The perfect anniversary gift

David started walking.

6 Year Wedding Anniversary

Photos taken by Angie Gambill Photography

What were we doing this time last year?

Last year this time, I was 33 weeks pregnant, and we spent our anniversary in labor and delivery triage trying to stop my preterm labor. It all worked out, of course, but I am thankful that this year's anniversary has turned out to be a lot less stressful. Joseph and I will celebrate 6 years of marriage tomorrow, so we are going out to eat today to celebrate. Thanks to some friends from church, we are leaving the kids at home.

Decorating for Christmas

David's Favorite Activity

 David loves to play with the baby food jars. The problem is that Joseph has a fit when the boys crawl around on the kitchen floor. He's really funny about germs. At any rate, I usually let them indulge in a few moments of playtime before I run them out of the kitchen. I'd rather have to get David out of the baby food than have to pull him away from Joseph's bookshelves. (He hasn't really started getting into his books yet, thankfully.) 

Don't you just love how I re-purposed that toy storage unit into a baby food/supply shelf?

What were we doing a year ago?

Austin had just had spinal surgery, and I was very pregnant with David. Click the links to go to blog posts from last year at this time.

Home in Time for Christmas

I thought some of you might be interested in seeing my very first blog. I started it while Austin was in the NICU as a way to update family and friends on his weight gain stats, etc. To see my very first  post, go to www.shareyourstory.org/ourlittlepeanut , then scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page and click "Older Entries" until you get to the earliest posts.

After four years, Austin's time in the NICU sometimes feels like a far-off dream, or like a movie that I watched some time ago. However, from time to time, the memories of Austin as a newborn wash over me anew. It is at these times that I usually make a blog post as a way to reminisce and process those memories. Each time, my rendition is slightly different. I forget certain details and remember others.

As such, I thought I would share this blog excerpt from December 8, 2006- only three days after Austin came home from the hospital. These were the details I felt were important to include then- before I had had months and years to process and distort those memories.

We brought our little guy home on Monday afternoon, which seemed like a dream. He is on Oxygen and monitors (the only alarms so far have been for loose leads). The first day and a half, he didn't sleep for more than ten minutes at a time and he cried ALOT. He finally started sleeping between feedings on Wednesday evening and has been on some sort of a routine every since. We have continuous music playing and a light on in his room at all times. He likes the noise. At this moment, I am trying out his front baby carrier, which he seems to love. He is a very cuddly baby. We have all kinds of doctor appointments coming up. Any ideas on how to reduce his exposure to illness while we are out?

Here is a brief summary of our little guy's journey so far:
-Born September 23rd at 29 weeks gestation after I spent four days on bedrest in the hospital with severe preeclampsia.

-The first week of his life is a fog to me. I know he was on the vent and c-pap for a few days. He spent this time in the "big room" of the NICU. He weighed 2 lbs 8 ounces and was 14 inches long.

- After a week, he was moved to the Critical Care Nursery where he stayed until he came home. He developed chronic lung disease, so he didn't get out of his isolette or start bottles for about 5 weeks. The nurses always said that he was a "dingy guy" referring to the alarms that went off when his oxygen saturation dropped.

- He never needed a blood transfusion, though the doctor considered it numerous times. At some point, his respiratory situation stabilized, though he still needed oxgen.  

- We thought that he would come home well before Thanksgiving because he had a good start on his feedings. Then his belly started hurting him all the time and he rejected his bottles. I began nursing him several times a day and we gradually reintroduced him to the bottle.  

- The last week he was in the hospital, I stayed in a Ronald McDonald Sleeping Room, which was a great service. I learned alot about my baby by being so close to him round the clock. He finally started feeding completely by mouth, and they took out the feeding tube. They watched him for a few days to make sure that he wouldn't reject his feedings again, and we took him home three days before his due date on December 4th.  

- He now weighs around 6 and a half pounds and measures about 18 inches long. He looks like a newborn, but he acts like a two month old in a lot of ways. He can lift his head off the floor and propel himself with his feet. He stays awake for long periods of time and is very alert. He is a pacifier addict and sometimes tries to shove his fist in his mouth when a paci is not available. He has a big appetite, eating almost four ounces of milk every four hours. He is a very dramatic baby providing endless entertainment. We are very happy to have him home at last. It is a blessing to have him home in time for Christmas.

David at Grandma's house

David loves this little old man and little old woman at his Grandma's house

Our Boys

David makes a good pillow

Brothers

I walked in the room the other day and found Austin laying on David looking through a stack of Clifford books.

David tolerates his brother's crazy antics surprisingly well.

Brothers

How to get $130 worth of photos for free!

You may have noticed that I've been doing a lot of advertising for Shutterfly lately, and now I'll show you why.

1. I made a post this week advertising their holiday cards, and they sent me a promo code for 50 free folded 5x7 cards. That's over $100 worth of greeting cards, folks!

2. I also needed some additional prints, so I ordered enough to reach the minimum purchase amount for free shipping. (Prints were 30% off, and you get free shipping with a $25 purchase)

That brought my total to right around $25, which is amazing for about $130 worth of photo items.

But it gets even better.

When I checked out, they gave me the option to post a link to our Christmas card on my blog and receive a $25 Shutterfly gift card. Amazing! That pretty much cancels out the money I spent today since I need to get some more prints made after Christmas anyways. (I'm hoping to combine some more great deals when I redeem my $25 gift card.)

So, here is what I pretty much got for free today:

50 5x7 folded Christmas Cards
29 4x6 prints
6 5x7 prints
4 8x10 prints

I just love a good deal.

Sneak Preview of our Christmas Card

Gorgeous White Ribbon Christmas 5x7 folded card

Make a statement with custom Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Shutterfly Christmas Cards

We got some amazing family pictures made by Oh Cara! Photography a few weeks ago, and they are just wonderful. I wanted to share them in our Christmas cards this year, and better yet, I found out that Shutterfly is having a special promotion on their Photo Christmas Cards. If you agree to blog about their holiday cards, they will give you 50 free cards. What a great deal!

I've had good experiences with Shutterfly in the past. This will be the first time I order cards, but I have ordered their prints and other photo gifts before. They have good quality photos, and you can often find promo codes to get free shipping or money off your total purchase. A few months back, I ordered a matte 11x14 print of David's infant photo, and it turned out beautiful. I also ordered some stickers with the boys' picture on them, and I've been using them to seal up the envelopes when I mail "artwork" to the grandparents. They have been a big hit! I can't wait to see how the personalized Christmas cards turn out.

Here's a link to the information about the promotion if you are interested in participating. The special is good through the end of the year.

"Daddy, I can't hear you. There's bread in my ear."

These are the gloves the nurse gave him the day he had the bread removed.

Boys are funny creatures. We've all heard ridiculous stories about kids sticking things in their nose, ears or mouth. Well, Austin takes the cake (literally and figuratively) for the most ridiculous ENT fiasco I think I've ever heard. 

Let me give a little background-

 My mom came up Tuesday so Joseph and I could have a little staycation in Louisville. I was able to get my haircut at the salon, and we had a great day shopping, eating out, going to the movies and hanging out at Starbucks before coming home to a house full of sleeping boys. It was kind of like going away for a night except we got to sleep in our own bed and didn't have to pay for a hotel.

Well, the vacation was over bright and early Wednesday morning when David woke up with a nasty cold and Austin began throwing up. Ugh! Could the day get any worse? 

It most certainly did.

About noontime, Austin started feeling well enough to eat some toast. That is where the craziness really begins. 

Joseph must have said something to Austin, and his response was, "Daddy, I can't hear you. I have bread in my ear." 

Are you serious???? I rushed over to look in his ear, and sure enough, there was a spitball sized wad of bread inside. Joseph and I left Austin at the table to look for tweezers (big mistake). Apparently, while we were scrounging around in the medicine box, Austin decided to jam the bread in further with his little finger. Argh! Needness to say, we couldn't get the bread out on our own. I called the pediatrician's office, and they got us a same day appointment with an ENT (ear, nose and throat doctor). What an ordeal!

But wait, it gets even crazier. The ENT couldn't get it out in the office and scheduled Austin for surgery the next day at the hospital. You've got to be kidding! Surgery to get some bread out of a kid's ear!!

We had to go through the whole pre-op routine at the hospital even though the "operation" would only take a few short minutes. Austin was very "uncooperative" (a word I saw written in his chart). He wouldn't let the nurse take his temperature, check his blood pressure, put on his arm band, etc. The only way we could get him to drink the sedative was to tell him that the alternative was a shot. Poor kid. It was all the same routine as last year when he had spinal surgery. It was hard to convince Austin that they weren't going to hurt him.

The surgery only took a few minutes. The doctor removed the bread with no problem, and he even cleaned out some wax from his other ear (a little freebie, I guess). There was no cutting involved, in case you are wondering. I could tell the nurses were amused at the little predicament our child had gotten himself into. He had caused a lot of problems with that little piece of bread. I don't think he will do it again, though. I hope he's learned his lesson. He's a boy, though, so we'll see.

Austin got a pair of gloves from one of the nurses as a sort of souvenir. I found him wearing them last night when I checked on him at bedtime. I thought it was the perfect picture to go with this crazy story. 

I still can't believe my kid has surgery to get bread out of his ear. He's never going to live this down. 

Kroger Deal- Break and Bake Cookies

I've got another great Kroger deal you might be interested in.

If you buy 4 items off a very short list of specified products, you get $4 off your total (certain GM cereals, toaster strudel, cinnamon rolls, etc.). Joseph wanted me to get some cookies at the store, so I gathered up some coupons and headed to Kroger to buy 4 packages of Pillsbury break and bake cookies. To my surprise, they had even better coupons ($1.25/ 2 items) in a "blinkie" in front of the Pillsbury products. (A blinkie is the little machine that spits out coupons at various places around the store.) Here's how I worked the sale.

Because I bought four packages of the cookies, I got $4 off. In addition, I used two of the coupons, which took $2.50 off. The total cost for four packages of cookies was $3.50. That's less than .88 cents per package when the regular price is around $2.50 per package. Pretty good deal since I was going to buy cookies anyways. 

Cooking in Busytown

Halloween

 The boys were sick on Halloween weekend, so we didn't take them to any Halloween/ Reformation Day activities. Joseph and Austin did carve a pumpkin, though.

Couponing at Kroger- Here's how it's done

Kroger has a sale this week, and for every 10 specified items you buy, you get $5 off your total purchase. Basically, you get .50 cents off each item. Well, I just got back from the grocery and thought I would share how I worked the Mega Event this week. I purchased exactly 30 of the mega event items, which gave me $15 off my total. You have to buy in quantities of 10 for this sale to work out right.

10 Del Monte tomatoes (2 coupons for $1 off 5 cans)
8 Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom soups (4 coupons for .40 cents off 2 cans)
2 boxes Nestle hot cocoa
1 Hot Pocket
5 cans Swanson chicken broth (found a coupon that someone left on the shelf for .50 off 5 cans)
3 boxes Auntie Anne's macaroni and cheese (organic section)
1 box Stove Top stuffing

Keep in mind that Kroger doubles coupons with a value of .50 cents or less.
Total cost for all 30 items after coupons and discount =  approximately $10
I think I worked this sale pretty good, don't you?

Cooking with Willing Hands

Several ladies from my church have created a cooking blog, and I am a contributor. I just posted a Black Bean Soup recipe. Click here to be directed to the Cooking with Willing Hands blog.

Emily as a little girl

 I recently browsed through an old picture cd that my mom gave me and found some fun pictures from my childhood. Here are just a few I thought I would share.

This cracks me up. Take a closer look at what I'm hauling in my wagon. Can you tell I grew up in the country?

Baby

 Everyone says that the boys look like Joseph, and I have to agree, but after seeing some of my baby pictures, I think they may have a bit of my looks as well.

Something about this reminds me of David.

This one reminds me of Austin.

Louisville Zoo

Austin wanted a  picture with the giant pumpkin.

Austin

Don't be fooled that David is actually drinking from a sippy cup. When we got to the car, I found that his shirt was completely drenched.

David Standing Up

I think he's a keeper

David- 9 months old

If you're happy and you know it...

Clap your hands! 

You just can't help but smile when you watch this video of David clapping his hands.

A little coffee and paint

Check-Ups

Austin's Four Year Check-Up:
- 5 shots
- Finger Prick
- 33 pounds; 39 inches tall
- around 25% for his age, which is normal for him

David's 9 Mo Check-Up:
- 2 shots
- 18 lb, 6 oz; 29 inches long
- 25% for weight; 75% for length- He's getting taller and thinning up, which is normal for an active crawler. 

The Boys- 60s Style- Edited in Picnik

Peek-a-boo! I see you!

Austin is growing up into such a handsome young man, don't you think?

"Mommy, you look beautiful"

Before I had kids, I always wore my contacts and at least a little makeup. Even when Austin was a baby, I fixed myself up for my job at the bank. However, at some point, I "let myself go." I went into survival mode when I got pregnant with David- glasses instead of contacts; little or no makeup; wild hair; ugly clothes. I stopped thinking about my appearance and would only realize at the end of the day how frumpy I looked. 

Well, now that David is 9 months old, I am finally caught up on my sleep. My hair is a little bit more manageable since my bangs have almost grown out. I've got a new brand of contacts and some new makeup, and I can fit into my skinny clothes again. I don't really have a good excuse not to take care of my appearance, so I've been trying to do better.

However, some days I wonder if it is worth it. I mean, do I really care what the people at the grocery or the doctor's office think? I work by myself in a law office and hardly ever see people there. Joseph and I have opposite schedules, so some days we hardly see each other. On the days that I stay home all day, I am especially tempted to forgo the makeup, put on some sweats and let my hair go wild. I'm just chasing after kids all day- what do they care if I have makeup on or not?

Well, Austin surprised me this afternoon. I did my makeup this morning and tried to pull my hair back cute, and after work, I put on some new jeans and a pink shirt. We ran some errands, and shortly after we got home, Austin looked up at me and melted my heart by saying in a sweet sincere voice, "Mommy, You look beautiful!" I couldn't have been happier.

How Austin Learned His Letters

Watching this video is how Austin learned his letters and their sounds. We have checked it out from the library several times, and Austin loves it. If you want to see a trailer for it, go to YouTube and search for "The Letter Factory."

Social Studies- What Do People Do All Day?

We are using this book for "Social Studies." It has pictures and stories of people doing different jobs. Austin loves it. You should be able to check it out from your local library. Of course we have it checked out now, so if you live in Louisville, you will have to go online and request it :)



Random House's Website

Preschool Resource- WeeSing and Pretend

Since we are doing preschool at home this year, I thought I would share some of the resources we find helpful. We are currently using a curriculum for children ages 3/4 from Sonlight. One of the resources they suggest include a CD from WeeSing. Since I knew I could find these CDs from our local library, I just went to the library's website and made a request. This CD is called WeeSing and Pretend. If your child enjoys pretending, he will probably love this. I was a little surprised at first because it wasn't just a music CD; it actually required the participation of the listener. Initially, I had no intentions of playing along, but Austin and I got sucked into the fun pretty quickly. If you go to the Wee Sing and Pretend website, you can listen to a few song samples. It was quite a workout. We were running around the apartment for over half an hour moving nonstop pretending to be race cars, trains, animals, etc. We went on a "walk" (run, hop, crawl...) through the forest chasing after a cute little squirrel. We imagined what it would be like to be a toy that came to life after the store was closed- the toy soldiers were marching, the ballerinas were dancing, etc. Great fun. We had to work in a few water breaks we were being so active.

Now, let me make a plug for the local library. Ours in Louisville is one of about 18 branches. That means there are tons of books in circulations that will never make it to the shelves of my local library in Crescent Hill. However, if you have a library card, you can go to their website, reserve books online, and they will ship them to the branch of your choosing for free. They will even send you an email when the books are ready to be picked up. It is a great service, and I don't think enough people know about it. Wherever you live, check out your library and its services. You help pay for the library with your tax money, so you might as well use it!

Laughter is Contagious

Once upon a time...

The Burger King ate Austin's Daddy!

Austin has become a great storyteller. He is on "holiday" at his grandma and papa's house in Tennessee for the rest of the week, so in light of that, I thought I would post an amusing video of him dressed up as the Burger King. (He has been dressing up a lot lately- boys things, of course.)

You'd better stop eating my cheerios!

Enjoy this sweet video of the David and Austin. You'll want to turn up your volume all the way, though, to see David transform from a sweetly singing bird to a growling lion. He's getting a little more aggressive with Austin these days. It's pretty funny to watch.

Austin is 4 years old

These are just a few pictures taken over the past few weeks of Austin and his friends. He's growing up into such a big boy. 

Isn't it great to see brothers playing together in harmony?

Austin was so excited to open his birthday presents.

Austin riding a buffalo at the zoo.

Austin blowing out his candles. We just had a few friends/neighbors over to play in the yard and have cupcakes. Austin had a blast.

Jaylin went to the zoo with us. What a thoughtful face!

Austin playing with his friends Iain and Kimberlyn at the church playground.

I'm so proud of Austin. We started teaching him his letters this summer, and he recognizes most of his uppercase and some of the lower case. He also knows their sounds thanks to The Letter Factory, a DVD made by LeapFrog. I would definitely recommend it for all you mothers of preschoolers. You can check it out from the Louisville Library for free.

My Mom bought Austin some preschool home school curriculum from sonlight.com, so we have been reading a lot lately. We also bought some basic workbooks, so I hope to start working those into our day in the next few months. It's definitely a challenge for us to develop a schedule. With Joseph working at night, me working part-time and having a new baby (I know, David isn't exactly new anymore, but he is still a lot of work.), each day looks a little different for us. Austin has never been on a very rigid schedule, so having a more predictable routine is something I hope to work on this year. We may or may not home school Austin in the future, but I guess you can say we are home schooling for preschool this year. We will see how it goes this year at home and weigh our options are when it comes time for Austin to go to Kindergarten.