Hello from Kansas!  Been awhile since I posted, but I have so much more energy now thanks to the wonderful 2nd trimester so I can update everyone!

Pregnancy: Not much to say here. I am starting to show already (yay!) Haven't felt any movements yet.  I am really looking forward to feeling some really great kicks this time.  Lizzie was always breech, so all I felt was little taps in my very lower abs.  I want to feel some twirling and kicking this time. (Call me crazy, but I do!)

Lizzie: Wow, this girl knows how to worry me and make me the proudest mamma at the same time.  I started to be worried because she isn't saying as many words as I was told she should be.  But she is right on target for her own development, not slow or anything :)  

She can say: 

Dada (this also mean's daddy's tractor)

Mama

Yeah-yeah (this means nurse)

Na-Na (means cookie or snack.  Her grandpa taught her to say it...why that word I don't know)

Do - Dog

Ba- bath or Book

Hi! (my favorite!!)

She can sign:

Please

Thank you

eat

more

love

sing a song

She is starting to wean, with my encouragement.  She currently nurses to go to sleep, wake up, take a nap, and 1 snack in the morning and one in the evening.  If the day was particularly stressful she might add a session but that is the normal amount. She is now down to 1 nursing at night (3am) and I am really trying to sing or cuddle her back to sleep to wean her off this one. My goal is to be up in the middle of the night with only 1 nursling when the new baby comes - not 2 :)   It is so cute though at 3 am when she starts asking with a crying and shaky voice, "Yeah yeah?  Yeah Yeah?"  she will continue to ask until she realizes I am resolved and it won't happen.  Then when she calms down I sing to her and cuddle her.  Her favorite lullaby right now is "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot."  

Eating habits - what a roller coaster ride.  She worried me for awhile cause she didn't like to eat very much solids.  Now she is eating a lot more.  She doesn't like the texture of meat though, unless it is teeny bites she can't see really.  But her favorites are all nutritious so I'm not too worried anymore.  She LOVES: peanut butter & Jelly, scrambled eggs w/cheese and toast, mac & cheese, cottage cheese, fruit, applesauce, cereal and frozen yogurt. She was eating so much ice cream with daddy I decided to switch to frozen yogurt to keep it a little healthier :)

Other Life:  I am watching a 10 month old baby for a friend in the church.  The baby's name is Sheridan.  Her mom is in school and working.  I watch her 4 days a week, 8-9 hours a day.  It isn't so bad! The only difficult time is nap time on the days they both aren't tired at the same time.  This is pretty rare though (praise the Lord!)  It's great for Lizzie to have someone to play with - but I can tell she wishes the baby could do more (or was lighter so she could pick her up like a baby doll! LOL)

Now for the pictures!  What a long post - phew!

Lizzie's favorite toy is daddy's tractor - or the Da Da.  He has taught her which gears to turn to turn it on and when you put her on the seat, she touches them in the correct order!  I tried to get a pic of her smiling on it, but she is so focused. It's like it is her job to be on it! 

We were eating Corn on the cob the other night and Lizzie kept asking for her daddy's corn.  I didn't think she would know what to do with it, so we gave it to her....

...And away she went!  It shocked me how quickly she picked up how to eat it, I had to get a picture!

Finally,  a picture of Lizzie's beautiful smile!  She was having so much fun on the hammock with her daddy. 

This is Lizzie with Sheridan, the baby I watch.  Lizzie has a bad habit of sitting on Sheridan's lap. Sheridan just smiles about it, not caring on bit.  I wish this was a better picture....

Thank you and God bless!

Finally a sunny day!

It has been cold and rainy for so long, I am so excited to see the sun!

The sun is "shining" in my physical life too so to speak. I finally have enough energy to pick up around the house, play with Lizzie and make Josh some edible meals! This is such an answer to prayer. Life was miserable when I didn't have any energy. Lizzie loves the energetic mamma too. She is eating a LOT more solids (all 3 meals and quite a few healthy snacks in between - if you don't count the ice cream daddy gives her after dinner LOL)

She is also sleeping so much better. I don't know if this is due to: her daddy being home and playing with her more at night, me feeding her more solids and playing more with her, or her just growing up more. Whatever the reason I am so glad!! Friday night she slept in her own bed for 6 hours! And yesterday I laid her down in her own bed for a nap and she fell asleep on her own! This is a first for her - usually she nurses to sleep. My little girl is growing up and I am so proud!

15 month check up stats!

• 32 1/4 inches tall
• 26 pounds 2 ounces

healthy girl!!

Now for a few pictures! God bless you!



Applesauce EVERYWHERE! She had so much fun :)

Lizzie put our new kittie (Babs) in her stroller and pushed her around. But as soon as Babs saw Rufus, the fun was over! But not for Lizzie - she LOVED it! I was just lucky to get this pic!

Lizzie posing with Rufus. He is so good with her. She will go up to him and hit his face and back and he will sit there thinking "oh she loves me! She really loves me!" What a loveable mutt.

Hooray! So much to be happy for!

Josh is back safely from Georgia! We all missed him terribly and are so relieved to have him back. Lizzie really missed her "da da" and that stands for his tractor too! Whenever we went on our walks, she would point at it and say very emphatically "da da! da da!" And I would let her play on it, but since I don't know how to turn it on, let alone drive the thing, that is as far as she got until he came home.

Also, Josh said I could tell everyone....

I am pregnant! I am due April 1st, 09! He really wanted me to wait until I started the 2nd trimester but I just couldn't wait. We are all very excited!

There is one thing I covet your prayers for. I have Bell's Palsy and I really need the Lord's strength to accomplish things throughout the day. Bell's Palsy is a temporary paralysis of one side of the face due to the 7th Cranial nerve become swollen and cutting off communication from the brain to the face. So my left side of my face can't smile, blink or taste food. This also leaves me feeling even more tired than normal because my body is trying to recover. So not only am I tired from the first trimester I am wiped from this palsy. (anyone that has had Mono knows how tired I am!!) Needless to say the house is gross and Lizzie gets restless. The dr. said I should see some signs of improvement in 2 weeks, and I should be fully recovered in 2-6 months.

It is times like this I praise the Lord that she is still breastfeeding! When I am laying in bed dead tired, she crawls in with me and cuddles and nurses. So I am able to rest and recover without worrying what my toddler is getting into, and at the same time feel the love and warmth of my cuddly daughter.

I do start to worry about whether Lizzie will be nursing a lot when the new baby is here, but a lot changes in children between the ages of 15 mos and 22 months. I know that if I continue to trust the Lord and do my best he will give me the wisdom and strength to continue on!
Lizzie seems to be doing very well so I must not be doing too much wrong! LOL She has never been on antibiotics (praise the Lord!) and she is so brave and curious about the world around her. When we go on our walks down our driveway she will take of running and when she falls down, she just gets right back up without another thought (and this is on a gravel driveway, you should see her poor knees!)

that's all for now, but i will update with more later!

ok, this computer isn't letting me post pics on blogger easily, so this is this only one I could get to upload successfully. I have more to share and will when I have time. This is the most recent pic of Lizzie - taken about 2 weeks ago.

Hello everyone! Wow it has been FOREVER since I last posted. I blame it all on living out in the middle of nowhere without access to the internet. But I have stolen a moment while Josh is watching Lizzie here at his office to update all my friends.

I miss you all! I wish I had the internet at home (we will in about 1 month!) so I could update more frequently. Lizzie is 14 months old! She is growing and changing in so many ways. I'll post some pics at the bottom. And now for the bullets (saves me and you time LOL)

• Lizzie is eating so much more now! She drinks a lot more from a sippy cup. She eats lots of snacks and 3 meals with me. This is a very large improvement from her exclusive breastfeeding. She started eating more during the day about 2 months ago and has just kept it up. So this is the start of the weaning process, but we are still pretty far away from complete weaning.


• Unfortunately, her sleeping is not doing well since we moved. Everything is different and she still wakes a few times at night. She is teeting molars on all 4 sides, so this is not helping her in any way! Poor darling.....and VBS was this week, so she is all kinds of stressed out.


• She has started to talk a little! Her words: Mama, Dada (which was her first official word, she said it and pointed at him and laughed) Baba (sippy cup) Dadadadada (Grandad, she says this as she points to his picture) She signs "eat" for nursing, "more" for everything she wants LOL and puts her hands on her head or shakes her hands if she wants to sing. and her gibberish - oh it cracks me up! She will get all excited about something and just go off and I can't understand a word.


• I love our new house! I had about 2 weeks of it just being Josh, Lizzie and I. My sister is 20 and lives with us to save money while in college. She is moving out again in June. My dad is sleeping on our couch for one more week (this will make 2 total) while his car is repaired. God is good! He has given us the grace to live with my family and we will be blessed for this short period of stress.


• We have goats! Yes, Josh bought 3 female boar (meat) goats. Charolotte, Emily and Anne. I named them after the Bronte sisters - 18th century novelists. They are sweeties!

Lizzie is growing up! But she is and always will be my little baby girl. I have run into a few people telling me their opinions on how to raise Lizzie and what I am doing wrong. Isn't that the best thing to tell a mommy? Those seeds of doubt sprout fruit very quickly and I shed some tears, but praise the Lord for his grace. Josh has been so encouraging and I know now that my loving her and doing what I feel is best for her will help her grow into a very strong girl that loves Jesus. I didn't realize that other moms can be some of the most opinionated people on the planet. I believe that as sisters in Christ we need to be encouraging eachother.

So I say to all my fellow mommies that I miss so much - if you are working outside the home you are doing what you can to provide for your child and setting a great example. If you are staying home, you are doing the same thing. Both are exhausting and both can be thankless at times and seem more stressful than it is worth. I pray that God blesses each of you moms reading this with a wonderful night's rest and His blessed peace that trancends all understanding - letting you know you are doing a great job with his child!

1 year old!

One year ago today I was wondering if the baby would ever be born! Then one year ago tomorrow I gave birth to Lizzie Leona at 9:30 in the morning by a C-Section.

We have gone from me reading all the textbooks and "knowing it all" to knowing I know nothing! She's always been a very strong, healthy, big girl! She has brought delight to everyone around her. Even though she is growing more independent every day, she still prefers to sleep next to mommy, snuggling and nursing!

Here are a few pics of her growing up!





Brand new! My angel!




2 months old. She only liked the pacifier for those 2 months, wouldn't take it anymore after that :)




4 months - growing so fast!




5 months - already sitting up all by herself!




6 months - my joy!




9 months and almost walking on her own.




Here she is today! My beaming toddler! I can't wait to see what else life has in store for us!

I LOVE YOU LIZZIE LEONA!

I'm DONE!

Now for some graduation pics for you all to enjoy!


blowing my classes a kiss goodbye - they won't be missed I promise you.


Lizzie was very active during the ceremony. But just as they were closing with prayer (MCC ceremony!) she fell asleep in grandad's arms.

I am so thankful for my artistic Sister in Law. Look at that gorgeous fruit tower!

The cake was so yummy! The bottom one was strawberry and the top was chocolate.

She wasn't even looking at me that stinker! I love this silly girl though so much!

We weighed her a couple days ago, and she is 25.2 pounds. Even though she eats like no solids (all breastmilk) and is walking around like the energetic toddler she is, she has still retained her gorgeous and lovable fat rolls. She'll be 1 year old on the 5th! I am so excited about her party. I'll totally be posting pics and stories.

God bless you all! I miss you Mindy, Holly, Lyn and Amber! (And your kids and hubbies too I guess, but you gals are close to my heart)

~Annie

According to Mercy Regional Hospital, the appendix has "no known function," s0 Josh asked them to take it out just for fun.

Actually, he was complaining about stomach pains that wouldn't go away for the past week and a CT scan on Friday showed a very inflamed appendix. So at 10:45 Friday night Josh had an appendectomy. He was able to walk around less than 24 hours after surgery, so all went very well! He is still feeling a bit sore, and he has some gorgeous bruises, but God is healing him very quickly and well.

I pray God blesses all you mothers with a great mother's day!!

~Annie

Today I had so much fun with Lizzie! She is starting to walk more than she is crawling and whenever she does, I can't help but smile so big from the inside out! My breath stops momentarily as I am just amazed. My little baby, the chubby girl I used to be so scared I would break (watch the head!) is now toddling around. She loves playing chase, helping with laundry, playing in material as I cut fabric to sew, and reading books. She knows the sign for eat and even uses it when she is hungry.

And today she had another first! She can stand up without any help, or holding onto anything! This is just one more step to her growing into a sweet little independent girl. I'm so proud...now if she could just eat solids without gagging so much lol

Today I just loved being at home, being a mother. We did a LOT of laundry and changed the sheets on the bed. When she saw me getting ready to make the bed, she walked right over and asked to be put on the bed. She loves the feeling of the clean sheets floating down on her. Watching her grin and hearing her giggle as a puff of air brushed her face was priceless!

Then later on she went out onto the back porch and started to push the screen door open. I didn't realize she could do this So we went outside and played on the trampoline! Here are some pics of the fun we had!












She turned 11 months old on the 5th! I have taken a picture on this chair every single month. Last month she wouldn't sit still so the pic is of her standing beside it. Today, she wouldn't sit still again (wonder why? lol) but I was able to catch her sitting on the arm. You better believe I took her off the chair immediately after...she almost fell backwards!
And do you see the item in her hand? It is an empty eyeliner. She is attached to any item shaped like a pen or pencil. This is the safest one we have let her play with. There are no sharp ends and one end actually has a very soft point.

God bless everyone! I'll update with more pics of the house when I get them! Josh and Ray are putting grout on the tiles yay!! The cabinets are in, but we still need countertops and appliances. SO CLOSE TO MOVE IN!

This is going to be a very exciting week!

On Saturday, (5/10) I will be walking with MCC in their graduation! Then, I'll get to show off my new house to family during my party! I'm so excited. Tonight Josh and his dad worked on laying tile in the bathroom and entry way. We also picked out a toilet and Josh has already installed just about all the cabinets! Thanks to the guys that were paintballing, Josh had some extra help carrying in the cabinets on Saturday.

We still have an apt for rent, and I hope that we get busy showing it this week and hopefully it will get rented in August.

I am also watching my 6 yr old nephew Zach after kindergarten every day. Lizzie loves playing with her cousin. The other day he and I were playing Star Wars with legos and we kept making gun noises, and Lizzie came over mimicking the noises! It was so cute!

Now that the weather is getting nicer, we have been spending more time outside and Lizzie LOVES it! She loves going to the park and swinging on the swings, playing on grandad's trampoline, walking on the bridge over MeMa's pond and being pushed in her stroller in the park. I can't believe she is 11 months old! WOW!! Soon she will be eating cake and ice cream, and let me tell you I am having so much fun planning her party!

I can't wait to show you all pics of the new house! They are coming soon - so keep checking back!!

Lizzie Lou is walking EVERYWHERE now! I was just eating a waffle in the kitchen while she was standing and holding onto the dishwasher. Then, she let go and walked clear across the kitchen without stopping! Needless to say the waffle was ignored while I started clapping and praising her! She would still rather crawl, but she can walk without any help now!

She is 10 1/2 months....wow, so close to 1 year.....I have a baby that is almost 1 year old? Doesn't seem possible sometimes :-)

Other Lizzie news: She points to things and babbles, its so cute! She loves the cat and dog, and will pat them (not pet, pat - like you do to a drum LOL) She is learning how to throw fits too - oh I love it when she throws her head back and cries her heart out....fun times. And her newest favorite toy is pens or pencils. If she has one and you take it away from her she will get so upset! She hasn't poked herself too bad yet, so we'll see. I don't let her walk with them, only crawl.

God bless!
Annie


I can't get a picture of her walking towards me...this is the best I could do so far! Don't you just love the hands? LOL
And this is a pic of her walking towards me. Notice the look of complete concentration!

All in a Day's Work for Lizzie Lou

Yesterday Lizzie decided "girls just want to have fun" and she had a lot of it. These are all from yesterday. A different family member helped her to make a seperate mess. Enjoy the following pics and I have a blog to follow!
Here she is with MeMa, emptying out Grandad's sock drawer. She was not satisfied until it was completely empty. As soon as I put some socks back in, she pulled them right out again!

I was out of the room and asked Daddy to watch her. He decided to give her a cheap toy - a fresh new roll of toilet paper! When I came back, she was busy unrolling it. I have to admit that I placed the paper on her head, but the mess was all her and daddy. After she was done with this mess, I just gathered it up and put it on the back of the toilet for his own future use.

I saved the best for last!! Lizzie has a facination with feeding herself. So I stripped her down to her diaper, gave her a bowl of pureed peaches and waited for the fun to begin! She had so much fun!

Now for the updates! She still only takes 2 or 3 steps before sitting down and crawling everywhere. She loves to wave hi and bye bye! She also waves when she says goodnight to MeMa and Grandad, it's so cute. She is finally getting her top teeth. Her top left tooth is through and the right one is getting there. She has broadened her list of favorite foods to include lemons, funny girl. I had one on my tea glass and gave it to her as a joke and she ended up loving it.

Till later!
Annie

Lizzie is 10 months old today

I can't believe it! She is doing so much! She took her first steps last night at Friday night dinner! Everyone saw her and was clapping and cheering, what a great moment. Lizzie looked around with a huge grin. Then, Mike Marino looked around and asked "why is everyone cheering?" lol poor guy missed the big moment! Oh well, we love him anyways!

If I am singing in the car, she will sing along in a singing type voice. She says "Da" when she sees the dog. And if I ask her "where is the ceiling fan?" she tips her head way back, looks at the ceiling and points up. Angel will bark whenever Evie and Ray get home at night and when she does Lizzie will get so excited, kicking and laughing! And she also knows the sign language for eat. She puts her hands to her mouth over and over when she is hungry. She is growing up so fast. I love interacting with her, she is so much fun!

God bless you all! Lizzie is wanting my attention, so I'll post more later!

~Annie

Happy Easter!

Now for some fun pics. I will blog later :-)




Woops! I learned what happens when you try to take a naked picture with a full bladder.....
Trying to stand up on a trampoline
"Helping" Daddy with his coffee on Easter

The view I see everyday

So big and pretty in her Easter dress! 9 1/2 months - wow!

L-R Lizzie, cousins Ashlyn and Mycah on Mycah's 2 yr bday party

Lizzie's 9 month Appointment!

All my worries were in vain. Lizzie Lou is very healthy! She is pushing around a walking toy, cruising on furniture, dumping out kitchen cabinets and dancing to music! The Doctor said her eating habits are normal for her age. She is growing so independent that she wants finger foods, but only having 2 teeth, what she can actually eat is limited. I have also been reading that she gets 100 percent nutrition from Breastmilk still and eating foods right now is just to experience new textures. So now I just offer her food throughout the day and don't stress if she rejects it.

Stats:
22 lbs 12 ounces
29 inches tall
Loves to read her Elmo book "SO BIG"
Still loves to shop at Target.

No joke! Today when we went she was grinning ear to ear as she realized where we were walking into.

Josh has 6 out of 23 cabinets built! Not long till we move in......

now enjoy this latest pic. This is how you can find her most days, and this is the safest place for her now when I have to do something where I can't be focused on her (like pay bills).

Thank you Josh for that amazing compliment! I have been so blessed to have such a hardworking, funny and dedicated husband. Like I said earlier, I'm so glad that I am married to you for the rest of my life!

Now, on to updates about Lizzie Lou. Lizzie's middle name is really Leona, but it's so fun to say Lizzie Lou, so that is one of her many nicknames. Others include Ellie (from her uncle) and Pickle (from her daddy).

Lizzie is cruising around furniture with confidence now. And thanks to her grandparents she is learning how to climb up and down the staircase too. She still only has the 2 bottom teeth, and I have no indication of when anymore will appear. And the one thing that bothers me the most is her eating habits. She would rather breastfeed than eat anything else. This is still OK for her cause I know that she gets all her nutrition from breastmilk, but a part of me wishes that when I sat her down she would eat her babyfood. She will eat the occassional cracker, banana or pickle and self-feed that way, but if I try to feed her spoonfuls of oatmeal or carrots she will spit it out and swat the spoon away. My main worry hear is: Does this mean she will be a picky eater when she gets older? Maybe when she gets more teeth and can handle a spoon correctly she'll eat a wider variety of foods.

Josh just left to work on the cabinets for our house. He thinks that in about 1-2 weeks all our cabinets should be finished and ready to install! We are doing rustic hickory cabinets, I can't wait to see them. The walls are painted - and there is no way anyone can be in a sad mood at our house. The walls are all so cheery and colorful. After listening to people's advice, I had fun picking out the colors for the walls and steered very clear of anything beige. Living Room, Kitchen and Hall are light green, bathroom is blue, Lizzie's bedroom is a fun purple and our bedroom is a dark maroon. Pictures will be posted, I'm not good at describing.......


Lizzie's 9 month appt is Tuesday. I'll post stats as soon as I get them.

The weather is wonderful, although slightly dreary, and it is nice to know that spring is around the corner. The house is painted, the cabinets are being built, and my daughter is doing an extremely good job of melting my heart.

I'm very happy, and I want to say thanks to my wife for being such a wonderful wife and an incredible mother. I couldn't ask for better.

I usually don't know what to tell family to get me for gifts, so I finally found something I want. This is pretty cool, handy and inexpensive compared to a whole lot of other items like it. http://www.newertech.com/products/ato2.php

That's it. Thanks.

Grumpy Gus or Crabby Patty.....

However you want to label it, Lizzie is definitely it! Her bottom right tooth is fully here and visible! And now I can feel the one next to it making its way up. The worst times for us is when she is sleepy. She is so difficult to console and it frustrates me and when she finally falls asleep, I am ready to collapse from exhaustion myself! For example, when I try to nurse her, she starts to nurse, but then she jerks away, arches her back and lets out a combination cry and whine. I am very thankful that she isn't a screamer, I don't know if my nerves could handle it.

Yes, I try to give her teething tablets, but sometimes I can't find them and then I am really regretting that....

Right now she is clawing at my pant leg and crying very pitifully. Poor gal, I wish I could make it all better....and how much longer does this last? For the next 2 years?? Goodie..........

On a happy note, if she is clamoring for attention, usually I can let her hold my two fingers and walk with her around the house, smiling all the way. Her other favorite game is peek-a-boo, and her laughter makes me so happy! And she is crawling everywhere and getting into everything...what a joy she is!

Just a couple pics to make you laugh!

They explain themselves in a way. She just LOVES glasses of ice water. Must feel good on her gums....

Read the post below for Lizzie updates.

Annie

The two most important people in my life!

Josh is such a wonderful father to Lizzie. She gets so excited in the morning when she wakes up and sees him. She giggles and pulls his hair. This ironically helps Josh wake up in a really good mood. Then he usually gives me a 5 minute break for me to have the bed all to myself in peace while he changes her diaper. I treasure these 5 minutes, oh the majesty of it!

Christmas - this year it can be summed up in one word : exhausting. I loved spending time with my family and they all adored seeing Lizzie. But I wanted to collapse after all 6 of my family Christmas's. Lizzie held up better than I did, of course, I was taking care of her :0) Yes, we went to Riley, Manhattan, Hutchinson, Topeka and Randolph for Christmas. In the future we will try and work out a way to combine a few of these for my sanity.....

LIZZIE:
Lizzie is astounding me with her development. She can move around the room by rolling or now her new thing, pivoting. She gets up on her hands and feet, pivots and sits back down. This frustrates her, however, because she doesn't get where she wants to go that way. She also loves getting into stuff now! Some of her favorite things to do are dump toys out of baskets or get into the diaper bag. And yesterday for the first time, she opened a bottom drawer and pulled out the contents! Yes, as of today I must be ever so much more watcheful of her.

Oh, and lets not forget her endearing screams. If she is not getting what she deems adequate attention, she will let me know with a loud and shrill scream. Thankfully, this is not a common occurrence.

I promise to post photos of our house soon. God bless you all!