Eat For A Cause!

Hey guys! My Childhood Cancer Awareness post is a bit late this year, and I apologize. For those of you who don't know, September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. I have had the privilege of knowing and loving several children who have been affected by this terrible disease, and I continue to keep up with the blogs and websites of even more children and families who I have never met. Most years, these websites have a lot of information about Chili's (restaurant) fundraising efforts and other organizations who are actively raising money for better treatments and cures. This year, however, I am seeing less information about these great organizations and more information about the surprising numbers of children and families who are affected by childhood cancer. Did you know:

*46 kids are diagnosed every day with cancer.
*9 kids die every day from cancer or complications from treatment.
* Only 3% of government funded cancer research goes to pediatrics.

(taken from www.victoryforvictoria.blogspot.com)

I keep a year-round list on the sidebar of worthy charities that you could get involved in, if you are moved to do so. If you're short on time and/or money these days, there is one simple thing you can do to raise awareness AND money to battle this horrible illness. Take your family out to eat next Monday night!! That's right - on Monday, September 27, Chili's will be donating ALL of its profits to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Your children will have a chance to color a chili pepper, and for a donation as small as $1, Chili's will proudly display your child's artwork in the restaurant. We colored a pepper tonight in memory of our sweet friend, Victoria, who died of brain cancer at age 8.

As I do every year, I invite anyone who is local (or willing to travel :) to eat dinner with our family at Chili's next Monday. E-mail or Facebook me for more details!

Abby Kate is One!

Hello all! We are doing well over here, and I thought I'd take a few minutes to update this blog. I am officially 12 weeks into the pregnancy, and had a great doctor's appointment on Tuesday. After one final sonogram (until the 20 week one) to follow up on our earlier complications, my doctor has "cleared" me of those complications, and we have every reason to expect that this pregnancy will continue normally until delivery. Praise God! I did not love those early scary moments, but it has been fun to get the frequent ultrasounds. We got to see our little gummy bear jumping around this last time, which was pretty cute!

Abby Kate turned one last Thursday, September 2!! We had a small, family party which was just right! I'm a little partied out for the summer - Cline, Christa, Abby Kate, and I all have summer birthdays, so I'm very happy the new baby is due in March! I don't think I could handle one more party to plan during the summer months! Here are some pictures from the party.

Happy Birthday Girl!

I found this outfit at a local store, and almost didn't get it because I already had a shirt for her. Then, I thought about what cute professional cake pictures that outfit would make, so I rushed back out and bought it. We'll see how those professional pictures turn out!

Getting ready to party!

Christa and I made the cake together. We have always done large parties for Christa, so I have always ordered a cake from a grocery store or baker. This time, I decided to try and make one myself, since we were having a small party. Christa loves to help me bake, so I thought it would be a fun mother-daughter activity. I was right! I didn't save any money, by the time I purchased all of the frosting, ingredients, cake pan, etc., but we had fun making it!

Abby Kate devoured an entire cupcake... and started in on a second one!

Christa had her first ballet practice on Tuesday. She is so excited to be a ballerina, and we were pleasantly surprised to find out that a good friend of ours is in her class!

Have a great week!

Happy 1st Birthday Abby Kate!!

Dear Abber-Dabbers,

One year ago today, I had not gotten much sleep the night before! Despite our attempts to meet you on September 1, you decided to do your own thing and entered the world at 5:12 am on September 2. That extra 5 hours and 12 minutes will delay Kindergarten for you one whole year!!! (I'm really happy that you'll get to be home an extra year!!) As with your big sister, I had a great delivery with you (after a bit of a rocky start) and a great doctor who took amazing care of both of us!

Our first days home were a little rough. You wanted to nurse constantly, and wouldn't sleep at all unless someone was holding you. We found out after almost a week that my milk supply hadn't come in, and so you were not getting what you needed! You were so sweet and good-natured about the whole thing. You didn't cry a lot, as long as you were being held. I'd always been told that a baby will not let him/herself starve. That statement wasn't true for you, my dear, and it took me several long months, and a couple of stressful doctor's visits to figure out that I should just feed you often because you don't cry when you're hungry!

You were sooooo snuggly for the first few months. You and I spent many sweet hours rocking in the rocking chair and snuggling in bed. A few days after you came home, I was so tired, so I got in bed and snuggled you right next to my face. You looked so incredibly peaceful and content to be so close to me. That is one of my favorite memories! You ended up sleeping just like that for about 6 months, once I learned that was the only way I was going to get any sleep. You liked to grab and touch my right hand while I was holding you with my left, and it comforted you so easily during those early days

Your big sister loved (loves) you sooooo much, and was so fascinated by everything you did. I learned quickly that I had to watch her constantly when you were in a place where she could get to you. She thought it was perfectly fine to sit on top of you or poke you in they eye. She also liked to bring you toys and bounce you, sometimes a little too roughly, in your bouncer. She loved it when you sneezed and would laugh and say "more please sneeze."

You learned how to smile very quickly - around 5 weeks. You haven't stopped smiling since! Getting great pictures of you has been so easy. You have a huge smile, just like your daddy, and some of the people who help in the church nurseries called you "the happiest baby in the world."

You started rolling over around 3 1/2 months. It was a happy, happy day when you could roll over to your tummy. I tried hard to follow the SIDS guidelines and make you sleep on your back, but you would have none of that. As soon as you go into the crib, you immediately turn to your stomach.

You started crawling and sitting up between 6 1/2 and 7 months. I was afraid you would start walking shortly after that, as quickly as you caught onto moving around. You didn't, though, and now I think I'm ready for you to. It's getting hard to take Christa outside, because you want to get down on the ground! You got a little less snuggly after you could move around and are a lot more active! You don't sit still for a second now, which makes diaper/clothes changes a back-breaking and exhausting job! You smile so much, though, that it makes it hard to get frustrated with you for being so squirmy.

You try hard to keep up with your big sister, and would much rather play with her toys than your baby toys. You're not walking yet, but you can stand for a few seconds by yourself. You climb the stairs in no time at all if I forget to close the gate, and if I catch you in the act, you laugh and climb faster. You eat "big-people food," and like to feed yourself, which is such a mess. You can say a few words: "Daddy," "Ma-ma," "Boo," "Go," and "Ba-Ba" (whatever that means)! Daddy recently taught you how to bark like a dog, and you are so cute mimicking him. Christa is still crazy about you, and often claps and says, "Good job, Abby Kate," when you do something well. Last week, Daddy and I thought you were happily playing together on the kitchen floor. When we took a closer look, we realized that you and Christa were having a ball spreading a can of powdered formula around the floor, and you were eating it by the fist-full with a huge smile on your face. It was really hilarious, but I chose not to grab the camera, because I was afraid it would contradict Daddy's effort at discipline:)

You and I just started taking Kindermusik classes together. I love this time to give you my undivided attention for a little while - it's not something that happens often. At our first class, I wondered if I should switch you to gymnastics because all you wanted to do was crawl around and do your own thing. You did really well at your second class, though, and smiled through the songs and activities.

You have added so much joy to our family! We definitely wouldn't be complete without you. It hasn't been the easiest year ever, and I don't think I fully understood true exhaustion until I began parenting two children. But I know that these sweet days will not last forever, and I am treasuring every moment that I get to attempt to keep up with you, even if I'm a tired mess at the end of the day! I love that you and your sister are both girls, and the 26 month age difference has been wonderful. I am having a great time dressing you in matching dresses and cute, girly outfits and watching you play together. Your sweet smile has lifted my spirits on many occasions, and still can't believe how laid back you are. You definitely didn't get that trait from me, but I'm trying to learn from it.

I love you, sweet angel.

Mommy

A Few Quick Pictures

Hey guys! Just a few quick pictures to catch up. I'm working on getting ready for Abby Kate's birthday tomorrow, so not much time. I'll have a post on that tomorrow!

Ready for Ballet - this was the day we bought her leotard and ballet slippers. She wouldn't wear anything else for at least a week, and insisted on being referred to as "Ballerina."

1st Day of School


Abby Kate had a few moments to play with the toys by herself the other day while Christa was at school. She was so sweet, putting the baby doll up to her chest and hugging it. She is getting so big!

Hello Again, Porcelain Throne

After a couple of weeks of surprising comfort, I'm getting to know the local toilets quite well these days. I'm thinking that maybe I shouldn't have been bragging about this being "the best pregnancy yet" so much! The weird thing is that I have an appetite. With my past pregnancies, weeks 6-10 were filled with toast, cheese, chips, Ginger Ale, and not much else. This time, almost everything still sounds good, and tastes good..... for a little while.

This leads me to two possible conclusions:

1. This baby is another girl.

2. This baby is a boy, and I have no hope of ever having a nice, easy, comfortable pregnancy!

I'm so glad I have a helpful husband who doesn't mind me indulging in extra rest time these days!

Happy 30th Birthday Cline!!

Cline turned the big 3-0 on July 23!! We celebrated for a whole weekend in Blue Ridge, complete with sorority-style T-shirts! Cline's mother arranged for the whole family, including brothers, brothers' families/girlfriends, parents, and grandparents to stay in a cozy cabin. It was great to have one whole side of the family together for such a long time. Christa had a blast with her cousins, and Abby Kate had a blast figuring out various ways to climb up the gateless stairs! The young adults had a great time tubing down the river and watching the kids play together. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Cline and Chas celebrating their 30th birthday with their favorite - Coca-Cola cake. Can you tell which one is Cline?

Helping Daddy open presents!

Christa and the newest baby cousin with Uncle Cleve, Angel, and Laura!

Abby Kate was 11 months old on August 2!

The Best Excuse Ever

Hey guys! So, recently, I took a little test. I was so absolutely sure that this test was going to be "negative" that I didn't even tell Cline I was taking it, despite strict, long-standing instructions to never, ever take such a test without being in his presence. In fact, the only reason I was even taking the test was because I had one tiny symptom, that could easily be explained away, but that one symptom was causing a nagging guilt as I indulged in my 4th Coca-Cola each day, and I was tired of having my joy robbed for what was probably no reason at all.

So, I took the test, early on July 12, to put my mind at ease, fully expecting to resume my caffeinated lifestyle in peace. And it came back very clearly "positive!"

Luckily, I had some time to think of a cute way to tell Cline that I'd broken the cardinal rule of not taking pregnancy tests unless he was around to share in the joy. Cline was working a night shift that night and would be sleeping most of the day. As soon as Christa woke up, we got to work on a cute little construction paper card, and wrapped the life-changing stick up like a present. I was forgiven :)

We are thrilled beyond belief, and can't wait to meet this new little baby! My due date is at the end of March, which will make Abby Kate just over 18 months old. Whew!! That's an exhausting thought that I'm trying not to dwell too hard on right now :) I feel like I've just now gotten used to having two children, so I'm hoping for the best with 3 so young! Needless to say, I'm soaking up all of the sleep I can right now in preparation for some chaotic, fun, and memorable months ahead!

We have had a couple of scares this time around, but thankfully, things are looking better now. As a result, I have been back and forth to the doctor's office very frequently over the past 5 weeks, leaving little time or energy for appropriate blogging. We welcome your prayers that this pregnancy goes smoothly, and the issues continue to resolve themselves. Christa has already claimed her new room in preparation for the new baby, and Abby Kate is so excited that she's not sleeping anymore! I am so thankful that the pregnancy is progressing that the constant vomiting doesn't seem to be bothering me as much this time around. Cline is convinced the baby is a boy, but I think I'm going to let this one be a surprise.

In other news, Christa started preschool last week and loves her class. She goes 3 mornings a week, which gives Abby Kate and I some time to do Kindermusik together. Abby Kate is a different child from Christa, who sat calmly, happily patting to the music. Abby Kate, my active child, wants nothing more than to crawl around the room during this time, so our Kindermusik days may be short-lived and replaced with gymnastics classes down the road. Christa will start ballet in a couple of weeks and is sooooo excited. We went to buy her leotard, tights, and slippers about a week ago, and I've had a hard time convincing her to wear anything else since then. She insists on being referred to as "Ballerina," NOT, "Christa." She's a funny one for sure!

Cline has worked a ton this summer, so we haven't done a whole lot as a family. We're looking forward to resuming a normal schedule next month, and hope to be able to do more social/family activities this fall. I have been busy resting as much as I can and editing video for Abby Kate's first birthday, which is coming up in a couple of weeks. At some point, I'll have to figure out new room arrangements, and re-organize all of the kid stuff in the house to make room for the 3rd child. So far, I'm just focused on getting little "Gummy-Bear" here safely, and I will find the time and energy to get to all of that later.

Hope all of you are doing well, and I'd love to hear from you! I'm on Facebook now, so if we're not friends, please request me. I now have one of those fancy phones that takes pictures, so I'm a little better about updating that site right now, since it's portable!

Have a great day!