be correctable with glasses.  We ordered her a cute, purple pair last week.  They should be in sometime first of next week.  If you see Marleigh wearing her glasses in the next couple of weeks, please tell her how beautiful she looks in them.

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Marleigh makes us laugh non-stop.  Here's a few more stories.

Marc and I were talking in the kitchen.  Marleigh was preoccupied eating at the table.  We didn't think she was paying attention at all.  I said to Marc, "Marc, you have to remember that she is only 2."  Her little head whipped around and she says just as serious as she could be, "Marc, I'm only 2!"

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Marleigh was being a bit ornery the other day.  Marc just kind of threw his hands up in the air and sat down on the couch.  Marleigh crawled up beside him, smiled, and said, "Daddy, are you frustrated with me?" 

~~

A few weeks ago, we were out at Gigi's.  Marleigh couldn't see out the window, so she says to me (and this is verbatim), "Mommy, could you please look outside and tell me what is going on?"  What 2 year old uses complex sentences like that?!?  (Prime example why we sometimes have to remind ourselves that she IS only 2!)

 I tend to be an open book.  Maybe I share a little too much.  Maybe that's why I blog.  I feel that since I share all the good stuff, that it is only right that I share some of the not so good stuff, so here goes.

A few weeks ago, both Marc and my Mom noticed that I just hadn't quite been myself lately.  Within a day of each other (and both without the other one knowing), they came to me worried I might be suffering with some postpartum depression.   I knew I had been a little stressed, but I guess I hadn't noticed the magnitude.  Granted, I wasn't crying all the time or anything, but I was on edge. 

It all began when Marleigh was having such a rough time coping with having a new baby brother, and sharing Mommy and Daddy.  Knowing how unhappy she was, ate me alive.  After everything she has gone through, all I ever want is for her to be happy and healthy.  And she wasn't.   It seemed to be all my fault, because I wasn't able to give her all the attention she was so desperately wanting.  No matter what I tried, I couldn't fix it. 

Then, all of the sudden, Kade became colicky.  I don't think I need to explain the stress of having a baby scream for hours on end. 

We figured out that Kade wasn't handling breast milk well, and we would need to switch to formula.  I know it sounds silly, but it was a huge disappointment for me.  Nursing is such a special thing between a mother and her baby. 

I started back to work, and felt the guilt, that I'm sure all working mothers do.  Eventhough I only work parttime, I still felt like I wasn't spending as much time with my children as I should.

I am an accountant and a financial advisor.  I deal with numbers and money.  We do just fine, but my nature is to budget, worry, and over analyze when it comes to money.  Having two kids in daycare, the added cost of formula..... it was making me a little nervous. 

I have never been a neat freak, but it seemed that by the time I worked, spent every waking minute with the kids, that I just could not get caught up on the house, and I hated that. 

Marc and I have discussed it, and we are pretty sure that we are now done having children.  Again, it will probably sound very funny to most people, but the thought of never feeling a baby kick again is a little tough.  I LOVED most every minute of being pregnant.  It is a little sad to think that I will never experience that again.  Don't get me wrong.... I am so thankful that I did experience it and for the three children I have been blessed with. 

Then there was the fact that I have two healthy, beautiful, growing children.  I should be the happiest mama on earth.  I love them more than anything, so what the heck is wrong with me that I am so stressed out?!?

All of this added up to me feeling a little stressed/cranky/edgy.  I had chalked it up to nothing more than that.  As I said before, I am an open book.... a bit of a talker.  I decided that maybe I should talk to my friend and our pastor, Pastor Ryan Webster.  He is a great guy.  He actually was a psychologist before entering the ministry. 

Pastor Ryan opened my eyes to some things.  My previous experiences with the girls being born premature, losing Natalie, being scared to death we would lose Marleigh, etc., has had a profound impact on being a parent for me. 

I have NEVER been overly cautious or overprotective (I've got a rap sheet from the ER a mile long), but I am now with my children....to a fault.  I want to protect them and shelter them.  Make sure they are ALWAYS safe and happy.  Well, guess, what.... ain't gonna happen.  Kids will get sick, they'll be unhappy at times, they'll fall off the slide.  That's part of life.  I can't shelter them from everything, no matter how much I try.

I love my kids so much.  I want Marleigh and Kade to have the perfect childhood and the perfect mother.   I have set an unrealistic expectation in my mind of what the "perfect mother"  is.  No matter what I try or what I do, I was NEVER going to measure up to the bar I had set for myself.  As Pastor Ryan said, "I was setting myself up to fail." 

I'm not sure if I would call it postpartum.  Maybe somewhat.  But I think more than anything it was post child loss.  Losing a child changes so many things.  It affects every facet of your life and who you are.  It affects your core belief system.  You will never get over it.  You will never go back to how things were before.  You have to learn a new normal.  It makes you fully realize that every minute you have with your children is the most precious gift. You lose the naivety of thinking you have all the time in the world. 

Things are getting better. I am trying to not be so hard on myself, and let the little things go. I'm going to stop wasting time worrying and just soak up every minute of my two precious babies.

Happy 3 month birthday, Kade (a couple of days late)

I can not believe Kade is already 3 months old!  Since I plan on printing the blog for both Kade and Marleigh to have, here is Kade's 3 month letter.

Kade Robert-

You are already 3 months old!  Where does time go?  I can't seem to remember life without you.  You are such a happy baby. 

You smile all the time and laugh quite a bit.  It is the cutest laugh.  It is kind of a low, "huh, huh, huh."  Just the other night, after our 4:00am feeding, I gave you your bink and put you back in your crib.  A few minutes later you were fussing just a bit.  I went back to your room, and you had spit your bink out.  As soon as you saw me, you gave me a huge smile and laughed, "huh, huh, huh..."  We repeated that about 3 times.  It was like you were saying, "I knew I could get you to come back in here!!!" 

You recognize quite a few people including Mommy, Daddy, Gigi, Ashley (our daycare), and Marleigh.  You love your sister so much and watch her all the time.  As soon as she speaks, you are looking to find her.  You give her some of your biggest smiles.  She loves you, too.  She is always wanting to help change your diaper, feed you, and give you a bath.  You really enjoy your baths, as well.

You are a BIG boy!  Already, you weigh over 20lbs!  You are almost to catch up to Marleigh.  She tries to hold you, but she huffs and puffs and says, "he's soooo big!"  You are still wearing some 9 month clothes now, but 12 month clothes fit, too.  Everyone thinks you are older than what you are because you are such a big boy. 

You have started reaching and grabbing things.  You are VERY attentive and track objects well.  I think you think you are older than what you are, too!  You try to sit up, and can for just a few seconds, before starting to lean over.  Daddy works with you on standing.  You love to stand and bounce.  It makes you grin from ear to ear.  You babble back when we talk to you, and are very expressive. 

I amazed at what a good eater you are!  Up until recently, you were taking 8 ounces of formula every 3 hours.  In the last week, you have space that out to 4 hours.

You are such a fantastic sleeper.  I just put you in your bed with your bink, and you usually go right to sleep.    Typically, you go down for the night around 8:00pm.  Most of the time you wake up around 4:00am for a bottle, then go right back to sleep.  There has been a few nights, where you've slept clear until 7:00!

Kade, we love you more than words can express.  You've already brought us so much joy.  I can not wait to see all that God has in store for you!

Love,
Mommy, Daddy, and Marleigh

Pictures

Last weekend we had a girls weekend (+Luke and Kade) at my sister's house.  My Mom, Aunt Karen, and sister have been having girls weekend for years now.  Here's a couple pics of the kids, that I just had to share!

Love these kids!!!



The men had to stick together!

Luke had so much fun with both Marleigh and Kade.  He is going to be in big brother in just a few short weeks, and he is going to be a GREAT one!!!  I can not wait to meet his little sister!!!

~~

Took this next picture tonight before putting the kids to bed.  I love it!  My 3 most favorite people on this Earth! 

Tractor House magazine.... a perfect bedtime story!!!



My Little Farm Girl

Even though Marc and I aren't farmers ourselves, I LOVE that we live close enough for our kids to enjoy my Dad's farm.  Ever since Marleigh has been little she has gotten so much joy in riding in the trucks, combines, and tractors.

It is adorable to watch her "farming"  with her toy John Deere farm equipment.  Most of the time, she has her purse on her arm while farming or has her "pretties"  on.  At Gigi's she wears her "fancy shoes" (a bunch of toy dress up shoes)  and farms in her heels.  It is awesome that she already knows what many of the implements are!  :)

Marleigh keeps her own stash of Tractor House magazines and looks at them all the time.  Marc has taught her so much.  She'll tell you which is a four wheel drive, and that all the red ones are dirty! Ha!  Now, whenever she sees a red tractor, she says, "They should paint it green!" 

Marleigh has gotten into narrating as we drive in the country.  She will give you a play by play of the crops, animals, and equipment as we drive by.  Some of my favorites to hear her say are "alfalfa"  and "wheat stubble".  The other day, way off in the distance was a swather.  Just glancing, I thought it was a combine.  Not sure if she saw it, I said, "Marleigh, there's a combine way out there."  Marleigh was quick to correct me.  "It is a swather, Mommy." 

Out on my family farm, all the guys's personal pickups have beds with their fuel tanks, tool boxes, etc.  The pickup the farm owns has a flatbed on it.  That pickup is referred to as the "farm pickup".  I tried to point out a pickup to Marleigh as we were driving (it had a flatbed on it).  Yet again, I was corrected.  "Mommy, it is a FARM pickup." 

Marleigh really likes cows.  I'm not sure why, but she loves them and always wants to pet them.  She goes nuts when she sees cows "swimming" in ponds.  As hot as it has been all summer, we've seen quite a few.  Her little voice goes up about 3 octaves and she screams, "Mommy, the cows are swimming!!!" 

However, she didn't find the humor in my joke.
Me:  Marleigh, look, summer cows!
Marleigh:  What are summer cows?
Me: Some are white, some are brown, some are black.
Marleigh:  Do what?!?

Here is our conversation from yesterday driving home.
Marleigh:  MILO!!! I want to get in a combine and cut it!
Me:  Honey, it isn't our milo to cut.
Marleigh:  Do you think Papa has some milo?
Me:  Yes.
Marleigh:  Do you think Papa will let me help him cut the milo?
Me:  Well, I don't know.  What do you think?
Marleigh:  I bet he will.  He's a nice guy.

I'm so glad she'll have all these farm memories growing up.  :)

Catching up....

The last few weeks have been busy! 

Kade is doing so much better on formula.  However, he still wasn't sleeping like he used to, so I took him to the chiropractor.  Dr. Randy Schmidt is amazing!  He adjusted Kade's pelvis and back, and rubbed some pressure points.  Kade screamed the entire time that Dr. Randy was working on him the first time.  He was obviously very sore.  That night, he slept better.  He actually slept for 6 hours straight.  The second treatment was very much like the first one.  Kade screamed the whole time.  That night, he had the nastiest diaper I had ever seen.  We were traveling back to Mound City (more on that later)  and had to throw away his clothes.  It was like he had worked loose something toxic and it made it way out of Kade's system.  The third treatment, Kade smiled and laughed while Dr. Randy worked on him.  You could tell that he wasn't near as sore.  That night, Kade slept 10.5 hours straight!!!  I was amazed.  Kade now goes to sleep every night around 8:00, gets up around 4:00am to eat, then goes right back to bed til around 7:00am.  It is pure heaven!  Thank you so much Dr. Randy!!!

Marleigh has been doing much better the last few days.  She is no longer screaming when I feed Kade and has become way more interactive with him. We're hoping things continue to improve. 


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The weekend before last, we headed back to Mound City for Marc's brother's Memorial Softball Tournament.  Every year Marc & his sisters have a team.  We are not good by any means, but we have a great time and we are improving!  It is a bittersweet weekend getting to spend time with family and celebrating Matt's life.  While we are playing, we enlist the help of anyone willing to watch the kids.  Thank you Aunt Mae, Aunt Johnna, Aunt Pat, Paige, and Audrey for riding herd on the kiddos!  We really appreciate it!

This past weekend Marc was in Manhattan for the KSU game.  My cousin, Kevin, got married, so we got to see all of my Mom's family.  It was a beautiful wedding.  Congrats to Kevin and his wife, Kelci.  Two of my Mom's sisters live in Georgia, so we don't get to see them very often.  It was great catching up and spending time with them.  We hosted a little get together Sunday evening at our house, and it was a great time.  Everyone brought some food.  We grilled and hung out in the backyard.  Good times!

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I've got some cute Marleigh stories, but those will have to wait til next time!!!

More Pictures from Kade's Newborn Session

I can't thank Brooke Jantz enough.  She takes amazing pictures!  Here's a few more of my favorites!

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Also, thanks for all the wonderful comments on the previous posts!  Great hearing from all of you! 

200 Posts!

Holy cow!  The previous post was my 200th post!  If you've kept up with us for this long, kudos to you!  I'm not a good writer and we're really not all that interesting!  Ha!!! 

I'm borrowing this idea from a friend.

I would welcome you to please leave a comment and tell me a bit about yourself.  Maybe you know us.  Maybe you don't.  Maybe you found our blog through the blog of a friend. Maybe you've never left a comment.  I'd love to hear about you.  I sometimes wonder if anyone actually still reads this thing!  You can be anonymous if you like.  Thanks for taking the time to keep up on us!  If you're so inclined, please do leave a comment!

State Fair

I have so many great memories of family trips/outings growing up.  I want our kids to look back 20 years down the road and have fond memories of their childhood as well.  This leads me to be a bit idealistic.  I always come up with these great ideas and plan out the "perfect"  day.  Sometimes it works out (case in point: day before Kade was born.  We had an amazing last day as a threesome.), and sometimes things just don't go as planned (case in point: our trip to the State Fair on Saturday). 

I was SO excited to take the kids to the State Fair.  Not that either one of them will ever remember it.  But partly because Marleigh is now old enough to really enjoy the animals, climb on the farm equipment, etc., and partly because it is so nice to be able to take our son in public and not be scared to death he'll get sick.  It was supposed to be a gorgeous day on Saturday (at least that's what the forecast said earlier in the week).  Marc had been gone Wednesday through Friday, so I thought it would be a fabulous way for us to spend our Saturday as a family. 

It all started Friday night.  Kade had a really rough night, which meant Mommy and Daddy were shot already first thing Saturday morning.  I had planned for us to be out of the house by 8:30.  At 9:01 we left the house, only to realize we needed gas.  While getting gas, we realized we somehow made it out of the house without a binkie for Kade, so we had to run back by the house.  It was now 9:17 and we were finally on the road.  At this point, I was still determined to make it the "perfect" day.  About half way there, it started pouring.  Shortly thereafter, Kade started crying.  It rained on us the rest of the way to Hutch.  Instead of heading straight to the fair, we crashed my sister's house for about an hour waiting for the rain to clear out.  I was ready to throw in the towel.  I was sure the rest of the day would just be one big disappointment.  But a certain two year old kept asking, "Can I go to the fair and see tractors, combines, and cows?"  (Go figure, she wanted to go see things that we have back home!)  Marc convinced me to not let a few setbacks ruin our day. 

Although we were only there a little over two hours and didn't ride any rides, it was perfect.  The highlight of the day was Marleigh asking begging to ride a camel.  She is normally afraid of ANYTHING new or different.  We were both shocked when she asked to ride it.  We fully expected her to get near the camel, and cling to Marc, but she hopped right on. Snickers gave her and Daddy a great ride! 

Kade is SO excited to be going to the fair!

Happy to be in a combine!

She had to drive!

Happy girl!

We even found the owner of one of the cows, and he let Marleigh pet it.  She LOVED it!

Looking at all the bunnies (and there were a lot!)

Seriously, he can't contain his excitement!

Ready for a ride on Snickers.

Loving the camel ride!

I am so glad we went.  We had an amazing time as a family.  I'm learning that even when things don't
go exactly as I've planned, all that matters is that we're together as a family and it can still lead to some fantastic memories.